Fuse Energy.. Clocking Electric meters?

harlings

Even time I go on holiday, which is usually for around a month, I carry out exactly the same procedure on the main Electric circuit box, I leave the main power switch ON and flick all the RCD circuit breakers OFF.

When I return back home the Electric meter is always the same reading as when I left, except for the time when I was with Fuse Energy (Electric) which showed 8 kWh more.

After I joined them, they fitted a new smart meter and I raised concerns about the readings it was giving, but they just said it was “phantom” Electric usage. 

I left them and joined Outfox the Market who were unable to connect to the smart meter and decided to replace it with one of their own. 

When I go on holiday now I return to the same reading as when I left.. 

Anyone out there had similar problems or issues the Fuse Energy?

 

QrizB

Your supplier cannot change what your meter reads.

Qyburn

harlings said:

Even time I go on holiday, which is usually for around a month, I carry out exactly the same procedure on the main Electric circuit box, I leave the main power switch ON and flick all the RCD circuit breakers OFF.

Most likely one of the circuits was left on and something like a fridge was therefore left running. I don't really understand why you wouldn't turn off the main switch if you wanted literally everything off.

harlings

I guarantee every time I went away ALL appliances are off incl. the fridge freezer (empty & cleaned), Wi-Fi and all other items are unplugged, and NO red lights showing.
The reason I turn off all circuit breakers but leave the main switch ON is so that the smart meter keeps going. This has worked for the past 30 years but with the Smart meter from Fuse it used 8 kWh while I was away for one month.

FreeBear

But, but... The meter is before your consumer unit, so flipping the big red switch will not cut power to the meter.

harlings

That's odd, because when I tried flicking off the big red switch the smart meter displayed a red light so I assumed it was complaining that now power had been cut?

Qyburn

harlings said:

That's odd, because when I tried flicking off the big red switch the smart meter displayed a red light so I assumed it was complaining that now power had been cut?

The steady red light means no power at all is flowing. If you get that when you turn the main switch off, but not if you just switch off the individual circuits, then that means there was still something drawing power.

Ildhund

Qyburn said:
The steady red light means no power at all is flowing. 

I experienced the steady red light after throwing the main CU switches. I assumed that this is what it meant, but I haven't found any documentation for it. Is this a standard somewhere, a convention or something that varies with meter type?

QrizB

Ildhund said:

Qyburn said:
The steady red light means no power at all is flowing. 

I experienced the steady red light after throwing the main CU switches. I assumed that this is what it meant, but I haven't found any documentation for it. Is this a standard somewhere, a convention or something that varies with meter type?

It's sometimes called the anti-creep light. Unsmart electronic meters had them too.

Gerry1

Ildhund said:

Qyburn said:
The steady red light means no power at all is flowing. 

I experienced the steady red light after throwing the main CU switches. I assumed that this is what it meant, but I haven't found any documentation for it. Is this a standard somewhere, a convention or something that varies with meter type?

Yes, it varies. The metrology light on my non-smart electronic meter just stays off if no current is drawn. It shows only round numbers of kWh (no decimal point) so you have to watch it continuously for several minutes if you want to prove that no current is being drawn.  Presumably it's an enhancement on better meters so that you can see at glance that there's no overlooked vampire load somewhere.

Ildhund

Found it for my own Aclara SGM 1400-B series meter:

Pulse Output LED

The SGM1400-B Series meters are equipped with an LED indicator for absolute active energy. In reactive energy mode, the LED will pulse for reactive (kVArh) energy (for all four quadrants) and remain illuminated to indicate reactive energy anti-creep mode. Anti-creep is defined as when no current is flowing through the meter or when the current is less than the defined starting current of the meter.