Solar panels analogue meter going backwards

SAC2334

melb said:

thanks for all the comments.  I don't understand how I am stealing electricity if we are producing our own and the fact that the meter isn't moving forwards means that we are not using any more than that surely?

I was a meter reader for BG and others for 20 years and found many of these backwards running meters . 

The only meter which did this was the Sangamo Weston meter, a very common meter . 
BG should know that if you have solar panels then this meter with its rotating barrel will reverse and start to take off units you used yesterday evening especially on a sunny day when occupiers are out and not many units are being used .

Every supplier should know that this very common analogue meter reverses with solar panels   .What it shows is how hopeless suppliers really are . They know the make and model of the meter 

 Youtube show them in use reversing  and has done for years .

The meter is faulty, in your terms and conditions you are obliged to declare a meter is faulty . 
I would stop short at calling it theft .

melb

Thanks for all of your further comments.  As previously explained we manage our use of electrical appliances ie washer, dishwasher during the day while we are both at home and also have an electric car so are probably amongst the most efficient users of solar powered electricity.

We do not sell back any electricity to anybody as we have not set up for this.

We do not have any terms and conditions to adhere to with BG as we were dumped with them when people's energy ceased trading.

Please don't concern yourselves with the quality of the installation or solar panels, they were installed by a company with 5 star ratings across the board on Which?

Mobtr

melb said:

Thanks for all of your further comments.  As previously explained we manage our use of electrical appliances ie washer, dishwasher during the day while we are both at home and also have an electric car so are probably amongst the most efficient users of solar powered electricity.

We do not sell back any electricity to anybody as we have not set up for this.

We do not have any terms and conditions to adhere to with BG as we were dumped with them when people's energy ceased trading.

Please don't concern yourselves with the quality of the installation or solar panels, they were installed by a company with 5 star ratings across the board on Which?

Think you’ll find you do

pochase

SAC2334 said:

melb said:

thanks for all the comments.  I don't understand how I am stealing electricity if we are producing our own and the fact that the meter isn't moving forwards means that we are not using any more than that surely?

I was a meter reader for BG and others for 20 years and found many of these backwards running meters . 

The only meter which did this was the Sangamo Weston meter, a very common meter . 
BG should know that if you have solar panels then this meter with its rotating barrel will reverse and start to take off units you used yesterday evening especially on a sunny day when occupiers are out and not many units are being used .

Every supplier should know that this very common analogue meter reverses with solar panels   .What it shows is how hopeless suppliers really are . They know the make and model of the meter 

 Youtube show them in use reversing  and has done for years .

The meter is faulty, in your terms and conditions you are obliged to declare a meter is faulty . 
I would stop short at calling it theft .

How is the supplier to know about a solar panel if the OP has not registered it for SEG?

And the benefit of a meter running backwards is much bigger than the SEG export tariff. So what would you say it is if I don't inform the supplier that I have a setup that will give me energy for less than the regular cost?

Mobtr

pochase said:

SAC2334 said:

melb said:

thanks for all the comments.  I don't understand how I am stealing electricity if we are producing our own and the fact that the meter isn't moving forwards means that we are not using any more than that surely?

I was a meter reader for BG and others for 20 years and found many of these backwards running meters . 

The only meter which did this was the Sangamo Weston meter, a very common meter . 
BG should know that if you have solar panels then this meter with its rotating barrel will reverse and start to take off units you used yesterday evening especially on a sunny day when occupiers are out and not many units are being used .

Every supplier should know that this very common analogue meter reverses with solar panels   .What it shows is how hopeless suppliers really are . They know the make and model of the meter 

 Youtube show them in use reversing  and has done for years .

The meter is faulty, in your terms and conditions you are obliged to declare a meter is faulty . 
I would stop short at calling it theft .

How is the supplier to know about a solar panel if the OP has not registered it for SEG?

And the benefit of a meter running backwards is much bigger than the SEG export tariff. So what would you say it is if I don't inform the supplier that I have a setup that will give me energy for less than the regular cost?

Hmmm let me think….. oh yes, theft

[Deleted User]

pochase said:

SAC2334 said:

melb said:

thanks for all the comments.  I don't understand how I am stealing electricity if we are producing our own and the fact that the meter isn't moving forwards means that we are not using any more than that surely?

I was a meter reader for BG and others for 20 years and found many of these backwards running meters . 

The only meter which did this was the Sangamo Weston meter, a very common meter . 
BG should know that if you have solar panels then this meter with its rotating barrel will reverse and start to take off units you used yesterday evening especially on a sunny day when occupiers are out and not many units are being used .

Every supplier should know that this very common analogue meter reverses with solar panels   .What it shows is how hopeless suppliers really are . They know the make and model of the meter 

 Youtube show them in use reversing  and has done for years .

The meter is faulty, in your terms and conditions you are obliged to declare a meter is faulty . 
I would stop short at calling it theft .

How is the supplier to know about a solar panel if the OP has not registered it for SEG?

And the benefit of a meter running backwards is much bigger than the SEG export tariff. So what would you say it is if I don't inform the supplier that I have a setup that will give me energy for less than the regular cost?

