IHDU - Smart meters gone dark

TheGardener

Mum had smart meters fitted about a year ago - the Gas one stopped talking to the IHDU almost immediately and the electricity has just done the same. Why would they do that? It's a small 1 bed bungalow and she's not a big consumer but taking meter readings is challenging for her due to eyesight and mobility. Is this something that can be fixed? Shes with British Gas for both. 

Mstty

In home displays have a 12 month warranty. Out of this warranty you will have to buy your own if you want live readings or download an energy app for delayed readings like bright,loop,Hugo etc.

Download one of those apps to see if they are seeing your usage first. There may be other issues and this is a good way of troubleshooting them.

pochase

With a smart meter there should be no need to take and submit regular readings. If you need to take readings (and you should check them against your bill on a regualr base even with a smart meter, especially if they come up as estimated) it needs always to be on the smart meter, not the IHD.

Also you are saying the gas part of the IHD never worked, so she was taking readings for the gas meter anyway?

Otherwise as Mstty says, you have a 12 month warranty for the IHD, after that you decide if you want to but a new one or live without it. The IHD is a gadget and not par tof the meter functionality.

[Deleted User]

Mstty said:

In home displays have a 12 month warranty. Out of this warranty you will have to buy your own if you want live readings or download an energy app for delayed readings like bright,loop,Hugo etc

 Not so fast. The IHD uses a Home Area Network (HAN)  to get data from the electricity meter and the gas proxy meter in the comms hub. I assume that all the LEDs on the comms hub are flashing normally?

The first thing to check is whether the comms hub still has Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity with the supplier. You can do this by downloading the free App BRIGHT. If electricity data shows in the App then you have WAN connectivity and the supplier should be able to pull index readings and data from any connected meter.

If WAN data is missing, you then need to ask the supplier to make a request to the DCC for a remote comms hub re-boot. This disconnects the hub from the mains for 15 minutes. If this doesn’t reset the hub then the supplier should instruct an engineer to call to pull the main fuse for 15 minutes and then reset the WAN and HAN connections in the comms hub.

If the engineer cannot re-establish HAN and WAN connections then you need a new comms hub. At this point play the PSR card and ask for a dual-band comms hub and gas meter to be fitted. A new IHD should be provided.

@Mttsy may be right but before spending c.£50 on a new IHD it is worth carrying out the actions above. 

FWiW, there are reports of some comms hubs going into a silent mode. Mine did this last month. Interestingly, all the LEDs on the comms hub were flashing normally but there was no WAN or HAN connection. I mistakenly thought that it was the result of a firmware update but I was told that this wasn’t the case. When I pressed further, I was told that the DCC - the network and comms hub provider - was aware of the issue but it is the subject of a Non Disclosure Agreement. Read into that what you will. My issues were solved by a 15 minute main fuse pull.

TheGardener

The Gas has come as estimated on the bill since the IHDU went dark so I was doing manual readings and submitting online - I'm guessing the electricity will do the same now? 

I assume that all the LEDs on the comms hub are flashing normally?
I don't know - what is and where is the 'comms hub?

Mstty

TheGardener said:

The Gas has come as estimated on the bill since the IHDU went dark so I was doing manual readings and submitting online - I'm guessing the electricity will do the same now? 

I assume that all the LEDs on the comms hub are flashing normally?
I don't know - what is and where is the 'comms hub?

This may be a helpful tool as well

https://smartmetercheck.citizensadvice.org.uk/

EssexHebridean

TheGardener said:

The Gas has come as estimated on the bill since the IHDU went dark so I was doing manual readings and submitting online - I'm guessing the electricity will do the same now? 

I assume that all the LEDs on the comms hub are flashing normally?
I don't know - what is and where is the 'comms hub?

You should find it adjacent to the electricity meter - often above it. It's the "added on bit" that deals with getting the data from the home's smart meters to the supplier. 

[Deleted User]

Have a look at this link. It has detailed information on what the comms hub LEDS are telling you. The comms hub sits above the electricity smart meter.

https://www.smartme.co.uk/smets-2.html

One flash per LED is normal. The MESH LED is normally blank.