Smart meter

Shortfuse

Following a recen upgrade of my gas amd associated smart meter, the energy provider no longer gets a signal with the reading.

The electric meter equipment was also changed but is in a different outside cupboard and works.

It looks like the new smart meter is sited below a little metal shelf and is fixed to the gas meter completed mounted on the metal gas meter.  I am thinking that the positioning has created a faraday effect as we know metal blocks signals.  The previous one that did work was sited below the old gas meter and so was 360 clear of any metal blocks. 

Shortfuse

I have read across posts on social media that the prepayment meters have bern installed as a solution in some cases but customers are not happy as that alters the payment terms

On looking at images of prepayment installatiins it seems that they are not attached to the metal gas meters like the other models but sited higher up in the wall.  This makes sense as if the faraday theory is correct it places the antenna in the device away from all the metals including the meter and its pieces of housing.

MattMattMattUK

Shortfuse said:

Following a recen upgrade of my gas amd associated smart meter, the energy provider no longer gets a signal with the reading.

The electric meter equipment was also changed but is in a different outside cupboard and works.

It looks like the new smart meter is sited below a little metal shelf and is fixed to the gas meter completed mounted on the metal gas meter.  I am thinking that the positioning has created a faraday effect as we know metal blocks signals.  The previous one that did work was sited below the old gas meter and so was 360 clear of any metal blocks. 

Shortfuse said:

I have read across posts on social media that the prepayment meters have bern installed as a solution in some cases but customers are not happy as that alters the payment terms

On looking at images of prepayment installatiins it seems that they are not attached to the metal gas meters like the other models but sited higher up in the wall.  This makes sense as if the faraday theory is correct it places the antenna in the device away from all the metals including the meter and its pieces of housing.

Although I do not think it will make a difference, would it not make sense to remove the shelf and test if that makes a difference?

Shortfuse

Yes, I have asked my provider as it is part of the frame of the previous meter.  Also the new device is sitting square on the new electric gas meter.  I will feed back...my mobile doesnt pick up a signal under theie little shelf...now not doing anything but does above and below the meter where the previous one was sited.

I know a similar principle applies indoors with the hub signal lines and wondered if someone may know

EssexHebridean

Just to confirm - the device you are talking about - is it the comms hub physically attached to the meter - these are only rarely attached to gas meters as I understand it. Or the IHD - the in house display with the screen that tells you your use in either kWh or money values - that would most likely be plugged into a nearby socket? 

QrizB

The "little metal shelf" is probably part of the gas meter bracket. Does it look something like this?

https://www.gasproducts.co.uk/gas-fittings/gas-meter-fittings-brackets/gas-meter-mounting-brackets/u6-gas-meter-bracket-short-pattern.html

QrizB

More generally, your posts are quite confusing. Could you provide some more information please, and perhaps share some photos of your new meters?

Shortfuse said:

Following a recen upgrade of my gas amd associated smart meter, the energy provider no longer gets a signal with the reading.

How recent was this upgrade?

Before the upgrade, did you have smart meters for both gas and electricity? Before the upgrade, was your supplier receiving smart meter readings from both meters?

Shortfuse said:

The electric meter equipment was also changed but is in a different outside cupboard and works.

That's a good sign.

Shortfuse said:

It looks like the new smart meter is sited below a little metal shelf ...

If the shelf is a bracket like the one linked above, this is entirely normal. See for example this stock photo of a L&G G470 smart gs meter:

https://www.alamy.com/british-gas-landisgry-g470-gas-smart-meter-in-an-outside-cabinet-image264669995.html

Does your meter look something like that?

Shortfuse said:

... and is fixed to the gas meter completed mounted on the metal gas meter.

Can you rephrase this to be clearer, please? As curently written it doesn't make sense as a sentence.

Shortfuse said:

The previous one that did work was sited below the old gas meter and so was 360 clear of any metal blocks.

The previous what, exactly? What was "below the old gas meter"?

Shortfuse said:

I have read across posts on social media that the prepayment meters have bern installed as a solution in some cases but customers are not happy as that alters the payment terms

How is this relevant to your situation? Are you a prepayment customer?

Shortfuse said:

On looking at images of prepayment installatiins it seems that they are not attached to the metal gas meters like the other models but sited higher up in the wall.

I'm not sure what you are looking at in these images, but all UK smart meters are capable of operating in prepayment mode. There is nothing "sited higher up in the wall" with a smart gas meter.

Shortfuse said:

This makes sense as if the faraday theory is correct it places the antenna in the device away from all the metals including the meter and its pieces of housing.

The antenna in a gas smart meter is internal and cannot be placed further away.

Ectophile

If it's very recent, it can take a few days for DCC to catch up and match a gas meter to a comms hub.  If not so recent, you may need to get your gas supplier to give DCC a poke.

It should happen automatically, but the whole smart meter system is like British railways after privatisation.  Loads of companies are responsible for little bits of the system.  Actual work is outsourced to the lowest bidder.  And the customer is not allowed to talk to the people who can actually fix a problem.

Shortfuse

Thank you for your replies.  I don't know how to reply individually.  This is what it looks like.  Previously the working smart meter was 50 percent abive the meter it was attached to.  I am presuming the antenna like a phine is in the meter.  If I hold my.mobile above the meysl ahelf the signsl stremgth is strnger than below the metal shelf.  Also prebiously there were two brass flying saucer shaped fixings between the metal shelf and the meter and they are gine. 

The right hand screw has not been secured properly.  The brown dust is from the installer drilling for a new earth wire installation but I have cleared that. 

Shortfuse

Apologies..I don't know how to correct typos after posting but will save a draft next time!

Shortfuse

QrizB  Thank you for your reply.  I have been working with British Gas on their call closure notes "no gas appliances" where their call centre interpreted that as not a user of gas energy.  I had to hold it there so that the booking they wanted at my address did not involve a disconnection.  The advisors were extremely lovely and professional but unfortunately they did not read the details of the job prior to calling so each one needed me to summarise.  Approx 30 hours later and speaking to the manager of the sub-contracting company directly he confirmed that the engineer meant he did not attend indoors to any gas appliances.  The manager also said that the bracket/shelf is in the way of where the smart meter needs to go to install it and it is national grid that have to remove it as they will not touch it.  I have contacted national grid and they do not want any part of that.

British Gas said last Friday that they would close the complaint details that they were unable to resolve it and take me off the roll out scheme.  They reassured me that the supply of the gas would still continue and I confirmed submitting readings is not a problem as I have done that for decades and also know how to calculate my bill.

Today, British Gas contacted me again to swap out my smart meter to update it.  They had not read the notes they said they would leave on the account and when they did, they informed me that I would have to contact national grid to install a new gas meter somewhere else and call them when it is done so that they can install a working smart meter.

All of our houses were built in 1977 in the same road of 100 properties and I can't see that everyone has to have new meter cupboards built.  A heat pump I am told costs the same as an immersion heater and so will be out of my range of options.

The summary is that the overall manager has decided that the configuration in the gas meter cupboard, which is quite spacious does not allow for the new smart meter to be insalled and it can only be resolved if I arrange and pay for the national grid to install a new one somewhere else.  The model I have is SM1 so I guess i is the SM2 they are trying to install.  I have read somewhere that the SM2 transmits its signal to base via the wifi on the electricity meter which is in the cabinet next to it but I don't know enough about that to know if it is true.  It is an unresolvable conundrum currently