Smart Meter- Gas Meter not measuring usage. Can they bill me?

caleroific

There appears to be a problem with smart meters whereby they can supply gas and not bill for it! 

This problem raises a number of questions not least how they bill usage that is not being recorded. Consumers are or could be hit by huge bills.

I suspect that this problem is more common than the energy companies and Ofgem are willing to admit given that my supplier EDF seems unable to provide a quick solution. If it is a problem it begs the question whether smart meters are fit for purpose and how we can manage our usage if the meters are not showing the correct information.

Sadly this could be another national scandal. Worth a look Martin Lewis?

My supplier is EDF. I have a SMETS2 smart meter for gas and electricity. I pay by Direct Debit. This is my story which I posted on another site but could not post a link here:

"I have the same problem and as far as I can see it is not the battery in the gas meter. Given the time my supplier EDF is taking to resolve this I suspect it is more common than you might think and it could indicate a major flaw in the design and configuration of the smartmeter equipment.

In my case at this time of year I am using about 130 kWh of gas per day and the gas meter and IHD are showing no usage at all. When I press the buttons the digital display on the gas meter lights up and shows a reading that is not changing even though I continue to run my heating and consume gas as normal.

I am not an expert but can only assume that the gas meter is allowing gas to flow but is not measuring usage. The reading on the IHD is the same as on the meter so the link from the meter to the communications hub and IHD is working. (There is some distance between the gas meter and the communications hub and this may not be working all of the time. But it is working most of the time.)

EDF are reading my electricty meter but providing estimates for my gas. I therefore assume that the link from the communications hub to the DCC and EDF is working.

My smart meters were installed in October 2019 following which EDF were able to read both electicity and gas meters.

In September 2021 I renewed my contract with EDF on a new tariff following which EDF were unable to read my gas meter and asked me to submit readings manually. Meanwhile my meters and IHD appeared to be showing the correct usage of both gas and electricity.

EDF ignored the manual reads and sent me bills based on estmated usage which was more than I was using.

In January 2023 they sent me a bill for the previous 12 months which was based on manual readings and cancelled all the previous incorrect estimated bills.

In ealry February I noticed my IHD showing less gas usage than expected and by mid February the gas reading showed no usage at all. The digital dispaly on the gas meter was still lighting up and showed the same figure as the IHD.

I reported this to EDF who suggested I reboot the IHD which I did with no effect. They sent me a link to set up the IHD. This failed as it would not accept my A/C number.

So where does the fault or faults lie? Who knows. Meanwhile I would appear to be using gas for free and will be faced with sorting out the billing based on what estimated figures who knows?

I suspect this problem is more common than we might think and I am surprised that this thread is the only one I could find at this time on the internet."

Raxiel

The fault lies with the meter. It's clearly broken. It happens sometimes, every now and then threads pop up here about it, not all of them smart meters. With millions of meters installed it's a statistical certainty that some of them will fail.

The usual solution is for them to replace the meter, and back bill using estimates based on the usage of the new one, but there's a bit of a backlog of meters and fitters in some parts of the country and so some people are having to wait longer than others.

You suspect this is more widespread than we might think, but what are you basing that off? The very fact there aren't threads all over the place suggest to me that its exactly as common as we might think. Not very, but non zero, a bit more common than pre-pandemic.

Edit: I will say though, there seems to be a glut of them today.

pochase

You have diffeent issues here.

1. Your meter has lost connection and was no longer submitting readings. You have submitted manual readings and in January the rebilled based on the manual readings. So all is fine here.

2. If I understand correct the ga smeter still displays, but the reading does not show any change now. This will need to be fixed, nost likely the meter needs to be replaced. They will bill from January onward bill you on estimates.

You need to make it clear to them that the meter does not work, and not the IHD.

Also a meter just meeasures your usage, it does not turn your gas off when it is not measuring anything, and especially not if it is just not conencted to submit automatic readings.

[Deleted User]

The problem that suppliers have is that they are responsible for, but not to blame when meters go wrong. 

