Smart meter incompatibility and chaos

System

Deleted_User wrote: »

I have had a smart meter with E.ON for a number of years and it works fine. When it was installed E.ON told me that, while the meter belongs to them, if I ever changed supplier, the major suppliers subscribe to an information interchange scheme and meter readings would be automatically passed to them.

Following lobbying from them, the Cheap Energy Club is pressing me to change supplier. The good news is that I can potentially save money by switching. The bad news is that many of the suppliers recommended by Cheap Energy Club don't do smart meters at all. Even those who do, eg Scottish Power, say their smart meter technology is different from mine and I may have to wait until 2020 before I could rejoin the 21st century. So it seems if I want to switch I'd have to step back into the Flintstones era and revert to the scourge of meter readers visiting and estimated bills.

What kind of nonsense is this where it seems every energy supplier has a different system and strategy for smart metering in a totally chaotic system of incompatible technology? Why doesn't Cheap Energy Club make any reference to the fact that switching customers possibly have to revert back to the Flintstones era?

To put this into context, Ofgem regulations require suppliers to obtain a truncated average daily calorific value from the National Grid for your region whenever a bill is raised. I am pretty sure that no smart meter has the ability to download this information from the web. This calorific value is used to convert the volume reading shown on your meter (cubic Feet/Cubic Meters) to kWhs. It follows that your smart meter IHD is using some form of built in fixed multiplier.

Does this matter - yes it does for billing purposes. My supplier has been using a fixed calorific value for volume conversion: a simple check of the National Grid shows that the fixed multiplier is out by a factor of 0.6 resulting in overbilling amounting to nearly £2 over the past 2 months.

I agree that the rollout of these meters has been a complete mess that is going to cost us a lot more than we needed to pay for the benefits that consumers will get from smart metering.

[Deleted User]

House_Martin wrote: »

As a meter reader , I have to agree with you to say that the Secure Liberty gas meter i saw last month only displayed the gas in kwhrs only, not cubic meters. It is the only one I ve seen which does that, all the other Secure Liberty meters displayed firstly in cubic meters after pressing button 9 on the second screen, so maybe it was a faulty display, or maybe the meter was set to prepayment meter mode.
You could I suppose just divide the kwhrs by 11.2 to get back to cubic meters. That is as close as you need for an accurate reading.

I've just checked my latest energy bill from E.ON. As regards gas it itemises my gas cost as follows:
Gas xxxx kilowatt hours (kWh) used at x.xxp each = £xx.xx
Standing Charge - xx days at xx.xp per day = £xx.xx
So my gas bill is calculated based on kWh which are the same units as shown on my in-house display. However E.ON refuses to permit me to give them a reading from my in-house display in kWh and insists my reading must be in cubic metres. I therefore have to do a manual conversion of kWh to cubic metres. Then, when preparing my bill, E.ON immediately does another conversion to taking my calculated cubic metres and converts it back into kWh to prepare my bill. Yet I'm not allowed to give them my kWh meter reading and, instead, a needless double conversion has to be done no doubt risking computational errors.

My conclusion:
You don't have to be mad to work for E.ON, but it helps.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Deleted_User wrote: »

Hi Malc, I'm being told something different when I speak to E.ON over the phone. I've just been on the phone for some 45 minutes and E.ON tell me that I cannot use the meter reading from my in-house display to provide E.ON a gas meter reading because it is in kWh. Indeed the display meter reading says xxxxx kWh. In order to provide the company with a gas meter reading I have to supply the reading in cubic metres which they say is shown only on the physical meter and not the display. Just to emphasise that, about a week ago my display showed a reading of 00569 (kWh) whereas E.ONs in-house remote reading on the same day was actually 00050 (cubic metres). As I have difficulty physically reading the meter, E.ON again tell me I can't use the display to provide them a gas meter reading. In particular, it seems that, in the event of my switching supplier in the future, my in-house display will be totally useless for gas meter readings to the new supplier.

Since I'm getting different stories E.ON suggest maybe you have a chat with the Smart metering team to clarify which story is correct.

Deleted_User wrote: »

I've just checked my latest energy bill from E.ON. As regards gas it itemises my gas cost as follows:
Gas xxxx kilowatt hours (kWh) used at x.xxp each = £xx.xx
Standing Charge - xx days at xx.xp per day = £xx.xx
So my gas bill is calculated based on kWh which are the same units as shown on my in-house display. However E.ON refuses to permit me to give them a reading from my in-house display in kWh and insists my reading must be in cubic metres. I therefore have to do a manual conversion of kWh to cubic metres. Then, when preparing my bill, E.ON immediately does another conversion to taking my calculated cubic metres and converts it back into kWh to prepare my bill. Yet I'm not allowed to give them my kWh meter reading and, instead, a needless double conversion has to be done no doubt risking computational errors.

My conclusion:
You don't have to be mad to work for E.ON, but it helps.

Morning picks and sorry we're still giving contradictory information about your new smart meter and display. I'll do more than talk to our Smart Meter teams. I'm going to send this to those in charge and take it up with them. To help, can you advise the make and model of your smart gas meter please? Not the serial number as this is unique to your home. Just the make and model.

Thanks picks and look forward to hearing from you.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

barmonkey wrote: »

I'm with Eon and keep being told I must call them about having a smart meter fitted, but I cant have one because I'm too far from the meter.

Hello barmonkey and you don't have to have a smart meter if you don't want one. They're optional.

Have we told you previously that you're too far from the meter to have one? Although we're installing these meters across the country, they're not available everywhere yet. It depends on things like the actual area, type of property, the strength of the mobile phone signal and the current metering set up. Improvements and developments are being made all the time and it might be some of these things have changed since the last time we checked then situation at your home. It could be what was stopping us before no longer applies.

