Silly question about Smart meters

Raxiel

Hengus wrote: »

SMETS 1 have a predicted life of 15 years. The latest Data Communications Company consultation has 5 options for adopting these meters into the central hub via a separate communications link. The paper suggests that many SMETS 1meters will remain supplier dependent until 2020; if you switch, they will lose connectivity.

Just wondering, is a SMETS 1 meter rendered dumb by a supplier switch considered a smart or a dumb meter for the purposes of the 'everyone must have a smart meter' statistics?

System

Raxiel wrote: »

Just wondering, is a SMETS 1 meter rendered dumb by a supplier switch considered a smart or a dumb meter for the purposes of the 'everyone must have a smart meter' statistics?

Smart. The Big 6 suppliers are required to install a minimum of 1500 smart meters each in the the 12 months following Data Communications Company live (6 Nov 16) and they are allowed to include SMETS 1 meters in this figure. In theory, from 6 Nov 17 are installs should be SMETS 2 meters. (Dates have been known to slip by months/years)

Tucker65

dogshome wrote: »

What is the range of the remote reader? In a big block of flats with meters in a common service room, will it still receive signal thro' umpteen brick walls and a 60' height change?

Maybe 6-10m depending on walls/structural material. Ours works on and off and we only live in a small 2-bed house, the battery life of the receiver is awful too.

dogshome

Going back to my original query
So the remotes struggle with a 10metre range, so will be useless in many blocks of flats

So we get to the all too common problem of mis-registered meters in flat block service rooms.
With Standard meters the usual checks are; Does the meter number match the one on the bill?
Even if it does, this is not failsafe - Go to Step 2 which is to turn off everything in the flat, and whilst you watch the meter you have a mate in the flat with a mobile phone, Switching the kettle Off/On to your order - If the meter jumps from zero activty to recording use in sync. with your orders - Yes you have the right meter. - If it doesn't you start looking at all the other meters in the room at 3am in the morning when it's likely they are little used, to see which one is kicking in, in time with the kettle switching - For Gas your mate runs Hot Water or the oven

So it's a Smart meter - You can't do the kettle Switching test on a meter that only shows it's reading for a few seconds - Never mind you have a remote that shows what is being consumed, the only problem is, is that remote is wthin feet of it's mother meter and will show that meter's reading whether it your meter or not.
Heaven help all flat dwellers, particularly those in newly built blocks

System

dogshome wrote: »

Going back to my original query
So the remotes struggle with a 10metre range, so will be useless in many blocks of flats

So we get to the all too common problem of mis-registered meters in flat block service rooms.
With Standard meters the usual checks are; Does the meter number match the one on the bill?
Even if it does, this is not failsafe - Go to Step 2 which is to turn off everything in the flat, and whilst you watch the meter you have a mate in the flat with a mobile phone, Switching the kettle Off/On to your order - If the meter jumps from zero activty to recording use in sync. with your orders - Yes you have the right meter. - If it doesn't you start looking at all the other meters in the room at 3am in the morning when it's likely they are little used, to see which one is kicking in, in time with the kettle switching - For Gas your mate runs Hot Water or the oven

So it's a Smart meter - You can't do the kettle Switching test on a meter that only shows it's reading for a few seconds - Never mind you have a remote that shows what is being consumed, the only problem is, is that remote is wthin feet of it's mother meter and will show that meter's reading whether it your meter or not.
Heaven help all flat dwellers, particularly those in newly built blocks

You are confusing the meter to supplier connection and the meter to IHD connection. SMETS1 meters talk directly to the supplier. SMETS2 meters talk to the new Data Communications Company on a 'pass the parcel' basis. If the meter cannot establish a direct connection it talks to adjacent SMETS2 meters on what is known as a Wide Area Network until it finds a meter that has a connection. The connection from the meter to the IHD can vary with distance, building construction etc.

It follows that a SMETS2 meter might be communicating happily with your supplier but the IHD is showing a blank screen.