Solar panels + Electricity usage problem

cherrysftw

Hi folks, got a bit of a weird situation with my electric meter.

Recently upon giving my final reading on the phone they noticed my electricity usage was going backwards and forwards, which they attributed to my solar panels. I have a domestic revolving meter which I imagine wasn't compatible with the solar panels?

They have said they will send "Magnum utilities" to check the meter, but I was wondering is anyone aware how this works? How would they establish what the correct usage was retrospectively? I imagine it won't be a huge difference in the end but wouldn't want to pay more than our actual usage.

We never gave a thought to the discrepancies and just uploaded the readings each month, it only appeared in 2-3 months in the year. Who does this kind of thing fall on, the customer or the supplier?

Regards

greyteam1959

Your 'domestic revolving meter' should have been replaced when you had your solar panels installed.
Both you & the installer of the panels should have informed your electricity supply company that you had solar panels installed.
It would then have been up to the electric supply company to arrange to fit a meter that would not go backwards.
It is up to you to do this.
When my panels where installed a few years ago my meter ran backwards for about 2 months after they were notified & before they came out to fit the new meter.

cherrysftw

I see thanks for that. My parents dealt with the install 3-4+ years back, I don't recall them being instructed to ask for a new meter.

My contract expires on the 4th Aug with this supplier, and we only discovered as I called them to make the final payment to allow us to switch. So now am I obliged to stay with the supplier while they install a new meter and calculate the true readings? Or I assume the true readings won't be established, they will just estimate based on our use from when the new meter is added?

greyteam1959

I would stay with your supplier until you get things sorted out or else you are going to get in a terrible tangle that will take months to sort out.

I don't think you will be 'obliged' to stay but it would be sensible to stay.

I would presume that they will be able to back bill you for the 3-4+ years since the solar panel install using estimates from previous usage.

You might be better posting your original post on the Green & Ethical board on here.
There are some very knowledgeable solar panel people on that board.

Talldave

Is there any back billing to do? Won't the meter have just registered the net import from the ebb & flow of energy in and out? Or does it not spin backwards accurately based on export energy?

markin

The is no way they didn't know you had solar, They should be responsible for making sure you have the correct meter.

cherrysftw

For reference, I joined them around Aug 15th 2018 and 4th of Aug 19 is my last day with them so I was calling them to pay my final debt on the account thus allowing me to switch from them.

They never have asked about solar panels or checked for discrepancies when reevaluating my DD in the winter (would have thought they would have at least had an idea, ourselves we just note and upload the reading on the 4th of each month).

But anyway on an industrial level, should the “national database” show the true usages? And would we be required to pay to our old suppliers (first utility who are now shell i believe).

greyteam1959

OP
Are you sure your meter is running backwards ??
I really don't think it will have been for 3-4+ years.
It would have been noticed by now.
On a sunny day look at you meter & see if the rotary dial is actually going backwards.
Your supplier would never ask you about solar panels........nothing to do with them.

cherrysftw

greyteam1959 wrote: »

OP
Are you sure your meter is running backwards ??
I really don't think it will have been for 3-4+ years.
It would have been noticed by now.
On a sunny day look at you meter & see if the rotary dial is actually going backwards.
Your supplier would never ask you about solar panels........nothing to do with them.

Yes definitely it is. For example in the month of June it will give a reading of for example 70483, in July it might be 70472.

The few times I called them to query my usage for submitting new quotes for energy suppliers, they would just say your usage is very low.

greyteam1959

So what did they say every time you put or gave verbally meter reading & the reading were less than the month before ??
They would never ever take a reading that was less than the month before.
It would flag up immediately.

cherrysftw

greyteam1959 wrote: »

So what did they say every time you put or gave verbally meter reading & the reading were less than the month before ??
They would never ever take a reading that was less than the month before.
It would flag up immediately.

I've never called up to give a new meter reading except this time when I was calling to shut the account to allow me to switch.

I only called once or twice before, once to query the DD in the winter and bit after to check our usages to be able to get new quotes elsewhere. The elec was coming to 900 units, and gas was 19000 or something. They just said our usage was very low and we've always assumed it to be the solar panels at effect.