Smart meter functionality

danco

I wonder how many of the "smart meter doesn't work" reports are from people with SMETS1 meters who changed supplier. That used to be a common issue.

Spoonie_Turtle

Sandbourne said:

I have been struggling with metering and billing with Octopus since about October. They have told me there is an issue with my particular type of smart meter, and it's a system problem not an energy supplier problem, apparently. I've just been told that British Gas customers are affected, as are customers using other suppliers. The result is that I've been receiving bills for approximately £1200 each month just for electricity. It's clearly incorrect as I live alone in a 2-bedroom house and my previous bills were about £35 a month. 

They are expecting the issue to be resolved "soon" - I was previously told that it would be resolved by 29th February. 

I've been phoning them every month to get it sorted out as each time they want to increase my direct debit, and I know it's not necessary. I tried e-mailing but it took them 11 days to reply. I've just had to endure a whole series of hits of the 70s while I've been on hold. Award-winning customer-service?

I think they'd argue that the smart meter itself works but that the software recording the usage is faulty. Not sure where that leaves me in terms of options in the poll. I would be interested to know how many others are having this kind of problem, though. 

As an interim measure have you been sending meter readings?  If not, you should, to still get accurate bills (assuming you're not on a smart tariff that requires half-hourly usage data).

As an aside you can choose your hold music (or none) in your account preferences for when you phone

Phones4Chris

Sterlingtimes said:

Phones4Chris said:

Create yourself an n3rgy Consumer account and see if you can pull all the data - that also uses the DCC. If you get all the 1/2hrly data for at least 90 days this also suggests that your meter is functioning ok. (It may take 24hrs or so from setting up the account).

Thank you, Chris. No Octopus, N3rgy, Loop and Hugo record no electricity data. The Octopus Mini collects local data, but this cannot be used for smart tariffs. Bright collects local data but fails via DCC: Bright deducts export from import, which does not give a meaningful result.

Gas is perfect indicating that it is not a simplistic communications issue. The meter reads granular electricity data. There must be a fault somewhere in the system: meter, DCC or meter/DCC interworking.

Now I'm a bit confused. You originally said "Yes, Bright and Octopus Mini collect half-hourly readings correctly."
Are you talking about the standard Bright App on a Smart Phone?
Are you using Bright's CAD at all?
I took you original remark to mean the Bright App was giving 1/2hrly electricity readings which it has to do via the DCC, but if you are using Bright's CAD things are different AIUI. The Octopus Mini collects data via the HAN.

Marvel1

I set my parents on the OVO Engery Power Move autumn challenge - email result regular readings were not sent - so readings not sent is the best option.

vic_sf49

Smart meters are working. IHD is working. Bright app is showing all my usage. 

So it seems it's my Octopus account and Octopus Watch app, that's missing the data of my electric usage. Sigh.

(15th Feb was when they changed me to the newer Tracker tariff.) 

Was waiting to see if the billing period would kick my account into gear, but alas, no. Email sent in this afternoon.

Sandbourne

vic_sf49 said:

Smart meters are working. IHD is working. Bright app is showing all my usage. 

So it seems it's my Octopus account and Octopus Watch app, that's missing the data of my electric usage. Sigh.

(15th Feb was when they changed me to the newer Tracker tariff.) 

Was waiting to see if the billing period would kick my account into gear, but alas, no. Email sent in this afternoon.

It will be interesting to see whether they tell you that it's a problem with someone else's system, and that it's due to be fixed imminently (they told me by the end of February, initially).  I also hope you get a reply faster than I did: 11 days was ridiculous!

vic_sf49

Sandbourne said:

vic_sf49 said:

Smart meters are working. IHD is working. Bright app is showing all my usage. 

So it seems it's my Octopus account and Octopus Watch app, that's missing the data of my electric usage. Sigh.

(15th Feb was when they changed me to the newer Tracker tariff.) 

Was waiting to see if the billing period would kick my account into gear, but alas, no. Email sent in this afternoon.

It will be interesting to see whether they tell you that it's a problem with someone else's system, and that it's due to be fixed imminently (they told me by the end of February, initially).  I also hope you get a reply faster than I did: 11 days was ridiculous!

Gave up waiting for a reply to my email after 12 days, so I resurrected my Twitter account, and my meter/account was fixed within 24hrs.

Shall definitely use Twitter next time I have an issue.

Yay to having live data back for electricity, so I know when I have enough free solar power to run things. 

northernsoul

My electricity smart meter sends readings to Octopus and connects to the IHD. My gas meter  does not connect to the electricity meter hence does not send readings to Octopus or to the IHD. Many complaints and 1 engineers visit but gas meter still not connecting from outside wall to electricity meter in the cellar. It is a distance of 3 metres through the outside wall and a single wall with door opening (was originally the coal bunker).

MultiFuelBurner

northernsoul said:

My electricity smart meter sends readings to Octopus and connects to the IHD. My gas meter  does not connect to the electricity meter hence does not send readings to Octopus or to the IHD. Many complaints and 1 engineers visit but gas meter still not connecting from outside wall to electricity meter in the cellar. It is a distance of 3 metres through the outside wall and a single wall with door opening (was originally the coal bunker).

I would get the gas meter moved 

northernsoul

Gas meter was in the celler near the electricity meter. The gas pipe came from next door through the adjoining cellar wall. Both me and my neighbour were told we had to have seperate gas supplies and we had to have horrible pipework up the passage way (originally under the floor of the passage way into next doors cellar then through into mine) and along the outside of our houses to our new outside gas meters.
So we were told we had to have new gas meters on the outside wall to have smart meters installed. Would love to have them where originally located in the cellar. Now i have to go outside to read the gas meter.
Although we were told we have to have seperate supplies the gas still goes to next door first then onto mine so essentially the same as before !
But now in metal alloy rather than lead (think it was lead - definitely not metal alloy type pipework)