Smart Meter (Gas) billing

lycrawearer

After my previous post about my BG supplied Gas smart meter not sending info to the In Home Display, and another phone call to BG, it transpires that the battery in the external gas meter has dies, as it has not sent them any readings since early Jan. A quick check of the meter, indeed confirms that the LCD display is blank, and pressing the buttons will not bring it to life ..

So, good old BG have organised (their first available appointment) to come and change the meter mid Feb .. which leaves approx 6 weeks of the meter being unable to record usage (I'm assuming) ..

Does anyone know if this is the case ? Will the smart meter still record usage if the in-built battery has died ?

The BG advisor said that any usage between the last meter reading (early Jan) and the new meter being installed (mid Feb) will be free. Is that true ? Would be nice if that's the case lol

brewerdave

Gas usage won't be free - they will base on previous usage -Sorry!!

[Deleted User]

There is a small lithium back up battery in the smart electric meters to protect the modem data but I m not sure if smart gas has one..I doubt it and I also doubt if the suppliers can be bothered to try and measure the usage off the blank screen. I think its possible, but for years I ve been finding blank screen electric meters and they never try and recover the lcd meter readings off a blank screen..Hence this is why many occupiers I know with long standing blank screens use as much electricity as they like whilst paying a fixed monthly direct debit.
I once found one of the earlier BG smart gas meters with a blank screen after only 2 years service and pressing the black button, not the usual red button displayed the reading on that occasion..Worth trying.
Smart gas meters have an expensive Lithium Thionyl Chloride battery in it which are supposed to last 10 years. Suppliers seem to want to exchange the whole meter rather than the simpler cheaper job of switching batteries over.
Definitely do not believe what the call centre said.They are not known for understanding all the rules.. I ve heard them saying before. "use as much as you like " is closer but you will be billed on historic usage or possibly a monitored length of future usage..The gas is not all owned by British Gas for them to give it away free.