smart meter remote display showing old tariff

Iwanttobefree

Hi, I'm with EDF, my smart meter remote display still says I'm on the old tariff for both gas and electric.

I've raised it with their complaints department and they simply say I need to wait for a firmware update.

OK I know to check my rate etc and know it's wrong.

An elderly  friend with a different supplier (can't remember the name but supplies his electric, gas, insurance, broadband etc) was telling me ton Saturday day how he doesn't know what all the fuss is about gas and electric prices as he's not noticed any difference,  sure enough when I look at his display and check the rates, his gas is 3.something a kwh, and his yearly contract renewed April 5th.

These smart meters don't seem that smart to me, I wonder how many other people think they are paying a lot less than they really are?

Astria

I agree as I find the IHD's pretty much pointless and shouldn't be relied upon. I've seen a friends IHD that said the same figures for 3 days in a row and it wasn't until we unplugged it and plugged it back in that it changed.

Now I just tell them to always read the actual meter at least once a week, calculate the cost from that, and compare it with what the supplier states on their bill. Which actually is more labor intensive than just submitting a meter reading like they were doing previously.

Phones4Chris

You will find the "old" rate on the smart meter as well because it hasn't been updated with the latest tariff, the IHD is only reflecting what the smart meter is saying. You need to look at kWh usage and calculate your own figures from what you've been told the current tariff is, either by bill/email/letter etc.
How old is the smart meter? If it's a SMETS2 standard, it should not need a firmware update to update the tariff AFAIK. That won't necessarily be the case if it's an older SMETS1 meter. Nothing to do with the meters not being smart (that's a whole new topic ), it's simply the supplier needs to get on with an update.

Iwanttobefree

Smart meter is about a year old and is SMETS2

I can work out how much money I'm spending totally fine, that wasn't my complaint,

People on low income who have smart meters, rightly presume it's correct when it tells them how much it's spending,  when in many cases it isn't.  

Phones4Chris

Iwanttobefree said:

Smart meter is about a year old and is SMETS2

I can work out how much money I'm spending totally fine, that wasn't my complaint,

People on low income who have smart meters, rightly presume it's correct when it tells them how much it's spending,  when in many cases it isn't.  

I quite agree, and some people are undoubtedly being misled which it's why pressure needs to be put on the supplier to update the smart meter tariff data, and IMHO suppliers should notify consumers that they not yet been able to update the meter with the correct tariff information and so the cost being displayed will be wrong.

Iwanttobefree

Today I complained to the ombudsman and copied the complaint to EDF, my local MP (Brandon Lewis) and the minister for energy Kwasi Kwarteng, Ill put the complaint at the end of this post.

EDF have just phoned me up and said that as it's under 40 working days since I raised the complaint, the Ombudsman will pass it back to them.

I explained that it was more bringing the situation to the ombudsman and energy ministers attention, that it was happening to unaware people on different providers etc.

He (EDF)  basically said the in house displays are there as a guide only and implied they shouldn't be taken as proof of how much some one is spending etc

I pointed out that last night I saw a smart meter advert on TV that was saying by having one, you can see exactly how much you are using etc.

He said that showing the wrong tariff is a known problem and there's nothing EDF can do about it at present and said something along the lines of, everything to do with smart meters originates from a government system (cant remember the acronym he used for the government system) and that they couldn't help me at present with my display showing the wrong tariff.  He said he could speak to his manager and get his manager to send out a final response which I should receive next week, then I would be able to go to the ombudsman.

Why is it that nothing is simple anymore.

Anyway, he called me regarding  the  following, that  I filled out on the online forms for the ombudsman, and under the section saying something like, please detail your complaint/what would you like us to do, I said

Can't get stupid quotes to work so everything below this line is what I sent to the ombudsman

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: as I've found out this is a wide spread problem with various suppliers, I'm CCing this to my MP and the minister of state for energy

My meter hasn't updated since the 1st of April price rice  (36  days ago) , and it seems this is a huge problem for many people with various suppliers in the UK

OK, I know how to work out my actual usage, but many people don't. I was visiting a retired friend a few days ago (who is out of fixed contract)  who had a different supplier, he said he didn't know what all the fuss was about, he hasn't noticed much change.  

