Octopus & Smart Meters

Leodogger

Anyone else having problems with Octopus keep asking them for their meter readings when they have smart meters for gas?

I can never see any online gas meter readings or amount used on their graphs and every time I ask them to give them to me, they keep making excuses like they are busy or could I send screen shots of the gas meter !!!    To say I am peed off with this whole "smart meters are best" argument is an understatement.   The first time I queried it with them they said they were having problems connecting to the meter from their end and to send the readings.   Yet they seem very able to send me the bill when I ask for it, despite they say they cannot access the readings.    So who is lying?   They are either estimating the readings or can't be bothered to read the smart meter from their end.   Anyone else having problems with their smart meters not being read by their energy suppliers?

They asked for a screen shot so they could send me the reading today and I am on holiday !!    How does that work then ?    Besides which if I could see it from thousands of miles away, why do I need them or a smart meter to send readings back to the supplier?

youravinalarrrf

My guess would be that they have not commissioned your gas meter properly. During the commissioning process it needs to pass every one of the 34 stages involved. If it fails at any stage it will not connect and work as it should. It's clear that they don't check these stages so when one stage fails they don't appear to even know about it and they therefore take no action to correct it.

This may help explain https://octopus.energy/blog/solving-smart-meter-issues-octopus-energy/ 

Start a formal complaint and keep following it up until it's resolved.

Leodogger

youravinalarrrf said:

My guess would be that they have not commissioned your gas meter properly. During the commissioning process it needs to pass every one of the 34 stages involved. If it fails at any stage it will not connect and work as it should. It's clear that they don't check these stages so when one stage fails they don't appear to even know about it and they therefore take no action to correct it.

This may help explain https://octopus.energy/blog/solving-smart-meter-issues-octopus-energy/ 

Start a formal complaint and keep following it up until it's resolved.

We have had three energy suppliers since the smart meters were installed.   Will do as you suggest.  Thanks.   

As  a post-note, I have read the above article but it sounds like it applies to electric meters and it is the gas meter we have the problem with.   I will continue complaining to them until they come back with the checks they are carrying out to rectify this.

youravinalarrrf

You need to be aware that if it's a SMETS1 1st generation smart meter and is not a Secure™ branded meter it will have reverted to being a dumb meter and will not connect and will require upgrading before it will connect. If that's the case you will need to provide manual meter readings until it's been upgraded.

This may help https://octopus.energy/help-and-faqs/categories/meters/smart-meter

Leodogger

youravinalarrrf said:

You need to be aware that if it's a SMETS1 1st generation smart meter and is not a Secure™ branded meter it will have reverted to being a dumb meter and will not connect and will require upgrading before it will connect. If that's the case you will need to provide manual meter readings until it's been upgraded.

This may help https://octopus.energy/help-and-faqs/categories/meters/smart-meter

Well they haven't told me it needs replacing and I did send screen shots of it the first time they said they couldn't connect to it so I will have to wait and see what they reply with this time I have asked them to read it.

[Deleted User]

Have you tried to ascertain what the issue is? You can check whether your smart meters are connected to the network here:

https://smartmetercheck.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Your gas meter pairs with the gas proxy meter in the comms hub. Can you see a flashing ‘paired’ LED for gas on the comms hub?

If your meters are connected to the DCC network you can see data by signing up to this website: N3rgy.com (use the I am Consumer link)

FWiW, suppliers can check whether your meters are working but then they have very few levers to pull. The DCC is responsible for all comms hubs and individual meter manufacturers certify their own meters, and update their firmware. The big mistake was the failure to go for single meter designs for electricity and gas, and for allowing suppliers to get involved in the rollout. Installations etc should be the responsibility of DNOs and gas transporters as was the case with analogue meters.

Leodogger

[Deleted User] said:

Have you tried to ascertain what the issue is? You can check whether your smart meters are connected to the network here:

https://smartmetercheck.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Your gas meter pairs with the gas proxy meter in the comms hub. Can you see a flashing ‘paired’ LED for gas on the comms hub?

If your meters are connected to the DCC network you can see data by signing up to this website: N3rgy.com (use the I am Consumer link)

FWiW, suppliers can check whether your meters are working but then they have very few levers to pull. The DCC is responsible for all comms hubs and individual meter manufacturers certify their own meters, and update their firmware. The big mistake was the failure to go for single meter designs for electricity and gas, and for allowing suppliers to get involved in the rollout. Installations etc should be the responsibility of DNOs and gas transporters as was the case with analogue meters.

Well I checked that site to see if we have a smart meter and it said it can't find it and that we might not have a smart meter so that would tie in with why they keep asking me for readings yet they have never stated that I don't have one.    So presumably they don't know so why are they not coming to check it out and get it changed?     I need to get back to them and complain some more !!

QrizB

Leodogger said:

Well I checked that site to see if we have a smart meter and it said it can't find it and that we might not have a smart meter so that would tie in with why they keep asking me for readings yet they have never stated that I don't have one.

Post a photo of yourt meter and someone will be able to say if it's smart or not.

Leodogger

QrizB said:

Leodogger said:

Well I checked that site to see if we have a smart meter and it said it can't find it and that we might not have a smart meter so that would tie in with why they keep asking me for readings yet they have never stated that I don't have one.

Post a photo of yourt meter and someone will be able to say if it's smart or not.

This is the only one I have of the Gas Meter and I can't take any more at the moment not at home.  However,  I did manage to find a second photo which is the first of the two !

Gerry1

It's a smart meter: the Z symbol denotes the Zigbee communications standard.

QrizB

Gerry1 said:

It's a smart meter: the Z symbol denotes the Zigbee communications standard.

Also, it seems to be connected to the comms hub (there are signal bars on the screen).

FWIW I have a very similar gas meter and it's not been sending readings to the supplier since about a month after EDF installed it, in the summer of last year. I've been giving manual readings (EDF never did anything to sort it out) but am hoping Octopus can.