Smart Meters Supplier IHD Customer Exploitation

indefatigablesaver

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81864554#Comment_81864554

Indeed, as well as an ongoing obligation, perhaps suppliers should be further incentivised/required to provide and recycle IHDs as broadband suppliers are with routers or (ideally) there should be a universal IHD that all suppliers have to support. It's shocking to think that many IHDs may be ending up unnecessarily in landfill every year.

As others have pointed out this issue of IHDs being treated essentially as disposable is likely anti-competitive, if perfectly serviceable IHDs are being bricked routinely as a result of switching and therefore customers have a (significant) cost to switch suppliers if they wish to have a functioning IHD.

A massive marketing point of smart meters and why we are all forking out though out energy bills for the smart meter rollout, is that they help people regulate/reduce their energy usage but:

• Without an IHD most customers can't see what solar panels are net exporting or how much energy is being used live and so without an IHD arguably the smart meter is not much use.
• Many suppliers do not show customers very granular historical data in their apps either (though at least in this regard customers can try to link with free third party apps that do).

debitcardmayhem

@indefatigablesaver

Without an IHD most customers can't see what solar panels are exporting or how much energy is being used live and so without an IHD arguably the smart meter is not much use.

IHDs don't show export AFAIK

indefatigablesaver

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81864625#Comment_81864625

I haven't had an IHD that shows historical export data but I can say many IHDs do show live export (generation) data - two of my IHDs with two suppliers now have done just this, but I haven't managed to get any app to show live export (generation) data!

From my own experience seeing live export data, just as with live import data (that is also mostly limited to viewing on an IHD currently - excepting the Octopus mini pilot I believe) is key in helping me and therefore helping people regulate/reduce their energy use - surely the whole point of a smart meter?

QrizB

IHDs don't show export AFAIK

Some do, some don't.

debitcardmayhem

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81864633#Comment_81864633

I use home assistant to interrogate my inverter to get live and historical data, the Octopus mini doesn’t show live export either it only shows live net data i.e. import minus export, and it gets its data for the app from Octopus’ database for export which is only updated the next day.

Regulating/reducing are never going to be achieved without historical data and a knowledge of how your appliances use power. My IHD was consigned to the junk cupboard within a week, you can’t even rely on your suppliers to update your smart meter (the actual meter) and thus the IHD with the current tariff nor often your ALCS calendar if you use it. It’s time for a rethink of the stupid adverts , well past time imho.

Ildhund

A brief comment about these IMO immoderate words:

@indefatigablesaver wrote:

… organisations lying to multiple customers … that they have records IHD is older than customer states or that customer isn't entitled to free replacement based on their records, they have no such records but are deceiving customers systematically

The DCC, responsible for the entire GB smart meter network, has to maintain a database of every device directly or indirectly linked to that network. This includes IHDs. The database includes the type of device, vendor code, device GUID, installation date and firmware update status. In particular, the GUID gives the unique MAC address of the device, so that DCC can work out how to route each data packet. It is quite wrong to state, then, that records of IHD age or installation date don't exist - they do.

n3rgy.com has for many years very helpfully given smart meter users the ability to access this database's records for their own equipment, although sadly it hasn't been working for me for some weeks. I live in hope that it will rise again from the ashes, new and improved, just like their access to half-hourly data did over Christmas. Worth looking: https://homebrew.n3rgy.com/

Swipe

homebrew n3rgy hasn't worked for me since I switched suppliers in November.

QrizB

homebrew.n3rgy.com gives me data for a CAD (presumably my Octopus Home Mini) but nothing else 😐️

indefatigablesaver

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81864857#Comment_81864857

Thanks for the information, but I see no need to get personal and label my words immoderate.

A few brief points of information on the above.

• I note Ildhund does not suggest the DCC has any record of the date any IHD has been sent to any customer - certainly no such records exist on records relating to addresses explored at a cursory glance at the link above.
• I was literally told by the big 6 energy supplier in question eventually that their agents had misrepresented and had repeatedly falsely referred to the limited smart meter database records they had access to by equating this to evidence of IHD provision, when such data was not in fact included on the database the supplier was referencing for any customer.
• I was also eventually told that the supplier had no such IHD data to refer to for my property and so should have trusted my correct information and should not have asked me to prove anything or disputed the accurate data I provided.
• Other comments on the forum suggest others have had the same experience in similar circumstances in response to their initial attempts to procure IHDs they should be provided with by suppliers based on gov.uk, citizensadvice.org and MSE's own guidance.

Based on comments in this forum, on multiple occasions data suppliers have made claims to customers regarding the age of an IHD which are clearly false and have used these false dates as false justification for failing to provide replacement IHDs free of charge.

So based on Ildhund's assertion some of the representatives of big six energy suppliers have definitely been lying, either about the fact that they have any data relating to how old a customer's IHD is, or by stating that they don't have access to such data when they do.

Arguments as to whether suppliers can access or do access this DCC database aside. Furthermore, records that an IHD has connected to a meter historically are in no way records of when or if an IHD has been supplied, for example an installer could for example test a local meter network with an IHD but not leave one for a customer or a supplier might supply an IHD by mail but a customer might then fail to power it on or connect it. Existence therefore of the DCC database of linked devices even if it contains "installation date" for an IHD therefore seems a bit irrelevant?

As others note access to this supposedly publicly accessible database is not much use to them either currently, so not much help to any of us!

molerat

n3rgy.com has for many years very helpfully given smart meter users the ability to access this database's records for their own equipment, although sadly it hasn't been working for me for some weeks. I live in hope that it will rise again from the ashes, new and improved, just like their access to half-hourly data did over Christmas. Worth looking:

https://homebrew.n3rgy.com/

I have just checked mine and that of 2 family members and the IHD is missing from the list, meters and comms hub / gas proxy all there with correct installation dates but IHDs have disappeared. Previously they were all there.