Electricity smart meter upgrade

Queensgambit

I am posting this to alert anyone else who has a similar problem.

A few years ago I switched energy supply from npower to Avro. At this time, my “smart meters” became dumb and my display unit stopped working. I then had to submit manual meter readings every month which I did.

Then suddenly on 18th September my electricity meter reading was lower than the previous 3 months readings! I immediately contacted Avro via their online form but of course did not get a response back. They then went bust and following the current advice I took some more meter readings. This time, my electricity reading was much higher than I expected. I then continued to take daily meter readings and too my horror these indicated that I was using £1,000s of electricity.

On Saturday, I went about investigating what was going on – turning off appliances for 30 minutes and lots of googling etc. Eventually I got out my smart meter display from the back of the cupboard, plugged it in and lo and behold it connected to my “dumb meters” ! I then navigated to meter readings and it showed an electricity meter reading of 194 as opposed to the 194,000 I had recorded !

I now think I know what had happened: A firmware update was sent to my smart meter to upgrade it from SMETS1 to SMETS2. This reset my electricity reading back down to zero and changed the number of decimals displayed on the physical meter. Avro seemed unaware of this change (they used an estimated reading on  my last bill) and certainly no one informed me of this.

I now have the job of having to explain all this to Octopus my new supplier!

niktheguru

Smets 1 meters don't get upgraded to smets2 (technically). They get upgraded so they can communicate with the DCC like SMETS2 meters can. This shouldn't reset your electricity reading back down to zero.

Regardless of this, the readings at your meter should be the SAME as the readings on the in home display that you have since got out of the cupboard. You probably just didn't take notice of the decimal point. Did you take photos of these readings by any chance?

Hopefully octopus will sort it out for you as they are very good with smart meters unlike other companies including avro.

[Deleted User]

Queensgambit said:

I now have the job of having to explain all this to Octopus my new supplier!

In truth, I doubt that Octopus will be that interested. If your meter has been Enrolled with and Adopted by he DCC Network, then Octopus will open your account with them by using a smart meter reading. This reading will be passed back to Avro's systems to close your account with them. The issue of what you should have paid with Avro rather than what you have paid could become an issue for Avro's Receiver. Avro will have an agreed opening reading with your previous supplier. They will just use this and the closing reading/opening reading with Octopus to calculate what to all intents and purposes is their Final Bill. The tricky bit will be determining what the readings where when the Avro tariffs were changed over the previous few years if you have been providing erroneous readings.

Queensgambit

Dolor: I have not been providing erroneous readings and of course some readings were taken by official meter readers.  My last reading in August before anything changed was 14,947. 
The only way I could have a reading as low as 194 kWh (which is what the home display is showing) would be if my meter somehow got reset.  

[Deleted User]

Queensgambit said:

Dolor: I have not been providing erroneous readings and of course some readings were taken by official meter readers.  My last reading in August before anything changed was 14,947. 
The only way I could have a reading as low as 194 kWh (which is what the home display is showing) would be if my meter somehow got reset.  

Meters do not get reset - smart or non smart. Forget the IHD, what meter reading is showing on your actual meter? If it is in the region of 194 then your meter has a developed a fault and it will need to be replaced by Octopus. Octopus’ data collector will have to estimate a switch reading using your property’s EAC and previous actual meter readings before the meter fault materialised. 

Carrot007

niktheguru said:

Smets 1 meters don't get upgraded to smets2 (technically).

100% they do. SmetsX is just an abstract standard and if a meter is updated and conforms it is what it is.

I have had 2 of the same smart meter one was smets1 and the other was smets2.

Of course you may be refering to the meter type on the "national database". in which case I have no idea if it would get updated. I would say should but I have never been in a position to check.

Queensgambit

what meter reading is showing on your actual meter? 

The decimal point on the actual meter is tiny. I had to get on a step ladder out to see it!. The actual meter agrees with the IHD. Both are now saying 210 kWh.

bailey_uk

I have this same problem and it was a few days after the engineer left after a visit to my house.

The initial request from myself was to for my SMETS1 meter be upgraded to a SMETS2.

He said he wasn't doing that but instead upgrading the communication device next to it.