I went through his in house display and sure enough, it's showing the pre April 1st rate.

I posted this on a couple of forums, and is seems this is a big problem for all suppliers   (I have the latest SMETS2 meter).

To put it bluntly, there's a load of very hard up and vulnerable people, scared by the huge price rises, who are budgeting around their in house displays, when the displays are actually wrong and they are going to be in for a big shock when their displays finally correct themselves and huge bills come in.

I think this is immoral and needs to be looked into urgently by yourselves, I appreciate this service is to deal with my individual complaint, but my complaint is more than whats happening to me, it's whats happening to others too.

The latest response from EDF (will include full details when I presume you ask for it all later) says quote:

 "You are within your rights to contact the Ombudsman however please beware the Ombudsman are there to ensure we are following the correct process. [b]Unfortunately, they will not be able to influence the length of time your IHD firmware update will take.[/b] "

SO EDF are saying you can't make them get my meter to show the correct amount I'm spending, they can take as long as they want?

Again I know how much I'm spending,  but people on low income who have smart meters, rightly presume it's correct when it tells them how much it's spending,  when in many cases it isn't.

Last night I watched a TV advert advertising smart meters, one of their selling points (in my words)  is that you know how much you are spending, in reality if companies can drag updating smart meters as long as they want, that advert is totally wrong.

Even on OFGEM smart meter page, they say "Your in-home display can help you easily track your costs...", that doesn't work if it's telling you you've spent £2.50 when you've actually spent £5

Lets look at my display for yesterday.

It says I used  £2.57 for both gas and elec, but I really used £3.54 and yesterday was a good day for me.  

30th April my in house display says I used £4.02, but I really used £6.04

There's days I use far more more,  but the in house display only shows daily usage back as far as 28th April this year.

Just taking those two days I've used £2.99 more than it's telling me.

I would like you to get EDF to sort out my in house display,

more importantly for all suppliers to either fix any of their customers wrong displays, or at the very least notify them in writing that the amount shown is wrong. 

The_Fat_Controller

Best of luck, my EDF IHD hasn't been able to do its sums for over two years.

The kWh figures are correct, so I do them myself.

Phones4Chris

Just to advise I also have an open complaint with EDF on this issue, and I know it's being addressed by their smart meter team. They obviously have a big issue for some reason. I've not referred mine to the ombudsman (yet) there seems little point at present if a technical problem is preventing them from doing an update BUT it occurs to me the action they could take is to write/email/text every customer affected to advise of the problem. I will update my complaint to "request" they do that.
@Iwanttobefree perhaps you could do the same (and anyone else reading who is affected may like to do likewise) but also update the ombudsman with the suggestion they tell EDF to do that (and any other suppliers in the same boat).

In addition to which, as I write this I've just watched the "Einstein" Smart meter advert which in this context is therefore grossly misleading. Perhaps it could be suggested to the ombudsman that they contact the ASA and whoever is responsible for the Ad (presumably HMG) and that it be pulled until this issue is resolved. 
I think I will try emailing the ASA and include the regulator OFGEM as they ought to be able to do something about the Ad as well. Probably banging a head against a wall, but worth a try.

Mstty

It can't be that difficult one twitter message to Eon Next and ours was updated in 48 hours.

I wonder why EDF cannot do the same?

Phones4Chris

As has been mentioned in another thread, EDF may have an "Adapter" problem!.
A couple of snags to my suggestion above, you have to use a web-form to complain to the ASA, so will have to copy the text to put in an email to OFGEM and a bit of research suggest it's probably Smart Energy GB Ltd responsible for the Ad, so need to contact them as well. Most of the "Einstein" Ads have appeared in youtube, but I'm struggling to find a link to this one with the IHD and Costs, it would be very useful to be able to "quote" it.

Do any of the more regular posters here know if/how many other suppliers may be affected and any idea how widespread?

wild666

My SMETS 1 meters show the new SC's but I don't have the IHD