A fundemental Smart Meter flaw?

Andy_WSM

I've been with Utilita now for about 6 weeks. Very happy with the Smart meter, its installation, its ease of use - the customer service provided etc. No complaints there...But, as we near month end I thought I'd aquire some readings from my meters so I can fill in my spreadsheets to keep track of my day vs night consumption.

Downloaded the manual form Utilita's website: https://utilita.co.uk/downloads/UserGuides2017_DualFuel.pdf and found the section explaining how to get a reading. On Page 14 you can see that button 9 is used to obtain Import and Export readings in kWh, but there is only 1 register for each - i.e no breakdown of day / night usage! What?! Tariff data (button 6) correctly shows the 2 rates.

I know the meter charges the correct rates night and day as the indoor / handheld unit shows which rate is currently in play and when I get up at 5ish, the night rate is active.

Anyone any ideas? - short of making a monthly call to Utilita which entirely negates the point of "smart" meters...

Frozen_up_north

My E.On smart meter (Secure Liberty 100) shows the readings by pressing the 6 button until "IMP R01" is displayed, leave it a couple of seconds and it shows the day units used, followed by "IMP R02", which shows the night units.

Yours probably works the same

House_Martin

Andy_WSM wrote: »

I've been with Utilita now for about 6 weeks. Very happy with the Smart meter, its installation, its ease of use - the customer service provided etc. No complaints there...But, as we near month end I thought I'd aquire some readings from my meters so I can fill in my spreadsheets to keep track of my day vs night consumption.

Downloaded the manual form Utilita's website: https://utilita.co.uk/downloads/UserGuides2017_DualFuel.pdf and found the section explaining how to get a reading. On Page 14 you can see that button 9 is used to obtain Import and Export readings in kWh, but there is only 1 register for each - i.e no breakdown of day / night usage! What?! Tariff data (button 6) correctly shows the 2 rates.

I know the meter charges the correct rates night and day as the indoor / handheld unit shows which rate is currently in play and when I get up at 5ish, the night rate is active.

Anyone any ideas? - short of making a monthly call to Utilita which entirely negates the point of "smart" meters...

Yes, Robin9 corrected us all at G4S the meter reading company, earlier this year when I complained about it. .We all thought that button 9 was for all the reads but when I came across an Eco 7 meter it was obvious they were not there but on button 6. That info was transferred to my boss.
At least Utilita and Ovo have brought in smart Eco 7 because none of the others seem to have fitted smart Eco 7, or Eco 10 compatible meters.

EachPenny

House_Martin wrote: »

At least Utilita and Ovo have brought in smart Eco 7 because none of the others seem to have fitted smart Eco 7, or Eco 10 compatible meters.

Something which I celebrate every day as it means I'm not plagued with requests to 'upgrade' my meter :T

It does seem a little silly to me that smart meters (which ultimately are being installed to impose demand management and tariffs varying by time of day) have yet to scratch the surface with consumers on existing time of use tariffs like Economy7.

Wouldn't it have made far more sense to start with those consumers already on E7, E10 and some of the other TOU tariffs and only do the 'simple' ones when the technology was more mature?

Why is it that most suppliers are not installing Smart E7 meters?

House_Martin

EachPenny wrote: »

Something which I celebrate every day as it means I'm not plagued with requests to 'upgrade' my meter :T

It does seem a little silly to me that smart meters (which ultimately are being installed to impose demand management and tariffs varying by time of day) have yet to scratch the surface with consumers on existing time of use tariffs like Economy7.

Wouldn't it have made far more sense to start with those consumers already on E7, E10 and some of the other TOU tariffs and only do the 'simple' ones when the technology was more mature?

Why is it that most suppliers are not installing Smart E7 meters?

That has baffled me Eachpenny. Eco 7 is badly needed to go smart asap.We meter readers, and the customers as well, have been ballsing up the day/night for years leading to transposed reading bills. Some meters are very difficult to determine day or night. G4S (now MDS )routinely transpose some eco 7 meters
BG can do it if they like because they have introduced a free weekend day tariff which has a TOU tariff programmed on the electric smart meter.
Maybe Joyful, a BG manager can help..I doubt it tho.
I also think the priority should be for smart prepay.They have them now but its took years to introduce them from the old "super fiddled " key prepay meter..
Fiddlers will refuse a smart prepay anyway lol