Smart meter hell

Maddy762

I will send a picture when I am home from work.

thorganby

Maddy762 wrote: »

I will send a picture when I am home from work.

A picture of a blank screen is pointless!

The actual gas meter display (not the in house display) goes to sleep and you need to activate the display to take a reading by pressing 9 on the keypad.

You should see "Volume" followed by a numerical reading and by m3 so post a picture of the reading not a blank screen.

If this does not work then your current supplier will have to fix it, there is absolutely no need to return to OVO.

Carrot007

thorganby wrote: »

A picture of a blank screen is pointless!

I am assuming they are talking about something actually blocking the actual gas meter here.


Exactly what I do not know. Maybe the elctric meter. But I cannot imaggine any meter monkey would ever fit in that situation.

Raxiel

I think I follow now. It didn't matter* that the gas meter was obscured by the electrical meter before because it was read remotely, but since changing suppliers its become an issue?

If so, you don't need a new meter, you need the electric meter to be moved (or the gas, but lets not go there). This could be done if there is physical space to do so, but unfortunately its not usually free. You should Ask EDF if they would charge under these circumstances and if so how much.

In the meantime, has the IHD gone completely blank? Or has it just lost lost the £ reading? If there is a kWh figure anywhere you could get an m³ reading for EDF by dividing that figure by 11.2. It's NOT accurate, but to be honest it will be close enough to prevent any significant creep between their estimates and what you actually owe once the meter finally gets read one way or another.

Failing that, could you get a reading by sticking a small mirror in the gap, or possibly a smart phone with the video camera recording?

*Didn't matter to the consumer, it should have mattered to the fitter, that sounds like pretty shoddy work to me. There is a minimum clearance requirement between gas and electrical meters, and if this installation violates that I'd say it's still raising a complaint with Ovo and demanding sufficient compensation to pay EDF to put it right without you being out of pocket.

thorganby

Carrot007 wrote: »

I am assuming they are talking about something actually blocking the actual gas meter here.


Exactly what I do not know. Maybe the elctric meter. But I cannot imaggine any meter monkey would ever fit in that situation.

Raxiel wrote: »

I think I follow now. It didn't matter* that the gas meter was obscured by the electrical meter before because it was read remotely, but since changing suppliers its become an issue?

If so, you don't need a new meter, you need the electric meter to be moved (or the gas, but lets not go there). This could be done if there is physical space to do so, but unfortunately its not usually free. You should Ask EDF if they would charge under these circumstances and if so how much.

In the meantime, has the IHD gone completely blank? Or has it just lost lost the £ reading? If there is a kWh figure anywhere you could get an m³ reading for EDF by dividing that figure by 11.2. It's NOT accurate, but to be honest it will be close enough to prevent any significant creep between their estimates and what you actually owe once the meter finally gets read one way or another.

Failing that, could you get a reading by sticking a small mirror in the gap, or possibly a smart phone with the video camera recording?

*Didn't matter to the consumer, it should have mattered to the fitter, that sounds like pretty shoddy work to me. There is a minimum clearance requirement between gas and electrical meters, and if this installation violates that I'd say it's still raising a complaint with Ovo and demanding sufficient compensation to pay EDF to put it right without you being out of pocket.

I would say that you have both made wild assumptions based on the OP's posts. The OP has probably never ever read the actual meters.

I can't believe that any cowboy fitter would install an electric meter in front of a gas meter but all will be revealed if we get a picture!

Raxiel

thorganby wrote: »

I would say that you have both made wild assumptions based on the OP's posts. The OP has probably never ever read the actual meters.

I can't believe that any cowboy fitter would install an electric meter in front of a gas meter but all will be revealed if we get a picture!

I made a reasonable assumption based on OP's posts, particularly #8. I'm glad you now agree a photo would be useful. I will amend my advice if necessary if and when we have more information.

Carrot007

thorganby wrote: »

I would say that you have both made wild assumptions based on the OP's posts. The OP has probably never ever read the actual meters.

I can't believe that any cowboy fitter would install an electric meter in front of a gas meter but all will be revealed if we get a picture!

We go on what we get?


I would not believe it either. But out of the main providers the fitters are under more pressure to do things. I have know them to do thing a proper engineer would not touch after a risk assessment. So I would not be suprised. (they are under a lot more pressure to actully not fail the job).


It is also why at every reply I said. "I can not fathom..." etc and asked for a picture.

[Deleted User]

all Secure Liberty 100 meters, gas or electric are compatible with all other suppliers if they are in credit mode and don t expect to be used as prepays.. I see hundreds of them in use by many other suppliers including EDF..A meter is a meter and when the OP left Ovo, who were the first supplier to use these meters, then EDF will accept it as dumb smart meter.
As smart meters are optional, EDF may try and fit their smart meters to fulfill their obligations, but the OP does not need EDF s smart meter because the rules state you do not have to accept a smart meter despite what some call centres may infer, eg from Eon " we need to fit a smart meter " and Npower tried the same little trick.
After all, she may move supply next month to one of the cheaper suppliers who use Secure meters.
I can t believe a meter fitter came unequipped without some means of gaining elevation a few feet when there are many electric meters placed over 6 ft high inside properties.. Rare for gas meters to be elevated over 6 ft unless in meter cupboards with other meters.Gas and electric meters nowadays have to be fixed over a metre apart by the updated regulations from many years ago
Meter fitters have always looked for a "get out " excuse to leave a property if they don t fancy the look of the job and they can come out with few stock get -outs such as too high or more commonly too low inside cupboards in kitchens. I have been listening to complaints from customers about meter fitters for years, smart or dumb, who just stay two minutes to look at the job then depart, after the occupier had waited in all day.
The problem is purely one of access to the working meters not meter exchanges.. Electric meter reading is a couple of presses of button 9 to "total kwhs " and its an 8 digit number with the first 7 only being used before the decimal point..Gas meter read is also on button 9 but the 8 digits will show M3 not kwh