Electric meter reading confusion

superM

Hi, A few weeks ago I had solar panel installed. 

On 27 June I checked my meter and the reading was 23462. Today I checked again and it's now showing 23439. It's gone down which I don't understand. It never happened before. 

It only start happening after the solar panel installation.

I don't have a smart meter. 

I have attached the picture.  Is the meter faulty? 

MattMattMattUK

superM said:

Hi, A few weeks ago I had solar panel installed. 

On 27 June I checked my meter and the reading was 23462. Today I checked again and it's now showing 23439. It's gone down which I don't understand. It never happened before. 

It only start happening after the solar panel installation.

I don't have a smart meter. 

I have attached the picture.  Is the meter faulty? 

It is an old analogue meter and has wound backwards due to you exporting more than you have imported, that is not allowed and your Solar installation should not have been signed off until the meter was upgraded. Do you have all the legal paperwork for your solar installation? 

Reed_Richards

You must have meter that runs backwards when you export solar power.  This seems great because it saves you money very effectively but unfortunately it is not allowed.  It is your duty to report this to your electricity supplier, who will arrange to replace your meter with a smart meter.  If you are lucky this will take a while.

Edit:  It's hard to be sure but you might find that there isn't room to fit a smart meter without moving some other things.   

superM

MattMattMattUK said:

superM said:

Hi, A few weeks ago I had solar panel installed. 

On 27 June I checked my meter and the reading was 23462. Today I checked again and it's now showing 23439. It's gone down which I don't understand. It never happened before. 

It only start happening after the solar panel installation.

I don't have a smart meter. 

I have attached the picture.  Is the meter faulty? 

It is an old analogue meter and has wound backwards due to you exporting more than you have imported, that is not allowed and your Solar installation should not have been signed off until the meter was upgraded. Do you have all the legal paperwork for your solar installation? 

Yes they sent me all the certificates via email. This includes letter/commissioning from National Grid, Insurance documents, Trustmark certificate. It is a large company who installed the solar panel. I would have thought they knew better. 

I didn't want the smart meter but is that the only option. If I call them and ask to change it over? 

superM

Reed_Richards said:

You must have meter that runs backwards when you export solar power.  This seems great because it saves you money very effectively but unfortunately it is not allowed.  It is your duty to report this to your electricity supplier, who will arrange to replace your meter with a smart meter.  If you are lucky this will take a while.

Edit:  It's hard to be sure but you might find that there isn't room to fit a smart meter without moving some other things.   

My meter is currently installed alleyway. I thought smart meters are smaller than the old meters. 

MeteredOut

Reed_Richards said:

You must have meter that runs backwards when you export solar power.  This seems great because it saves you money very effectively but unfortunately it is not allowed.  It is your duty to report this to your electricity supplier, who will arrange to replace your meter with a smart meter.  If you are lucky this will take a while.

Edit:  It's hard to be sure but you might find that there isn't room to fit a smart meter without moving some other things.   

It would be an interesting stand-off if there is no room to fit a smart meter. Normally, the supplier would just not install one, telling the customer they'd have to pay for any changes to make the space. But, in this case, it is for the suppliers benefit that the smart meter is installed, but the OP has no incentive to get those changes made...

If I were the OP, i'd inform the supplier, in writing, that solar has been installed, and that the meter is running backwards during export, and then wait. I'd be in no rush to get the smart meter installed. 

superM

Okay thanks. I am with So Energy. I will email them. 

Do I have change both meters or just one Electric. 

mmmmikey

superM said:

Okay thanks. I am with So Energy. I will email them. 

Do I have change both meters or just one Electric. 

You only need the electric meter changing but they will probably do them both as a matter of course to avoid the need to come back at a different time to change the gas meter. Once you've got a smart meter you'll be able to get paid for any spare solar energy you export, and also you'll have access to a wider range of tariffs which have the potential to save you a significant amount of money.

molerat

MeteredOut said:
If I were the OP, i'd inform the supplier, in writing, that solar has been installed, and that the meter is running backwards during export, and then wait. I'd be in no rush to get the smart meter installed. 

Corrected that for you

mmmmikey

molerat said:

MeteredOut said:
If I were the OP, i'd inform the supplier, in writing, that solar has been installed, and that the meter is running backwards during export, and then wait. I'd be in no rush to get the smart meter installed. 

Corrected that for you

I'm with @MeteredOut on this - if you don't get this sorted it will probably catch up with you in the future and you'll face an estimated bill to correct the issue.

Reed_Richards

Since you are evidently exporting more than you import since you got your solar panels, you could argue that a fair estimated bill for that time should be based on zero consumption and just the standing charge.  But you need to tell your supplier, send the ball over the net to their side of the court and see what they can do by way of a return.  But don't hang around or you might incur some sort of "time violation penalty" (stretching my tennis analogy a bit).