Smart meter problem/EDF

Daisydelight

I’m wondering whether anyone here can offer any advice re my SMETS2  smart meter?  My energy provider is EDF. I’M sorry that this is rather long.

Sometime late 2020/early 2021 (alas I did not keep a record of dates) I was contacted to say that an engineer would be visiting to ‘reset’ my meters.  A few weeks later I had another call saying that this was needed again.  Each time, the engineers indicated that the meters should be OK.

However, it would appear that EDF have not received the usage data and have asked me to do meter readings at the twice yearly review points.  I actually have submitted readings much more frequently in an effort to keep usage info as accurate as possible.

Needless to say, the IHD does not work.  The ‘energy hub’ section of my on-line account shows ‘no meter readings’ since Feb 2021.  The smart meter section though states “Good – you don't need to do anything”!

I have raised this issue at various times via webchat and phone and each time been told, by very helpful assistants, that the problem is about to be resolved; of course it hasn’t.

I contacted customer service via Whatsapp and on 11th August was told “Your issue is already raised with the smart metering team.  They are looking after the same and your smart meter is active now and as soon as we start getting the reads, we will let you know about the same. Till then could you provide your actual meter readings so that we can move ahead and create a bill on your actual usage”

Ie this is exactly what I have been doing so what exactly is the point of the smart meter?

I raised a complaint by email on October 3rd.  This has not been acknowledged, never mind answered.

In the greater scheme of the current turmoil this is not a huge issue.  However, it is frustrating and obviously important to get some idea of real time usage in order to understand how our everyday behaviours affect our energyusage.

Wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue or can offer any advice of what I can do next?

Thanks in advance.

[Deleted User]

The reset sounds like a pull of the main fuse. This is one way of resetting the communications hub. You can check to see whether your meters are now connected to the DCC Network by downloading the free app BRIGHT. If the App populates then the issue is with EDF - its Adapter software (the programme that pulls data from your meters) or its billing software.

FWiW, I was a victim of Zog’s failure last year. My gas smart meter was fully functional up to the point when Zog collapsed; it allegedly when dumb when my gas supply transferred to EDF and it magically came back from the dead on the day that I transferred to Octopus. During my 2 months with EDF, BRIGHT app was showing a data flow.

Daisydelight

Thanks very much Dolor - that is most helpful.  Have got BRIGHT and am now waiting to see whether it comes up with anything.

I have actually just also received a reply to my complaint email.  I have never seen such a muddled load of gobbledygook in all my life.  It is laughable!

PapaBrown

I’m with EDF and had the exact same issue. We moved into our house in January and as we couldn’t stay with EON from our old house I had to go with EDF who supplied the previous owners. For the first couple of weeks the IHD worked fine. Then it stopped providing gas readings. I asked for a replacement to be sent out and it didn’t solve the problem. Multiple calls and WhatsApp resulted in them not following through. 

While this was going on, EDF turned up to read my meters. Chatting to the guy he explained that readings for both gas and electricity are done via the electricity meter, with the gas being done via a chip on the gas meter. He explained that the chip was most likely faulty and required replacement. More calls to EDF and more ignoring my calls. 

I then register a complaint about the service I have received and the fact they told me not to submit gas meter readings but estimated my gas usage which increased my direct debit.

An engineer is dispatched and the gas meter replaced as “its totally dead mate”. Was also told as the gas meter is very far from the electricity meter, I may never get a gas reading. To this day, it kicks in every now and then but I’ve resorted to submitting gas readings. 

My complaint is still running after they emailed me saying “if we give you £30, will you close your complaint?” No I bloody won’t. I thought them paying me the difference between their estimated gas usage and what I have actually used when I submitted readings. A month on I’m still waiting for a reply.

sav0

My smart meter(smets 2) was originally installed by EON and switched to EDF about 18 months ago. My IHD has never shown the correct tariff with EDF its still showing my EON tariff. I have been contacting EDF for about a year and they are next to useless, coming with all different excuses such as keep the IHD off, remove battery for 24 hours and it should update or the smart meter isn't commissioned or we will do a remote reset ( thats like trying to call someone when the phone line is unplugged) I told them my smart meter isn't communicating with the DCC and have installed bright app and nothing.

Whatever price i see on my IHD i have to basically triple it to work out how much i have used.

With my last chat with them i told them i will no longer be sending meter readings so they can either send someone to take the reading or they can get the smart meter fixed........ i am guessing they will do neither and use estimated readings.

[Deleted User]

PapaBrown said:

I’m with EDF and had the exact same issue. We moved into our house in January and as we couldn’t stay with EON from our old house I had to go with EDF who supplied the previous owners. For the first couple of weeks the IHD worked fine. Then it stopped providing gas readings. I asked for a replacement to be sent out and it didn’t solve the problem. Multiple calls and WhatsApp resulted in them not following through. 

While this was going on, EDF turned up to read my meters. Chatting to the guy he explained that readings for both gas and electricity are done via the electricity meter, with the gas being done via a chip on the gas meter. He explained that the chip was most likely faulty and required replacement. More calls to EDF and more ignoring my calls. 

I then register a complaint about the service I have received and the fact they told me not to submit gas meter readings but estimated my gas usage which increased my direct debit.

An engineer is dispatched and the gas meter replaced as “its totally dead mate”. Was also told as the gas meter is very far from the electricity meter, I may never get a gas reading. To this day, it kicks in every now and then but I’ve resorted to submitting gas readings. 

My complaint is still running after they emailed me saying “if we give you £30, will you close your complaint?” No I bloody won’t. I thought them paying me the difference between their estimated gas usage and what I have actually used when I submitted readings. A month on I’m still waiting for a reply.

Your adviser was wrong. The device that connects to the DCC Network is the secure communications hub. This device, which happens in most cases to be sat above the electricity meter so that it is powered from it, establishes two networks: a wide-area network (WAN) which connects to the main network and a home area network (HAN) that establishes the network for such devices as IHDs or CADs.

The communications meter also contains a gas proxy meter which converts gas volume to kWh for display on the IHD. This is needed to protect the battery life of the gas meter.

When people push out this information, it is worth asking them how does the supplier get gas usage information when only a smart gas meter and comms hub are fitted? This can happen when people have separate gas and electricity suppliers.

GriffJ60

I have had a similar issue.  I moved into a new build and when the supply from EDF was transferred into my name from the developers, the smart meter worked for 5 days, sending readings and them showing in the EDF app.  However, they then just stopped.  I have had 3 engineers out to look at the problem.  Each of them has just rebooted the meter and gone away.  The last 2 have said that the meter is faulty and needs changing.  When EDF made the appointment for the 3rd visit I told them that the meter needed replacing and they assured me that this would be authorised for the visit.  No surprise on the day when the engineer told me that he didn't have authority to do this and it would need a different kind of appointment.  I have given up now and will not chase them, I will send readings periodically to ensure that there is no build up owed and they don't send estimated bills.

Annoyingly I have taken time off work for these 3 appointments which has just been a complete waste of time.