Switching supplier

PAB190968

Hi all. Currently with EDF with both smart meters and except they were never able to get the elec one to communicate with the gas one so I still have to do manual reads (which they have ignored when my tariff changed on 31 May and 30 Sept!) and I can’t see live usage data as it doesn’t communicate with the in house monitored. So I’m looking to switch to Octopus. Question is - will they install their own smart meters  or will I be stuck with the not very smart EDF ones? TIA

[Deleted User]

All suppliers use meters that have been built; tested and certified for use on the DCC Network. Octopus will not change your meters unless they deem them to be faulty which is unlikely. They do though have a very good smart meter team.

The electricity meter does not communicate with the gas meter: both meters communicate with the comms hub that sits above the electricity meter. If the issue is ‘pairing’ then this can be the result of the distance between the comms hub and your gas meter. The DCC, the body responsible for communications hubs, is deploying dual band hubs to get around this problem. 

The IHD connects to a Home Area Network that is emitted by the comms hub.

PAB190968

I have rung EDF numerous times and they said the electricity meter goes to their hub via the gas meter. They are less than a meter apart. So if there is some other form of hub/relay above the elec meter then there is no distance. This is the 2nd pair of meters I’ve had. Only the gas one has ever communicated with EDF and the usage monitor. I have given up trying to get them out to fix (or do remotely).

[Deleted User]

They are not "EdF smart meters".  No supplier is going to replace a smart meter unless it is broken - i.e. is not providing readings.  Yours are.  They will almost certainly not be replaced.

The Octopus smart meter team, however, appear reasonably successful at dealing with software and communications issues, and with getting the DCC to reset things when necessary.  If your problem is in that category, they might well be able to fix it for you.

[Deleted User]

PAB190968 said:

I have rung EDF numerous times and they said the electricity meter goes to their hub via the gas meter. They are less than a meter apart. So if there is some other form of hub/relay above the elec meter then there is no distance. This is the 2nd pair of meters I’ve had. Only the gas one has ever communicated with EDF and the usage monitor. I have given up trying to get them out to fix (or do remotely).

Whoever told you this doesn’t know his cubic feet from his cubic metres. The comms hub sits above and is powered by a connection to the electricity meter. Your gas meter is battery powered which connects to - paired with - the communications hub. There are a myriad of reasons why a meter may not be ‘communicating’: the most likely reason in my 3 1/2 year SMETS 2 meter experience is a botched meter firmware update.

Alnat1

I had smart meters installed in 2020 while with Scottish Power, both worked fine. Moved to another company where they never worked but was SOLRd back to SP. They didn't work.

Moved to Octopus in April, electric meter was fine (including export) but they couldn't pick up gas readings. When I queried it late May, they arranged for both meters to be changed and these were fitted early June. Replacement SMETS2 meters for 2 year old SMETS2 meters.

vic_sf49

I switched to Octopus last week from British Gas, and on the day of the switch, both my meters sprang back into smart mode.

I wasn't expecting that, so it was a nice bonus.

They were however, paired and transmitting, prior to June this year.

PAB190968

[Deleted User] said:

They are not "EdF smart meters".  No supplier is going to replace a smart meter unless it is broken - i.e. is not providing readings.  Yours are.  They will almost certainly not be replaced.

The Octopus smart meter team, however, appear reasonably successful at dealing with software and communications issues, and with getting the DCC to reset things when necessary.  If your problem is in that category, they might well be able to fix it for you.

And do the new ones from June work?  There’s no logic to any of this

Alnat1 said:

I had smart meters installed in 2020 while with Scottish Power, both worked fine. Moved to another company where they never worked but was SOLRd back to SP. They didn't work.

Moved to Octopus in April, electric meter was fine (including export) but they couldn't pick up gas readings. When I queried it late May, they arranged for both meters to be changed and these were fitted early June. Replacement SMETS2 meters for 2 year old SMETS2 meters.

Says “Property of EDF Energy” on it?

QrizB

PAB190968 said:

[Deleted User] said:

They are not "EdF smart meters".  No supplier is going to replace a smart meter unless it is broken - i.e. is not providing readings.  Yours are.  They will almost certainly not be replaced.

Says “Property of EDF Energy” on it?

That's a SMETS2 electricity meter and comms hub for the northern region.

What does the screen on the gas meter show?