Smart meter for Energy Club

OldBeanz

I have a Smart Meter which was very useful as it let me know whether the boiler was working and if anything had been left on. It was installed by BG (I think!!). I then switched to NPower and as expected it did not work. After a year I am coming to the end of my fixed rate with Power and wondered how you can tell which suppliers my (notso) Smart Meter would work with.
Having read that they are all going to work no matter the supplier in 2020 it may not be worth changing the Cheap Energy Club settings but would still be prepared to pay more to activate my SM again before 2020.

Anthorn

OldBeanz wrote: »

I have a Smart Meter which was very useful as it let me know whether the boiler was working and if anything had been left on. It was installed by BG (I think!!). I then switched to NPower and as expected it did not work. After a year I am coming to the end of my fixed rate with Power and wondered how you can tell which suppliers my (notso) Smart Meter would work with.
Having read that they are all going to work no matter the supplier in 2020 it may not be worth changing the Cheap Energy Club settings but would still be prepared to pay more to activate my SM again before 2020.

It's not really a case of who/which can read a smart meter but whether they will read it given the premise that they should be able to read it. For example Npower and Scottish Power both install Elster smart meters and use the Elster technology to get smart meter readings. So therefore we would expect Npower to be able to get the readings of SP smart meters and vice versa but apparently not. On the other hand Bristol Energy say that if you have a Secure smart meter they can read it whoever installed it. Complicated eh?

From what I understand smart meters which can be updated over the air will be updated to be interoperable with the new DCC starting mid-2019. But not all of them can be updated with the existing new software and depend on the meter manufacturers. Go figure.

nPower

OldBeanz wrote: »

I have a Smart Meter which was very useful as it let me know whether the boiler was working and if anything had been left on. It was installed by BG (I think!!). I then switched to NPower and as expected it did not work. After a year I am coming to the end of my fixed rate with Power and wondered how you can tell which suppliers my (notso) Smart Meter would work with.
Having read that they are all going to work no matter the supplier in 2020 it may not be worth changing the Cheap Energy Club settings but would still be prepared to pay more to activate my SM again before 2020.

Hi OldBeanz,

Thanks for your message. If you need our help with your smart meter query please contact us using the details on our profile page.

Thanks

Jen

Robin9

Oldbeanz - there should be a sticky label on it saying who originally installed it.

Quite probably - as of today - only the original supplier may be able to re-enable it. I say "may"

SOme meters are on a list of ones that will be able to be read eventually by any supplier - my Liberty Secure is. Many aren't and may never be !

Just switch suppliers if there are savings to be made and read your own meter.

jcontest

As the OP is going to go onto a standard tariff then it is worth switching now, the compatibility deadline is likely to move closer to 2030 than stick to where it is at now. Moving back to BG or Sainsburys should see them start working again (tho I have read BG sometimes refuses to re-use their old gear).



I wouldn't hold my breath when it comes to these things becoming interoperable. The DCC will only make money from non-deployment and then the basic fee that everyone pays. There's no real financial incentive for them to get the old meters working. My guess for a working date is probably closer to 2030.