Smart Meters - what they do and don't do...

matelodave

Mine takes a lot more than two presses and the default page is useless, especially as it's configured to only show the cost of energy being used, but not anymore since I left SSE. It's not quite blank but it might just as well be.

I need to press a button to show live consumption in kwh which would be significantly more useful if it was on the default page, and it takes seven button presses to actually read the meter.

I don't mind multiple presses to get to some of the more esoteric info but you shouldn't have to drill down through the menu's just to find out what you are currently using in kwh or to actually read the meter.

please dont get me wrong, I think they are a great idea and I would really prefer it if it sent info back to my supplier it's just the implementation of mine, possibly others leave a lot to be desired. If I could configure it to display what I want on the default screen it would be good, likewise it would be useful if I could download data from either the meter or the IHD to a spreadsheet or a graphical display.

Even when it was working in a fully smart mode, I could only get the info that the supplier allowed me to get from my on-line account and non of it was in real time either. It was only updated once every 24 hours so the latest you got was yesterdays info - the graphs were rubbish as well.

this how I want my stuff displayed https://www.energyhive.com/dashboard/dave Its easy to read, with live info and the option of downloading the data as csv files in minute hourly or daily info with time and date if I so wish.

The info is in the smart meters somewhere so it shouldn't be difficult to get it out.

Michaelw

I've only found these meters useful in prepayment mode saving the card/key but even then British Gas provided a home top up key/card programmers for pc's,they didn't save me any money what they appear to do is the supplier petrol pump control over your energy supply.

PennineAcute

My prepapy meters were with OVO. Their smart meter IHD was next to useless. Told me very little, and all I want are my meter readings. Even when my meter was smart, I still took my daily readings so that I could ensure that my DD was matching my usage.

Changed my spreadhseet (just recently) to use with my water meter. Cheesed off with never having a near zero balance with United Utilities
.

TheHeatingEngineer

Mister_G wrote: »

I have a Secure Liberty 100 meter with the Pipit 500 IHD. I can see my current meter reading on the IHD.

I realised that my comments where more geared towards gas but that was not clear. I have re-written the post to review gas & electric SMs separately where relevant.

Calculating electricity energy usage is trivial for the IHD but it requires the calorific value (CV) of gas for the gas calculation.

And it happens that the gas appliance service operative needs the gas meter readings in cubic meters, and the gas CV to complete the service process correctly.

Does you IHD show the gas usage in cubic meters? Does it know about the CV of your gas?

One problem I have encountered in my years of gas appliance servicing is that the gas industry "assumes" a CV for gas. In doing so, there can be up to 15% error in the gas energy usage compared with using the true values.

The CV of gas is found on the gas bill.

HTH

Mister_G

TheHeatingEngineer wrote: »

Does you IHD show the gas usage in cubic meters? Does it know about the CV of your gas?

HTH

I don't have mains gas. We live in the country and have bulk LPG.

matelodave

We are also in the country and are all electric (including the heating) - that's why I like to know what I'm using and when I'm using it.

I find it's a lot easier to correlate kwh with an appliance rather than trying see what is using money. Peaks and troughs with a kwh value means a lot more than than £&p.

PennineAcute

My IHD readings shows elec in kWh and gas in cubic meters. Yes, it shows gas kWh usage, but I know that that is an estimate.

TheHeatingEngineer

PennineAcute wrote: »

My IHD readings shows ... gas in cubic meters. Yes, it shows gas kWh usage, but I know that that is an estimate.

I wish the IHDs of my customers displayed the volume used.

The gas calculation absolutely needs the gas CV which must be there somewhere. I would not be surprised if an estimate was used but that could introduce a substantial error into the calculation.

matelodave

As the CV is a variable amount then it would have to be regularly downloaded from the supplier so I'm guessing that an average value is programmed into the meter to calculate the kwh consumption for meters/IHD that have that function.

It does seem that the meters and IHD that are out there have random ideas about what info to display and it's down to the suppliers to decide what they feel that customer's can understand.

PennineAcute

TheHeatingEngineer wrote: »

I wish the IHDs of my customers displayed the volume used.

The gas calculation absolutely needs the gas CV which must be there somewhere. I would not be surprised if an estimate was used but that could introduce a substantial error into the calculation.

I keep a daily track of my usage. I use my IHD gas kWh usage as my daily use, and my spreadsheet calculates my gas meter readings. Over the colder periods, I have to make a +1 adjustment to keep my calculated meter reading accurate. Over the warmer periods, I do not have to.

My spreadsheet usally leaves me with a near zero balance on both my gas and elec accounts.

I was told, when SP installed my SM, that the gas cost would always be an estimate. Never really found out, as when I had the meters fitted, I was on their Power Up tariff. Then my online account went hey wire and was told that Power Up was not compatible with SM. That annoyed me, so I left three months after my meters were fitted.