Smart meter not working

BoatladyUK

My daughters Smart meter is not working. She has managed to get through to British Gas who said as it was fitted in 2016 its out of guarantee. So they eventually said a engineer needs to come out. Who going to pay for that? If its not  able to be repaired how much is a new meter?, I have looked and looked to find that information and all i can see "free meters" for new customers. I may add they did say free meters to new customers and she said well i will set up another account and be a new customer, guess what? they put the phone down on her after she had been waiting a hour to get help. She is a single working parent on a low income and this meter is vital to her. Any help please

TadleyBaggie

Are you referring to the actual smart meter or the in house display unit? If the former then if faulty it is the responsibility of the energy supplier to fix or replace, there will be no charge. 

macman

Meters don't have a guarantee, as you don't own them. They are owned and maintained by the meter asset company.
The IHD is a novelty freebie, so of it breaks it's up to the supplier if they choose to supply a new one or not. 
Why is a smart meter 'vital' to her? Even a smart meter operating in dumb mode can still be read, and she can send manual reads until it's replaced.
If the actual meter (as opposed to the IHD) is faulty then BG will replace it t their own expense, as she was told on the phone, so I don't really understand the premise of your question?

victor2

Assuming it is the In House Display that is not working, rather than the meter itself, there are free alternatives to the IHD, such as the bright app.
What aspect of the smart meter makes it vital to the daughter?

[Deleted User]

Smart meters are not free to any customer - new or old. We are paying over £13Bn (and by now possibly a lot more) for these meters via our energy bills. Suppliers are responsible for meter assets and they will replace a non working meter free of charge. 

In House Displays are provided free of charge but with a 12 month warranty. Some suppliers make a small charge for a replacement others are not interested. 

BoatladyUK

macman said:

Meters don't have a guarantee, as you don't own them. They are owned and maintained by the meter asset company.
The IHD is a novelty freebie, so of it breaks it's up to the supplier if they choose to supply a new one or not. 
Why is a smart meter 'vital' to her? Even a smart meter operating in dumb mode can still be read, and she can send manual reads until it's replaced.
If the actual meter (as opposed to the IHD) is faulty then BG will replace it t their own expense, as she was told on the phone, so I don't really understand the premise of your question?

I am sorry that i did not make myself clear as i dont fully understand these IHD. She likes to be able to see at a glance what she is using as i said money is very tight and every penny she has to see where its going.

EssexHebridean

As said, there are free apps like Bright which will be her best bet going forward to keep an eye on her use. Failing that, then she could do readings daily - perhaps first thing in the morning so it forms a habit, and then work out her costs from that? 

victor2

If daughter has a smartphone, suggest she tries the Bright app by Hildebrand Technology.

For an Android phone, it's at:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.hildebrand.brightionic&hl=en_GB&gl=US&pli=1

Or for an iPhone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bright/id1369989022

Not quite as instant as the IHD, but still shows usage and cost down to 30 minute intervals and past history.

macman

BoatladyUK said:

macman said:

Meters don't have a guarantee, as you don't own them. They are owned and maintained by the meter asset company.
The IHD is a novelty freebie, so of it breaks it's up to the supplier if they choose to supply a new one or not. 
Why is a smart meter 'vital' to her? Even a smart meter operating in dumb mode can still be read, and she can send manual reads until it's replaced.
If the actual meter (as opposed to the IHD) is faulty then BG will replace it t their own expense, as she was told on the phone, so I don't really understand the premise of your question?

I am sorry that i did not make myself clear as i dont fully understand these IHD. She likes to be able to see at a glance what she is using as i said money is very tight and every penny she has to see where its going.

So is it the meter of the IHD that is not working? BG won't send an engineer to replace an IHD, they'll just deliver it, whether chargeable or not.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

macman said:

BG won't send an engineer to replace an IHD, they'll just deliver it, whether chargeable or not.

I doubt they'll even do that.

[Deleted User]

OP - do not be tempted to purchase an IHD online from well-known auction sites. The IHD connects to a secure Zigbee network which is established by the communications hub which sits above the smart electricity meter. Any replacement IHD has to be ‘paired’ to this specific hub by either a supplier or a DCC Registered User such as Hildebrand or Chameleon.

It is possible that the IHD isn’t working because of a firmware issue with the communications hub. This can only be resolved by the DCC and the device manufacturer.