MSE News: Energy firms to roll out smart meters which let you switch from early 2018

System

andy073 wrote: »

Could anybody please explain exactly how the meter sends the reading to the energy supplier?

I'm assuming that the meter is connected to either WiFi or the mobile phone network; if so, which network?

And what happens if a property has no signal?

Thanks.

SMETS 2 meters will connect to The Data Communications Company. Wifi is not used to send meter readings, and no single property needs a mobile connection.

Quote: Communications Hubs will be installed in homes to allow smart meters and in-home displays to connect to each other across the Smart Meter Home Area Network (SM HAN).

The Communications Hub also connects these devices to the DCC and energy company systems via the Smart Meter Wide Area Network (SM WAN). This means meter readings can be taken automatically and remotely.

Energy companies will install Communications Hubs in premises but DCC is responsible for their supply. And different Communications Hub variants will be supplied, depending on which area of Great Britain they will be installed in. In central and southern regions, cellular and wireless mesh technology (provided by Telefonica) will be used to connect to the SM WAN, while in northern regions, Communications Hubs will use long-range radio (provided by Arqiva) for wide area communications. Unquote

If your SMETS2 meter is not capable of connecting directly to The DCC, then your readings will be passed around the SM Wide Area Network until a meter is found that can communicate with The DCC.

andy073

Many thanks for an excellent answer.
Presumably all this transmitting uses electricity. Who pays for that?

System

andy073 wrote: »

Many thanks for an excellent answer.
Presumably all this transmitting uses electricity. Who pays for that?

We all do indirectly as nothing is ever free. Power is taken from the Grid side of your meter; ie, usage will not result in increased readings. You will pay for any power needed by the IHD ( battery etc)

brewerdave

andy073 wrote: »

Could anybody please explain exactly how the meter sends the reading to the energy supplier?

I'm assuming that the meter is connected to either WiFi or the mobile phone network; if so, which network?

And what happens if a property has no signal?

Thanks.

The current SMETS1 meters use the mobile networks -this is why some houses /areas are unsuitable for SMART metering currently. ; for SMETS2 see Hengus answer #12.
HOWEVER, this second generation method of data transmission is unproven - and no doubt, there will be more tears before bedtime!!:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

andy073 wrote: »

Who pays for that?

Running costs for the DCC for 2016/17 were published at £347M up £46M from the previous year.

So yes we are all paying for it in our bills.

Source https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/media/433052/dcc_annual_report_and_regulatory_accounts_31_march_2017.pdf

System

gsmlnx wrote: »

Running costs for the DCC for 2016/17 were published at £347M up £46M from the previous year.

So yes we are all paying for it in our bills.

Source https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/media/433052/dcc_annual_report_and_regulatory_accounts_31_march_2017.pdf

So we shouldn't be worried then that the Government tabled a Bill last week to cover DCC insolvency.

Interestingly, the Bill states that we should all save £6 a year on our bills by 2020. I take this to mean that whatever the cost of energy is at this time, the annual cost will be £6 less than it might have been had we not got smart meters.

Frozen_up_north

andy073 wrote: »

Could anybody please explain exactly how the meter sends the reading to the energy supplier?

I'm assuming that the meter is connected to either WiFi or the mobile phone network; if so, which network?

And what happens if a property has no signal?

Thanks.

The earlier smart meters use the mobile phone network and appear to be able to use any of the 4 networks, the installer of mine said it auto selects in the same manner as an overseas mobile phone on roaming to the UK.
The connection to the in-house display unit appears to be Bluetooth or similar.

MothballsWallet

Hengus wrote: »

We all do indirectly as nothing is ever free. Power is taken from the Grid side of your meter; ie, usage will not result in increased readings. You will pay for any power needed by the IHD ( battery etc)

To be honest, when I do get my SMETS2 meters, I'll probably just leave the IHD in its box with as little use as possible.

fewkeste

If I get contacted and asked if I want a Smart meter, is there any way I can independently verify if the intended meter truly is a SMETS2 compliant unit?

Are they actually marked SMETS1 or SMETS2 or is it a case of getting the model number and Googling it before the installation person installs it?

I'm also concerned that call centre staff may just say whatever they need to say to get you to agree to the installation so they can meet their targets.

molerat

I suspect the problem will be that until the installer turns up and gets the box out of the van no one will know what you are going to get as the new programme allows for an equal number of SMETS1 meters to be fitted and they have an awfully large amount of them left.