If you're interested in going down this route, have a chat to our specialist Smart Teams (contact details will be on the letter we've sent and our website). They'll soon be able to tell you if we're now in a position to fit a smart meter. If not, they'll stop bothering you with these requests.

Hope this helps barmonkey.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

fredandwilma wrote: »

In what way is it useless?

I still use mine everyday, several years down the line.

I should have thought the IHD would be placed inside the house?

Clearly, I am not normal? :rotfl:

Glad you like your smart meter display fredandwilma and are using it regularly.

Malc

[Deleted User]

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

Morning picks and sorry we're still giving contradictory information about your new smart meter and display. I'll do more than talk to our Smart Meter teams. I'm going to send this to those in charge and take it up with them. To help, can you advise the make and model of your smart gas meter please? Not the serial number as this is unique to your home. Just the make and model.

Thanks picks and look forward to hearing from you

Thanks Malc I have two meters installed viz electric and gas but I assume you're asking about the electric one. If so it's:
Secure Liberty 100
During the recent lengthy hours of phone calls I have made to E.ON I specifically referred to our dialogue here on the MSE forum. They claimed not to know anything about a company representative posting here and they demanded to know your full name and position. I suggest you put them right as it's been frustrating when, during the telephone calls, they've been in denial that you exist.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

brewerdave wrote: »

I got a letter from EON (again!!) last week, telling me that my meters were "obsolete" and needed replacing -please phone to make appointment - only problem is that I left EON nearly 1 month ago!!:rotfl:

Hello brewerdave.

Are these letters about changing your meter because it's reached the end its guaranteed lifespan? Or, are they about offering you a smart meter?

If the meter is due for a change under its normal cycle and we're the meter operator for your region, we'll continue to look after it even though you've changed supplier. This is separate from our supply side and has no impact on your account. If it is, you can call the number on the letter to arrange a like for like replacement.

Alternatively, if the letters are specifically about fitting a smart meter, I suspect they're part of a mailshot that's been in the pipeline from before you switched. These letters are pre-planned and go out in batches at set periods, often quite a time after originally raised. Changes like switching supplier don't feed through until later. If they are, please ignore it. These letters will stop after a time.

Sorry if I'm barking up the wrong tree brewerdave and it's something else.

Malc

Maulik

Deleted_User wrote: »

I too have an indoor unit linked to my E.ON smart meter, but I'm not aware that I can take meter readings from it. Can you please identify the precise model of your indoor unit and explain in detail where I can find the meter readings? Certainly E.ON appear to be unaware as I've spent several hours today speaking to E.ON about my problem.

The difficulty is that my gas meter is high up in the garage and pretty inaccessible to read the screen without risking injury by clambering up. The electricity meter is at the back of a cupboard almost at ground level and almost impossible to read. E.ON agree that to make reading accessible to me the meters would need to be moved to a more user-friendly place, but they refuse to do it saying I'll have to negotiate this with my next provider. If, as you say, the indoor unit provides meter readings why haven't E.ON suggested I use that?

Why not to file the complaint against E.ON regarding your inconvenience of meter reading at Energy Ombudsman. It allows you to register complaint online using the below form but only after the eight weeks you filled complaint to your energy supplier.
Please go through this as it is suggested by Energy Regulator Ofgem.
As I am new user here, I am not allowed to share the links so I would like to request you to visit Energy Ombudsman and you can easily find the online form to register complaint against your supplier.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Deleted_User wrote: »

Thanks Malc I have two meters installed viz electric and gas but I assume you're asking about the electric one. If so it's:
Secure Liberty 100
During the recent lengthy hours of phone calls I have made to E.ON I specifically referred to our dialogue here on the MSE forum. They claimed not to know anything about a company representative posting here and they demanded to know your full name and position. I suggest you put them right as it's been frustrating when, during the telephone calls, they've been in denial that you exist.

Thanks picks but it's the gas meter I need to know about. I think, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the electric meter is okay as you can take the reading from the display. Whereas, with the gas meter, our advisors are telling you something different to what I've been told.

Can't say I'm surprised the advisor you spoke to didn't know who Helena and I are. This part of the business has grown very quickly recently with quite a number of new advisors joining the teams. If they ever say this to you again please refer them to their Section Manager and her boss. Both are former managers of ours and know us very well. They'll soon put them straight. This is also where I'm sending your particular case.

Look forward to hearing from you picks.

Malc

[Deleted User]

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

Thanks picks but it's the gas meter I need to know about. I think, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the electric meter is okay as you can take the reading from the display. Whereas, with the gas meter, our advisors are telling you something different to what I've been told.

Can't say I'm surprised the advisor you spoke to didn't know who Helena and I are. This part of the business has grown very quickly recently with quite a number of new advisors joining the teams. If they ever say this to you again please refer them to their Section Manager and her boss. Both are former managers of ours and know us very well. They'll soon put them straight. This is also where I'm sending your particular case.

Hi Malc, the gas meter is:
Liberty EG4v 10
When I spoke to the staff I at E.ON I quoted what you had said in a post. The reaction I got was that it was rubbish and I should ignore your posts and listen to them instead. I asked to be put through to the complaints team and got talking to someone calling himself Rich who denied any knowledge of anyone on MSE officially representing the company. I persisted, saying I had no reason to believe you are anything but genuine but to no avail. After I continued to press him, he conceded he knew nothing about MSE forums and reluctantly agreed to pass on my information to another (but unspecified) team to investigate whether E.ON has an authorised representative here. I await to hear from them.