British Gas not using smart meter readings

Yorkie006

Response from BG:

The good news is we're already upgrading our smart meter technology and all these non working/compatible monitor will be fixed remotely by end of this Month.

Will see if that's true or not.

Yorkie006

hatter68 said:

Got email today from British Gas asking for meter reading. I have a smart meter installed. I wrote down readings from meters but can only send reading for electricity on link in email.

You can submit smart meter readings manually here:
https://www.britishgas.co.uk/meter-reads-form.html

Yorkie006

That said, given the unusual pattern of smart meter readings there does appear to be an issue with the WAN connection: it could just be geographical. I also suspect that the smart meter is not on a 30 minute profile which would give a meter index reading every day.

BG only display reading used to create the bill (ie at price change or at the end of billing period). Both meters are supposed to send reading every 30 mins but only the readings used to create the bill are shown. They use the 30 mins reading to create the daily usage graphs (unfortunately this feature hasn't worked online or in app since mid-April). 

[Deleted User]

Both meters are supposed to send reading every 30 mins

A common misconception. The smart meter comms hub acts like a mobile phone. It is connected to the DCC network sitting quietly waiting for a call. 

For consumers on a 30 minute usage profile, the supplier makes a call once every day to each meter requesting data. The meter responds by sending a return comprising of up to 4 index readings for each meter along with an XML file containing 30 minute usage data.

To access the DCC network and your meters, the supplier uses secure software known as an Adapter.

Yorkie006

[Deleted User] said:

Both meters are supposed to send reading every 30 mins

A common misconception. The smart meter comms hub acts like a mobile phone. It is connected to the DCC network sitting quietly waiting for a call. 

For consumers on a 30 minute usage profile, the supplier makes a call once every day to each meter requesting data. The meter responds by sending a return comprising of up to 4 index readings for each meter along with an XML file containing 30 minute usage data.

To access the DCC network and your meters, the supplier uses secure software known as an Adapter.

Thanks for that info but I don't really care how exactly it works.
The fact is that the supplier should be getting multiple readings a day and then use those to create an accurate bill. For some reason, my electric meter is not sending any readings at all, despite doing so for several years without any issues.

All I care about is having an accurate bill without me having to remember to get the readings myself (the meter is not exactly easy to get to so the inconvenience is a factor, not to mention that I am not used to sending readings as I've been relying on the smart meter to do it for me). I have in the past read the meter myself once or twice a year just to check the reading on the bill were correct, but I don't want to be doing this on a regular basis. Having a smart meter that doesn't send readings is like having a dog and barking yourself...