Meter check or smart meter?

ToomanyPies

It might be helpful if you could take a couple more photos with a wider view showing the entire content of your external meter box and the surroundings of your consumer unit. 

Anita85

hopethis helps

niktheguru

Doesn’t seem like any dodgy shenanigans are going on with your wiring. If when you have turned the consumer unit completely off and your meter is still flashing it does indeed suggest your meter is faulty.
the meter is your electricity providers responsibility so it would be advisable to get a check meter. Don’t just upgrade to a smart meter yet as then you won’t get the excess energy paid back to you. Explain to them that your meter still flashes despite turning the consumer unit completely off. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Grizzlebeard

Hello Anita85

If you haven't had any major rewiring done since before the problem started, and before/after bills are with the same Meter and consumer unit, then it's 99% certain the Meters gone faulty. With everything switched off, the flashy LED should be glowing continuously after five minutes and the meter reading would not move even if you waited a month. Your flashing indicates the meters is totting up 300Wh+ instead of 0.000Wh

Also  Meter indicates with everything else switched off the kettle is using over 4kW instead of 3kW. This is 17A and would blow the fuse in the kettle plug, which it obviously doesn't and so is obviously wrong.

Your original question was to have a 'free' smart meter or risk £££s to test and have a new dumb one. I think the main question is if you can get your over payments refunded if the meter proves to be faulty.

I'm convinced it is.

Smart or dumb replacement (your choice still) I think you still need to demand that the current one is independently tested.

Gerry1

Suggested plan of action:-

Buy a clip-on energy monitor.  If it shows consumption when all the switches in the consumer unit are off then trace the wiring from the meter to see whether anything bypasses the consumer unit.  This probably needs an electrician to open the consumer unit; best not to do this yourself especially if it needs a ladder and you are on your own.  Energy monitors are relatively cheap and it will be useful to check your usage after the problem has been resolved.

If the monitor shows zero consumption but the 1000 Imp/sec LED still flashes with everything switched off and the meter reading increases then it suggests that the meter is faulty so it would be worth getting it checked and risk having to pay for that.

Don't forget to come back and tell us the end result.  There was a similar thread a while ago and we were all left in suspense when the OP disappeared; it was like Tony Hancock's legendary book with the last page missing...

Gerry1

Grizzlebeard said:

With everything switched off, the flashy LED should be glowing continuously after five minutes

No, that's a very misleading red herring.

OK, some meters may do this, but others certainly don't.  If I don't use any electricity my 1000 Imp/kWh LED stays permanently extinguished.  It NEVER stays on continuously.

Anita85

I've had no rewiring done and the meter and consumer unit is the same as when I moved in almost 7 years ago.

I did ask the questions

1 whether it was an independent company that do meter checks?
I was told it was and that's why if it isn't faulty there is a charge. 

2 would my previous bills be reassessed if meter is found faulty?
I was told yes and bills would be adjusted. Hopefully they will keep to their word. 

I pay by direct debit and they wanted me to go from £37 - £85 a month. I agreed to £45 as I can't afford £85. 

I'm looking at clip on energy monitors at the moment. 

From the beginning I was convinced it was my meter and it looks as if I might be right. It's been going on for several weeks now and hopefully it will it will be sorted soon. 

Thank you all for the advice, I'm really grateful. Since I lost my husband, when things go wrong usually to do with the house or car I'm at a complete loss. I am learning to deal with things though as different things go wrong, I'll be an expert soon 😄 😄 (only joking) 
l will keep you updated as things progress 

QrizB

I agree that it looks like your meter is faulty. In your position I would opt for a meter check.

niktheguru

You haven’t got a complicated electrical set up. If you turn every single switch in your consumer unit off and the meter is still flashing then your meter is faulty. Get it checked.

ToomanyPies

It looks like you aren't the first to have this issue with the Ampy 5258K meter.  https://www.electriciansforums.net/threads/ampy-5258k-electric-meter-fault-and-sse.168278/