Smart meters and solar panels

alisg

Pure Planet wanted to fit a gen2 smart meter but when I said that I had solar panels they backed out.  The reason given was that the solar panels would make the smart meter run backwards 😀
Anyone else heard / been told this?

Verdigris

Nonsense. Smart meters don't run backward although they do measure exports. Some very old mechanical meters run backwards with solar panels. I presume you have a separate generation meter for the panels?

QrizB

I agree, it's nonsense. All UK smart meters - whether first- or second-generation - measure import and export separately.

[Deleted User]

Complete and utter rubbish. SMETS 2 meters have the ability to record both import and export data. Octopus bill me for energy used and pay me SEG payments for all energy exported to the Grid. Meters running backwards was related to some of the old analogue meters.

[Deleted User]

It is worth adding that if you decide to go for a smart meter and you are in receipt of FIT and export payments, then you can ignore the smart meter export function. You can still receive FITs and deemed export payments based on your existing solar generation meter. If you ever increase your solar PV and want SEG payments, then the export side of the meter requires its own MPAN.

QrizB

[Deleted User] said:

It is worth adding that if you decide to go for a smart meter and you are in receipt of FIT and export payments, then you can ignore the smart meter export function. You can still receive FITs and deemed export payments based on your existing solar generation meter. If you ever increase your solar PV and want SEG payments, then the export side of the meter requires its own MPAN.

By the same measure, once you've got a smart meter you can see how much electricity you export. If you are exporting more than 50% of what you generate, you might choose to move from deemed export to metered export.

Eg. if you are on a recent FIT and generate 3000kWh, you're currently paid for 1500kWh pa as deemed export. At 5p/kWh that's £75 pa. If you're actually exporting 2000kWh pa, you could switch to metered export and get paid £100 pa.

Mister_G

Yes, when I had my solar array installed back in 2011, I had the old spinning disc meter which ran backwards.  The installer soon noticed this and informed the DNO!  I suspect that accredited MCS installers have an obligation to do this.

Needless to say, a new SMETS1 meter was installed by OVO (my FIT supplier) within a week!

MWT

[Deleted User] said:

It is worth adding that if you decide to go for a smart meter and you are in receipt of FIT and export payments, then you can ignore the smart meter export function. You can still receive FITs and deemed export payments based on your existing solar generation meter.

Although in most cases you'll get away with that, by the letter of the rules, if you have a smart meter fitted that is capable of metering export then you can no longer remain on a 'deemed'  export payment.

Most suppliers do not however enforce that though...

QrizB

MWT said:

Dolor said:

It is worth adding that if you decide to go for a smart meter and you are in receipt of FIT and export payments, then you can ignore the smart meter export function. You can still receive FITs and deemed export payments based on your existing solar generation meter.

Although in most cases you'll get away with that, by the letter of the rules, if you have a smart meter fitted that is capable of metering export then you can no longer remain on a 'deemed'  export payment.

Most suppliers do not however enforce that though...

You wuldn't believe the argument that some people had in another thread when I pointed this out to them

Mister_G

MWT said:

[Deleted User] said:

It is worth adding that if you decide to go for a smart meter and you are in receipt of FIT and export payments, then you can ignore the smart meter export function. You can still receive FITs and deemed export payments based on your existing solar generation meter.

Most suppliers do not however enforce that though...

Indeed. As mentioned above, I've been getting FIT since 2011 and have had a smart meter since then.  OVO have never mentioned using the Export data from the meter and they just pay on the deemed formula.

MWT

QrizB said:

MWT said:

Dolor said:

It is worth adding that if you decide to go for a smart meter and you are in receipt of FIT and export payments, then you can ignore the smart meter export function. You can still receive FITs and deemed export payments based on your existing solar generation meter.

Although in most cases you'll get away with that, by the letter of the rules, if you have a smart meter fitted that is capable of metering export then you can no longer remain on a 'deemed'  export payment.

Most suppliers do not however enforce that though...

You wuldn't believe the argument that some people had in another thread when I pointed this out to them

Inconvenient truth

Most suppliers ignored it with SMETS1 claiming the export side of the meter wasn't accurate enough, but there is no excuse with SMETS2.