Smart meters and feed in tariff

Billywizzz

Hi I would like some advice on the feed in tariff and smart meters.
I have a solar installation that was installed about 10 years ago, I was with a different energy supplier then and my feed in tariff is still with them and it is assumed that I export 50% of what I generate and am paid on this basis.
My new energy supplier is badgering me to have a smart meter installed, if I do, do I have to inform/give access to my original FIT supplier?
The reason being I plan to install a battery system and would then be exporting very little so my income would reduce for the sake of having a smart meter?
Regards
Billy

QrizB

I went through this a year ago.

You should inform your FIT supplier.

Your FIT supplier is unlikely to care. (Mine is EON Next, and they didn't.)

[Deleted User]

Just to be clear, use of the export side of a smart meter only impacts the payments for the amount of electricity exported. FIT generation payments are paid solely on the amount of electricity generated by the array as recorded on the generation meter.

It is possible to de-link the export element from the FIT scheme. Under the FiT scheme, export payments are paid for 50% of the electricity generated. Under the SEG scheme, payments are made for ALL electricity generated as recorded by the smart meter.

SEG schemes such as Octopus Agile Outing have been offering an average of 20p/kWh for exported units. If it doesn’t work out, they SEG can be reverted back to deemed exports after 12 months.

PS Even with a battery, you will struggle to use more than 75% of the solar electricity generated. 

Sailbad

Quote..
"Under the FiT scheme, export payments are paid for 50% of the electricity generated. Under the SEG scheme, payments are made for ALL electricity generated as recorded by the smart meter."

Not correct. The smart meter does not even  know how much is generated.

plunet

You should have a long hard think about this, as you don't have to accept the change from traditional to smart meters yet. If there's no perceived benefit to you and your specific circumstances then you don't need to change your meter.

wwally

I switched to a Smart Meter (SM) setup in July after delaying for years as I thought it would affect my PV FIT export payments. I found there was not enough info available from the supplier or generally to make me comfortable with switching in my particular circumstances.

It has been a positive experience:

1. The SM records Exported energy on the meter itself. This data is not uploaded to the DCC and is ignored by the FIT supplier (Eon Next). Previously this was unknown to me.
2. The Generation meter is separate and is what the FIT supplier uses.
3. The IHD shows the Imported (ie net of export) power, so is a useful reminder of when spare generated energy is available for use.
3. The SM data is available online in 30 minute increments, so can be analysed by spreadsheet or apps like Hugo or Loop. This has enabled me to fully understand when the maximum benefits of PV generation are happening.

By studying the data I have gained an understanding of how to maximise in-house usage of generated energy, which is basically free power..

Even if you ignore all of the above benefits I have seen no downside. I am really pleased that the process has been smooth and delivered more than I expected.

[Deleted User]

Sailbad said:

Quote..
"Under the FiT scheme, export payments are paid for 50% of the electricity generated. Under the SEG scheme, payments are made for ALL electricity generated as recorded by the smart meter."

Not correct. The smart meter does not even  know how much is generated.

My bad: it should have read ‘ ALL electricity exported as recorded by the smart meter’.

[Deleted User]

plunet said:

You should have a long hard think about this, as you don't have to accept the change from traditional to smart meters yet. If there's no perceived benefit to you and your specific circumstances then you don't need to change your meter.

I beg to disagree. A simple example: the smart records grid voltage. A simple pull of 30 minute voltage data by my DNO was enough to start the process of getting my local transformer tapped down within legal voltage limits. Tye data pull also demonstrated that it wasn’t my solar array that was the source of the problem.

Billywizzz

Thanks for all your comments and information, my supplier rang again asking if I wanted to book a smart meter installation, when I explained the situation they said I don’t have to inform my FIT supplier.
I agreed to book an installation if I could have that in an email, they then informed me that there was a “Technical difficulty with the booking system” and they would ring me back.
Guess what nobody rang back!
I probably will have a smart meter fitted as was said in the comments I currently have no idea how much is being used by me and how much is actually being exported, also again in the comments the payment rate for the exported portion is very low compared to the rate for just generating power.
 Thanks again

QrizB

For what it's worth, of you're making no special efforts to use as much of your own power as possible and don't have a home storage battery, it's likely that you are exporting more than 50% of your generated electricity. If this is the case, switching to metered export could be a good idea.