If you have a L&G G470 gas meter, the most likely cause of your problem is a firmware bug that is affecting some, but not all, meters. I had it two years running when my gas meter stopped recording usage from November until March. Eventually, the supplier agreed to replace the meter. 

Meter manufacturers - not suppliers - are responsible for building and DCC-certifying firmware updates for their meters. Suppliers then push out the updates in small tranches.

caleroific

pochase said:

You have diffeent issues here.

1. Your meter has lost connection and was no longer submitting readings. You have submitted manual readings and in January the rebilled based on the manual readings. So all is fine here.

2. If I understand correct the gas meter still displays, but the reading does not show any change now. This will need to be fixed, most likely the meter needs to be replaced. They will bill from January onward bill you on estimates.

You need to make it clear to them that the meter does not work, and not the IHD.

Also a meter just measures your usage, it does not turn your gas off when it is not measuring anything, and especially not if it is just not connencted to submit automatic readings.

Thank you for your comment. In addition I think there is a third issue and that is why did the gas meter stop communicating with EDF when the tariff changed?

caleroific

[Deleted User] said:

The problem that suppliers have is that they are responsible for, but not to blame when meters go wrong. 

If you have a L&G G470 gas meter, the most likely cause of your problem is a firmware bug that is affecting some, but not all, meters. I had it two years running when my gas meter stopped recording usage from November until March. Eventually, the supplier agreed to replace the meter. 

Meter manufacturers - not suppliers - are responsible for building and DCC-certifying firmware updates for their meters. Suppliers then push out the updates in small tranches.

Yes it is L&G G470 gas meter

[Deleted User]

caleroific said:

pochase said:

You have diffeent issues here.

1. Your meter has lost connection and was no longer submitting readings. You have submitted manual readings and in January the rebilled based on the manual readings. So all is fine here.

2. If I understand correct the gas meter still displays, but the reading does not show any change now. This will need to be fixed, most likely the meter needs to be replaced. They will bill from January onward bill you on estimates.

You need to make it clear to them that the meter does not work, and not the IHD.

Also a meter just measures your usage, it does not turn your gas off when it is not measuring anything, and especially not if it is just not connencted to submit automatic readings.

Thank you for your comment. In addition I think there is a third issue and that is why did the gas meter stop communicating with EDF when the tariff changed?

I am not familiar with EDF’s way of showing usage. When I had this meter with my supplier Octopus, the daily usage graphs were showing no usage but a daily index reading was still being sent - albeit, it was the same one for nearly 3 months.

onerod

My gas meter stopped providing consumption readings sometime between April and May. Reported it on 10th May to Octopus energy. Lots of emails back and forth nothing has happened except for an estimated gas bill in July more than double to the amount charged for a similar period in 2023. Since I complained they said they would look into it but have not had a reply as yet. So clearly Octopus cannot fix my meter or replace it despite their adverts offering smart meters and claiming a superb customer service their replies take ages and so far are just fobbing off nonsence. 

MattMattMattUK

@onerod You are replying to a dead thread from more than eighteen months ago.

onerod said:

My gas meter stopped providing consumption readings sometime between April and May. Reported it on 10th May to Octopus energy. 

Did it stop recording readings or just stop working in smart mode? If the former, did you submit a reading?

onerod said:

Lots of emails back and forth nothing has happened except for an estimated gas bill in July more than double to the amount charged for a similar period in 2023. 

They apply a standardised formula until the issue is resolved, to stop customer getting into debt. Unless you are on variable Direct Debit they will also be aiming to build up a credit ahead of winter, if you are on VDD then they apply a standardised amount. 

onerod said:

Since I complained they said they would look into it but have not had a reply as yet. 

How did you complain, did you raise an actual complaint or just phone customer services and have a whinge?

onerod said:

So clearly Octopus cannot fix my meter or replace it despite their adverts offering smart meters and claiming a superb customer service their replies take ages and so far are just fobbing off nonsence. 

They can and do fit meters, but there are issues with supply and times vary depending on where one is located.