Try reading my post on page 2: it isn’t rocket science. If a consumer is claiming extraordinarily low usage because the index reading is going backwards when solar is being exported then the supplier may want its revenue protection team to investigate. 

pochase

Dolor said:

pochase said:

SAC2334 said:

melb said:

thanks for all the comments.  I don't understand how I am stealing electricity if we are producing our own and the fact that the meter isn't moving forwards means that we are not using any more than that surely?

I was a meter reader for BG and others for 20 years and found many of these backwards running meters . 

The only meter which did this was the Sangamo Weston meter, a very common meter . 
BG should know that if you have solar panels then this meter with its rotating barrel will reverse and start to take off units you used yesterday evening especially on a sunny day when occupiers are out and not many units are being used .

Every supplier should know that this very common analogue meter reverses with solar panels   .What it shows is how hopeless suppliers really are . They know the make and model of the meter 

 Youtube show them in use reversing  and has done for years .

The meter is faulty, in your terms and conditions you are obliged to declare a meter is faulty . 
I would stop short at calling it theft .

How is the supplier to know about a solar panel if the OP has not registered it for SEG?

And the benefit of a meter running backwards is much bigger than the SEG export tariff. So what would you say it is if I don't inform the supplier that I have a setup that will give me energy for less than the regular cost?

Try reading my post on page 2: it isn’t rocket science. If a consumer is claiming extraordinarily low usage because the index reading is going backwards when solar is being exported then the supplier may want its revenue protection team to investigate. 

What you are saying is that the account gets tagged because of Solar and low usage. 

And the OP is saying he is not claiming SEG and has not informed the supplier that he has solar panels. So same question to you, how does the supplier know about the solar panels when the customer just exports and makes the meter go backward?

[Deleted User]

pochase said:

Dolor said:

pochase said:

SAC2334 said:

melb said:

thanks for all the comments.  I don't understand how I am stealing electricity if we are producing our own and the fact that the meter isn't moving forwards means that we are not using any more than that surely?

I was a meter reader for BG and others for 20 years and found many of these backwards running meters . 

The only meter which did this was the Sangamo Weston meter, a very common meter . 
BG should know that if you have solar panels then this meter with its rotating barrel will reverse and start to take off units you used yesterday evening especially on a sunny day when occupiers are out and not many units are being used .

Every supplier should know that this very common analogue meter reverses with solar panels   .What it shows is how hopeless suppliers really are . They know the make and model of the meter 

 Youtube show them in use reversing  and has done for years .

The meter is faulty, in your terms and conditions you are obliged to declare a meter is faulty . 
I would stop short at calling it theft .

How is the supplier to know about a solar panel if the OP has not registered it for SEG?

And the benefit of a meter running backwards is much bigger than the SEG export tariff. So what would you say it is if I don't inform the supplier that I have a setup that will give me energy for less than the regular cost?

Try reading my post on page 2: it isn’t rocket science. If a consumer is claiming extraordinarily low usage because the index reading is going backwards when solar is being exported then the supplier may want its revenue protection team to investigate. 

And the OP is saying he is not claiming SEG and has not informed the supplier, so same question to you, how does the supplier know about the solar panels when the customer just exports and makes the meter go backward?

SEG is totally irrelevant to the debate. The OP is entitled to make a claim for the electricity that he exports (which without a battery will be less than 50%). Assuming a 4kWp array, this would be c.2000kWh/year.

The OP is not entitled to 4000kWh of free electricity just because his meter is turning backwards and neither he nor the installer has bothered to inform the supplier. SEG might give him an income of £150: 4000kWh of import might save him £2000. The OP would knowingly be denuding the supplier of income that it is entitled to. 

Meters installed from the 1980s were installed with backstops to prevent the meter going backwards. The OP’s import meter is faulty and it should be reported to the supplier. 

To answer your specific question. All suppliers (or more accurately their data collectors) hold historical usage data. If pre-solar, the OP was using 4500kWhs/year and usage fell to 500kWhs/year because the meter is running backwards, then the supplier will suspect that something is going on. It will alert its Revenue Protection Team.

Given the present state of the market, I would be expect suppliers to be increasing the size of their RPTs with much closer monitoring of customer usage. If I was a supplier and a customer claimed that his usage had fallen by 80% my first thought would be meter tampering. The OP might then claim PV solar but even with a battery it is impossible to use more than 75% of the total energy generated. The OP doesn’t have a battery. The truth will out as others have found out when the bill has hit the mat.

MWT

melb said:

We do not have any terms and conditions to adhere to with BG as we were dumped with them when people's energy ceased trading.

You are bond by the British Gas Terms & Conditions just like all their other customers, as you have accepted their contract by continuing to use the energy they supply to you under the deemed contract that was formed when they became the Supplier of Last Resort for your failed supplier...

No signature, no verbal acceptance required, just use of the energy is sufficient...

pochase

Never questioned that sudden low usage will/should alarm a supplier. But if you believe @sac2334 suppliers don't even react when they get the report that a meter has been manipulated I doubt that they will really react just on low usage. Maybe that will change soon if this type of fraud and theft gets to much to ignore.

I was referring to a statement that all energy suppliers should know that certain meters will run backward with solar, but that they will not know there is solar if they are not informed and there is no solar export  tariff.