Solar install with Smart meter showing weird readings

tj_online

HI, a friend recently had Solar panels installed and has been moved by his Electricity Supplier (Octopus) onto a Smart Meter.

Bills from the account for the pre-solar install show usage of approx 15kWh per day.(March to mid-May 24). Usage on the App before Solar is not available due to tariff change but bills are all customer readings so must be accurate.

Usage shown in the Octopus App (not had a bill yet under Import Flux tariff) shows current usage as 30-32kWh/day. Thats just not logical.!

System has a Battery storage...

I was reading a similar symptom thread from 2023 on this site where it turned out the CT clamp was on the wrong way around (https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6450493/smart-meter-incorrect-installation-caused-increased-energy-usage#latest) 

- can this still be happening with installs.?  

If the OP on that thread could confirm that it resolved her problem - I'd be grateful.

The Solar install does appear to be generating power OK, but its just the usage readings within Octopus that seem awry. 

Other similar symptom seems to be that Battery is 100% at start of day and drops/re-charges throughout the day...

I'll be visiting later today, so should be able to look at the Solar Meter and Smart Meter then - but can I easily tell if there's anything physically wrong.

mmmmikey

Hi, as you say weird...
I'm assuming that when you say app you mean the bog standard Octopus Energy app that everyone has whether they have solar or not, and not some special app used to monitor and control the battery/solar installation?
My first thought is that this could be an issue with the app (and/or metering system in its broadest sense). The easiest way I can think of to check out what's happening with the solar/battery installation is to isolate various bits and see what happens on the meter. So I'd suggest making absolutely sure the metering is working before you start checking the installation.
I'd suggest taking meter readings directly from the smart meter for both import and export, a day apart, and make sure they tally up with what you're seeing on the app. I wonder if the import and export readings have been transposed somewhere, or if the app is showing data from someone else's meter. You can check that the MPANs shown in the app correspond with those on the meter.
In order to check the installation then I can't think of anything simple and obvious you can check visually, but if you isolate everything and then switch the house supply, solar panels and battery on individually you can make sure that they are working by seeing what's happening on the meter. e.g. if the sun is shining and only the solar panels are connected you should be seeing export on the meter. That should hopefully give some clues about what is happening.
Apologies for the long rambling reply, hopefully there's something in there that helps

tj_online

Thanks , that good input.

Yes - the bog standard Octopus App. Although, he does have the Foxess 2.0 app which still leaves us a bit flumoxed, although again I was reading on YouTube how that nice display with green energy flow is only a point snapshot and not really that indicative of whats happening over time.

On P2 of the Foxess app (swipe left), it does suggest that he's about 52% self sufficient which is another reason why the Octopus usage (presumably what he'll be charged for) is illogical. 

Foxess P2 seems to suggest Consumption is around 80kWh per day currently, eg 36kwh Grid purchase, 44kWh Self Sufficiency. But of course those numbers are massive compared to the Winter 15kWh / day before Solar and don't tie up with the current Octopus app Usage figures in any meaningful way.

There just isn't any new stuff that would warrant that change.

tj_online

So Octopus have just sent the first bill through. He’s been charged £210 for 3 weeks. Prior to Smart meter install his budget payment was £120/month. That just reflects the illogical usage figures. It’s not his heating solution (that’s kerosene) so shouldn’t vary particularly but of course less lights etc - generally he is at lower usage part of year.

in terms of the meter, it’s not so easy to get at, but seems to vary its display - some times showing 933 kWh, sometimes 912 and other times INACTIVE, so not quite sure what readings are what. We’ll need a more thorough review than was able to do yesterday.

Petriix

It's entirely possible that the battery CT clamp is the wrong way round, leading to importing to charge from the grid when it thinks there's surplus solar and exporting to the grid when it thinks there's home usage. Otherwise the battery could be misconfigured in some way to cause similar symptoms. 

You need to ascertain what's actually going on by looking at the IHD of the smart meter at various points throughout the day and when it's dark. You're only interested in the live energy flow, not £ or cumulative usage. It should show no import when it's sunny and potentially zero import when the battery is discharging to meet the house load. If the battery is big enough you should only really see imports after it's empty which might not be at all on sunny days. 

Reed_Richards

When my smart meter was installed, the installer moved the CT clamp and put it back in the wrong position.  I had to move it back myself.  But the software controlling my inverter includes an option to test the CT clamp readings to ensure it is working correctly so maybe there is something like that available?

tj_online

You get to understand more as time goes on and with help the picture becomes clearer.

Despite Octopus’ claim that everything was ok, and us believing that because of how I’d interpreted the fitting of the clamp, my friend contacted the PV supplier. They too immediately recognised the clamp on backwards, talked me through switching it.
Now the graphs being shown actually make sense - where there high usage (immersion) you can see it - and see the battery providing the power (early am - no PV). Best of all - usage back at 15kW per day, at 92% battery/solar.

Do they do this on purpose to generate some revenue do you think - or are the engineers just incompetent?

littlemillridge

My smart meter installer Scottish Power reversed the CT clamps on my new PV and battery system, this causes the battery to continuously draw power from the grid. My bill was nearly £1000 for 3 months, bit of a shock after just having the battery and panels installed. Calls for help to Scottish Power went unheard, I called the solar installer who identified the problem and sent their engineer to correct the CT clamps. It then took 3 months for Scottish Power to address the huge bill, which they eventually did - they wiped it out completely, so that was a result.