Faulty Smart Electricity Meter?

Raxiel

OK, The sum of all the registers R01, R02 etc should add up to IMP KWH.

The most likely explanation is that your meter is, or was at some point, configured for Economy 7 (E7), and recorded daytime and nightime use (around 1am to 7am GMT but it can vary by region) to registers R01 and R02 (which one is which depends on the supplier).

Do you know if the meter was new when it was installed? It probably was but doesn't hurt to check. There should be a sticker on the meter or a card on the board next to it that has the serial numbers of the new and old meters, as well as the closing readings of both. The opening read should be 0 if it was new.

You can have E7 tariffs that charge less for the night time usage (and more for daytime), and some suppliers offer 'single rate' tariffs that still require both readings but charge the same amount day and night (the same price they'd charge someone with a meter that records all usage to a single register).

I have seen at least one example of a consumer who has their meter configured for E7, but the tariff was for a 'standard' single rate measurement that only allowed a single figure to be put in.

Putting the IMP KWH figure into that box would be accurate, but if the Smart metering system is collecting IMP R01 (and ignoring any others) then they'd get a lower figure, because they're only reading your day (or night) usage.

[Deleted User]

Submitting smart meter manual readings on a switch comes at a significant risk of double billing for units used and paid for earlier in the meter’s life.

For example, BG used to have a free day each weekend tariff. The zero cost units were recorded on register R2. When this tariff was dropped, all the usage was recorded on R1. 

On switch people were giving the total reading off the IHD ( the sum of R1 and R2 et al) and were immediately re-billed for the latent R2 units by the new supplier.

The problem is complicated by the fact that there is no convention on the use of the 4 smart meter registers. So if asked for a switch meter reading, I would submit all 4 index readings and avoid all reference to peak and offpeak.

Raxiel

[Deleted User] said:

Submitting smart meter manual readings on a switch comes at a significant risk of double billing for units used and paid for earlier in the meter’s life.

For example, BG used to have a free day each weekend tariff. The zero cost units were recorded on register R2. When this tariff was dropped, all the usage was recorded on R1. 

On switch people were giving the total reading off the IHD ( the sum of R1 and R2 et al) and were immediately re-billed for the latent R2 units by the new supplier.

The problem is complicated by the fact that there is no convention on the use of the 4 smart meter registers. So if asked for a switch meter reading, I would submit all 4 index readings and avoid all reference to peak and offpeak.

True, although on this occasion it sounds like this dumb SMETS 1 meter was adopted and started taking readings remotely without anyone informing the customer what was happening until the discrepancy was found.

It also doesn't help that the Secure meters are not particularly user friendly, offering all sorts of irrelevant (to a domestic customer) information like kVA readings.

Assuming OP discovers both R01 and R02 have non-zero values, my next bit of advice would have been to note (not submit) another set of readings 24 hours later to see if they're both still incrementing, or if only one is being used and the other has a value due to some historic curiosity that's no longer relevant.

imeach

[Deleted User] said:

Submitting smart meter manual readings on a switch comes at a significant risk of double billing for units used and paid for earlier in the meter’s life.

For example, BG used to have a free day each weekend tariff. The zero cost units were recorded on register R2. When this tariff was dropped, all the usage was recorded on R1. 

On switch people were giving the total reading off the IHD ( the sum of R1 and R2 et al) and were immediately re-billed for the latent R2 units by the new supplier.

The problem is complicated by the fact that there is no convention on the use of the 4 smart meter registers. So if asked for a switch meter reading, I would submit all 4 index readings and avoid all reference to peak and offpeak.

Fortunately this tariff only appeared on one type of meter.
Unfortunately BG didn't tell us about it until a bit later.

Whenever I see this meter I always take R1 instead of total if supplier only wants one rate, and advise customers what to do too if they ever supply manual readings 

jrh22542254

Yawn said:

Raxiel said:

I have the same meter, also fitted by E.ON, went dumb when I left them and became Smart again when I joined Octopus.

Are you pressing button 9 and noting the figure that comes up after it says 'IMP KWH'?

If you press 6 a few times (or wait for it to scroll through) it should say 'IMP R01' does the number that follows that match the previous number, or the one the supplier is using? After the 'IMP R01' number it will go to 'IMP R02' is there a number other than zero there?

If it's non zero, does R01 and R02 add up to IMP KWH?

It may well continue to scroll all the way to 'IMP R15' but I'd be very surprised if R03 onwards were anything other than zero.

Thanks. That's very helpful. Yes, it's the imp kWh that I had been submitting. I'm just off for a few days but will try the suggestion of checking R01 when I get back.

That might have been the number that Sainsbury's wanted me to take a photograph of back in December.

Hi,
How did you get on please? I am also with Sainsburys energy and they have been bombarding me with emails to get a smart meter but am resisting as when pressed they said my E7 hours would change from 12.00 to 7am (winter) & 1pm to 8pm (summer) to 12.15am to 7.15am (all year round). These new times dont work for me , never mind the issues you now have with your smart meter. Many thanks.

macman

If you meter is teleswitched, then it will stop working when the LW signal is switched off in 2025, so by then you'll need a smart meter anyway. 
Conventional E7 meters do not adjust for daylight saving time either.

Qyburn

Is "1pm to 8pm (summer) to 8pm (summer)" a typo, you don't really have cheap rate during the afternoon and early evening?

If so then that sounds like a basic time clock, switching at 00:00 and 07:00 GMT all year round. Does a radio teleswitch do that? 

Petriix

If R02 (or any other registers) have ever been used then, in theory, you should always report all non-zero registers and never rely on the cumulative register. In practice, you might be ok only reporting the active register, which is usually (but not always) R01.

The problem is ensuring that the current supplier records the opening reading for any inactive registers so that you don’t end up being re-billed for those units if the register is ever used again. It's a potential can of worms for many. 

Yawn

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all the advice. I was away so haven't been able to follow up on it till today. 

The Imp KW today is 6522, compared to a smart reading of 4724 on 22 February (which was the last meter reading on the bill; I have no way of getting it myself!). 

The other readings the meter is providing:
EXP KWH = 0
IMP KVARH = 1528.2
EXP KVARH = 486.8
I TEST KWH = 6522.943 
E TEST KWH = 0
CREDIT USING NOW = 54.0
COST NOW = 28.18 pounds

There is no R01, R02, etc. 

The meter is a Secure Liberty 100, Type Code E1S0B1. Year 2017. 
And for what it's worth, I compared the serial number and it matches what is on my bill. 

Does this help demystify anything? Thanks!

[Deleted User]

Yawn said:

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all the advice. I was away so haven't been able to follow up on it till today. 

The Imp KW today is 6522, compared to a smart reading of 4724 on 22 February (which was the last meter reading on the bill; I have no way of getting it myself!). 

The other readings the meter is providing:
EXP KWH = 0
IMP KVARH = 1528.2
EXP KVARH = 486.8
I TEST KWH = 6522.943 
E TEST KWH = 0
CREDIT USING NOW = 54.0
COST NOW = 28.18 pounds

There is no R01, R02, etc. 

The meter is a Secure Liberty 100, Type Code E1S0B1. Year 2017. 
And for what it's worth, I compared the serial number and it matches what is on my bill. 

Does this help demystify anything? Thanks!

I assume that you are following the advice in this guide: that is Press 6 or 9

https://octopus.energy/blog/how-to-read-your-meter/

I confess that I don’t recognise I TEST kWh.