Smart Meter taken by Vendors..

theartfullodger

Report theft (of whatever..) to Police, get a CRN. 

RHemmings

theartfullodger said:

Report theft (of whatever..) to Police, get a CRN. 

Surely the first thing to do would be to ask the vendors if they have taken it by accident and ask if they can return it. 

user1977

theartfullodger said:

Report theft (of whatever..) to Police, get a CRN. 

We don't even know whether the device was meant to be included in the sale - you could be reporting the "theft" by the sellers of their own property...

In any event, it's not theft.

Rodders53

The IHD will be useless to the old occupier.  Ask them to return it? 
The IHDs can't be paired to another comms hub at all readily. 
So do not buy a second hand unit off eBay, Faceache etc.,.   !!
Only certain retail brands can perform the necessary actions via the DCC security systems.

Stuff like that can often be packed and taken by 'helpful' removers rather than the occupier. 
Frequently the power supply for a masthead / distribution amplifier on a TV aerial system is taken.
I'd guess it can happen with wireless central heating thermostat/timers as well.

OP go find the real meter(s) and use the internet to discover how to take readings from the make and models you have.

FreeBear

RHemmings said:

I was curious about this, and it seems that it is easy to buy a replacement IHD for less than £50. (There are second hand options as well). I presume that there is some way to make it connect with the actual smart meter. The £50 is from EDF, my current energy suppliers, and it looks a slightly better model they are selling compared to the one they gave me when the installed my smart meter.

Prices for a new IHD went down to about £15, but I think that was one of those not too confidence inspiring cheap electrical stuff online sites. 

Do not buy a second hand IHD - You do not have the authority or ability to get it paired with your meter. Pairing can only be done by the DCC or an approved third party.

If you are going to buy an IHD, I'd suggest going to Glow/Hildebrand or your energy supplier as they can get the pairing done on your behalf. Glow costs around £70, so the EDF offer looks to be quite reasonable.

RHemmings

FreeBear said:

RHemmings said:

I was curious about this, and it seems that it is easy to buy a replacement IHD for less than £50. (There are second hand options as well). I presume that there is some way to make it connect with the actual smart meter. The £50 is from EDF, my current energy suppliers, and it looks a slightly better model they are selling compared to the one they gave me when the installed my smart meter.

Prices for a new IHD went down to about £15, but I think that was one of those not too confidence inspiring cheap electrical stuff online sites. 

Do not buy a second hand IHD - You do not have the authority or ability to get it paired with your meter. Pairing can only be done by the DCC or an approved third party.

If you are going to buy an IHD, I'd suggest going to Glow/Hildebrand or your energy supplier as they can get the pairing done on your behalf. Glow costs around £70, so the EDF offer looks to be quite reasonable.

Fair enough. The £50 example I gave was from my energy supplier, and assume they will do the pairing at no extra cost. Best to check it's not a hidden cost, however. 

AlexMac

Does it matter?  I have a fiddly little IHD which I never look at (and don't really understand), gathering dust in a corner, whereas the provider's (OVO's) website and App are terrific and really easy to access. Usage can be displayed in a user friendly display by fuel (gas, lekky or both), by KwHr or cost, by day, week or month, with or without a comparison of the same week or month last year, scrollable back to when the gizmo was installed a few years back.  Brilliant if you're a statistics nerd! (mea culpa).  And they even sent me dimensions before installation as I was creating a new meter cupboard and wanted to ensure fit.  So check out the supplier and see if they affer anything half as good 

EssexHebridean

Yes people say "smart meter" when they mean IHD. 
Yes some people do find an IHD really useful - good for them.
Yes some meters are in a position which makes them hard to read and so taking readings from the IHD might be easier.
Could we all pause for a moment to reflect that not everyone knows what we know, and even we didn't know about this stuff at some stage? People can't know about things they have never been taught/learned about - cut them some slack! 


The IHD in the property may not even have been the original one/still working or whatever. Was it mentioned on the TA6 as being left behind OP? If so then a quick contact with the vendors asking them to pop it back to you as it has presumably been taken in error ought to sort the situation. If it was never mentioned, then it could still be worth asking about it because as said previously, it won't be any use to the vendor in any other property. hey may well say that the original one had gone wrong and never been replaced though. if the Smart meters are more than a few years old this wouldn't be surprising. 

Hoenir

AlexMac said:

Does it matter?  I have a fiddly little IHD which I never look at (and don't really understand), gathering dust in a corner, 

Novelty soon wears off. No need to be told how to save energy. 

pjs493

If you're referring to the in house display unit. It's likely been accidentally packed by the removals company. Simply contact the sellers, explain that it's missing and ask if they can keep an eye out for it when they unpack and return it to you so that you can use it. Alternatively, your energy supplier may be able to provide you with a new unit for free.

My husband and I moved several times in military houses where the removals guys packed away things they shouldn't have done such as wire shelves from the built in oven etc. It's likely just an oversight or mistake. You should still be able to access the built in meters to provide move in readings to the utilities company.