Smart Meter for flats in basement Economy 7

xyzperson

Our block of over 200 flats has the meters in one large basement room with no mobile signal and no possibility of having one. The flats are scattered over 12 floors with consumer unit in each flat. Is it possible to have a smart meter? Is it possible to have a smart meter with Economy 7?
I imagine it is completely impossible to have a screen of info in your flat.

pete-20-11

Smart meters in the south (e.g. phone network not radio network) can have external aerials attached, but that doesn’t seem sensible for hundreds of smart meters!

what might be better is an actual mobile mast (a very small one) installed in the meter room and linked back to a telephone company perhaps via broadband. I know Vodafone used to do the sure signal for householders and think they have commercial versions too, e.g.for big commercial sites etc.

not an easy or cheap solution, but maybe there is hope for the future. New smart meter comms hubs are being worked on too, to use 5G I think. 

EssexHebridean

You certainly can have E7 with a smart meter - no issues from that side of things. 

Scot_39

xyzperson said:

Our block of over 200 flats has the meters in one large basement room with no mobile signal and no possibility of having one. The flats are scattered over 12 floors with consumer unit in each flat. Is it possible to have a smart meter? Is it possible to have a smart meter with Economy 7?
I imagine it is completely impossible to have a screen of info in your flat.

Smart E7 configured at shipping or install meters are commonly available.

Realistically in a large block only the latest alternative HAN option may be viable - a cable based signal booster - so meter communicates over mains to a local han station that then talks to ihd. 

See e.g. piccy of landis gyr plug in module 

https://www.smartme.co.uk/home-area-network.html



Haven't come across any reports of anyone having it installed in their homes here - but may have missed.

xyzperson

So the remaining question is who pays for this? The leaseholders (not a chance of the freeholder forking out) or the electricity companies? The electricity companies just fit the smart meters - which is government policy - and don't actually care that they don't actually work.
But glad to know you can still have a E7 meter.

QrizB

xyzperson said:

So the remaining question is who pays for this?

Pays for what, specifically?

Smart meters are fitted by your energy supplier, without charge to the account holder. If the location isn't suitable, they shouldn't fit a smart meter.

If they do pre-configure the smart meter andfit it, it will be no smarter than your current meter.

xyzperson

Pays for what, specifically?

Smart meters are fitted by your energy supplier, without charge to the account holder. If the location isn't suitable, they shouldn't fit a smart meter.

If they do pre-configure the smart meter and fit it, it will be no smarter than your current meter.

For the customer it is benefit for the smart meter to actually work. There can be significant tariff benefits to having a working smart meter.
The companies fit smart meters whether they work or not - I guess they are paid to fit them by government. I would also guess that no nobody checks to see if they work so they are paid anyway. Our block has masses of smart meters - our meter room has more than 200 meters  - and it might be a third are now smart meters. So is someone being stupid? The electricity companies or the customer? None will work. Ever. Unless someone fits a system like that described above. 
Thanks for those who answered me. I now have a sort of idea of what is needed to make the smart meter work. I also dont think anyone will fit a system like that any time soon. The block is spending so much money on cladding - a little issue like making smart meters work will never be funded by the leaseholders.