Octopus energy, their cumulative meter total on your account doesn't match smart actual meter

Veteransaver

I'm posting this as I've discovered this on 2 separate accounts now.
Octopus have a cumulative meter reading on your account. Obviously the idea is that you get billed on the units used between readings.
However, on 2 accounts I've noticed that this bears no relation to if you physically check the cumulative total on the smart meter.
Anyone else seen this?
It doesn't cause a problem normally as the billing is based on smart meter usage, but if you ever submit a manual meter reading it causes a huge adjustment as their system thinks you've used a lot more energy than you have.
For example, my smart meter currently shows a reading of around 8500kWh.
However my latest bill shows a smart meter total to date of around 3500kWh. That 3500kWh figure makes no logical sense as over the period I've had the meter Octopus have billed me far more than 3500kWh.
It's like they've "lost" a whole chunk of prior usage.
It will also cause a huge issue if you move suppliers presumably.
It's concerning.

BarelySentientAI

Are all meter readings not cumulative?  I don't quite understand what you mean - a little more explanation of what you think this figure is might be useful.

victor2

Suppliers can, and do, get actual readings from smart meters for billing purposes.
The 30 minute usage figures seen on apps etc. do not show meter readings.
If you can show a suitably redacted copy of a statement, people can explain better what it shows.

CouldntResist

I'd be checking that the registers and the units on the meter are what you think they are and also that this is what Octopus is displaying on your account.

Anecdotally my electricity meters match, my gas meter doesn't but then I wouldn't expect it to

Veteransaver

BarelySentientAI said:

Are all meter readings not cumulative?  I don't quite understand what you mean - a little more explanation of what you think this figure is might be useful.

Well yes, you'd expect so wouldn't you. But here is the section of my bill. That customer reading I gave is 100% correct and I double checked it today, it's about 8500kWh now.



That smart meter reading total makes no sense, I've been with Octopus nearly 2 years and use around 4000kWh a year anyway. So I've been billed by Octopus over those 2 years for around 8000kWh.
It's concerning should I move away to another supplier, this is fairly basic stuff.

BarelySentientAI

The first thing you should do is check that the serial number of the meter written on the bill matches the one on the actual meter.

The second thing you should do is check whether you are reading the right register from the meter.  It's possible that you are looking at the sum of all registers but they are reading only one.  Can you show us where you are getting the 8500 reading from?

You need to also stop thinking about "cumulative meter readings".  That's just going to add confusion.  They are just meter readings.  That bill is saying that the reading on your meter is 3506.9 - not that some maths has worked out the number or anything else.  They've probably ignored your manual reading because the smart meter is telling them a different actual reading. 

Netexporter

Are you sure you are reading the correct index? Have you scrolled through the menu on the meter (not the IHD)? If there was previously a multi-rate tariff the Total index will add both rates together, but you may just be using R1 (rate 1) now, which is the reading Octopus are using.

victor2

Can you establish which register Octopus are reading to bill you, and what you are actually reading to get the 8000 figure?

What was their reading a year ago?

Veteransaver

BarelySentientAI said:

The first thing you should do is check that the serial number of the meter written on the bill matches the one on the actual meter.

The second thing you should do is check whether you are reading the right register from the meter.  It's possible that you are looking at the sum of all registers but they are reading only one.  Can you show us where you are getting the 8500 reading from?

You need to also stop thinking about "cumulative meter readings".  That's just going to add confusion.  They are just meter readings.  That bill is saying that the reading on your meter is 3506.9 - not that some maths has worked out the number or anything else.  They've probably ignored your manual reading because the smart meter is telling them a different actual reading. 

Yes, the serial number etc checks out. The 8500 meter reading is off the meter itself. It's single rate and is the total import figure. The meter has never been dual rate
That's the point, the bill is saying my meter reading is 3506.9, when it isn't. How could it be, when I use c4000kWh (and have been billed for) a year and it was put in nearly 2 years ago?
The 8500 figure is correct.

BarelySentientAI

Veteransaver said:

BarelySentientAI said:

The first thing you should do is check that the serial number of the meter written on the bill matches the one on the actual meter.

The second thing you should do is check whether you are reading the right register from the meter.  It's possible that you are looking at the sum of all registers but they are reading only one.  Can you show us where you are getting the 8500 reading from?

You need to also stop thinking about "cumulative meter readings".  That's just going to add confusion.  They are just meter readings.  That bill is saying that the reading on your meter is 3506.9 - not that some maths has worked out the number or anything else.  They've probably ignored your manual reading because the smart meter is telling them a different actual reading. 

Yes, the serial number etc checks out. The 8500 meter reading is off the meter itself. It's single rate and is the total import figure. The meter has never been dual rate
That's the point, the bill is saying my meter reading is 3506.9, when it isn't. How could it be, when I use c4000kWh (and have been billed for) a year and it was put in nearly 2 years ago?
The 8500 figure is correct.

If it's a smart meter, then it doesn't matter whether it is single rate or dual rate, it has more than one register (probably four).

It would be unusual, but not impossible, that they have switched which register is being used.

Can you look back at the previous smart readings for the whole two years?  At some point is there a big step change or reset to zero? 

Reed_Richards

Veteransaver said:

I'm posting this as I've discovered this on 2 separate accounts now.....

Two separate accounts?  How did that come about?  Is it possible that either you or Octopus are confusing the two accounts?