Unusual gas meter read

MikeJXE

I read my meters this morning and informed Octopus as I do every month despite having smart meters

I notice my gas usage recorded 6m3 yet January was 61m3 which is in range looking back 3 years

I emailed Octopus with my thoughts and their reply surprised me and I quote

Thank you for your email and for sending the photo of your gas meter.

I can confirm that we have been receiving smart meter readings from your gas meter. These readings are currently being verified and appear to be increasing within what looks to be a normal range for your usage.

If you notice any further discrepancies or have any other concerns, please do let us know and we’ll be happy to assist.

I don't get it. Can anyone explain ?

gpman

Probably an example of the "Outstanding Customer Service" Octopus Energy like to boast about.

Brie

Maybe your meters have suddenly become smart. Mine did that a few years back. I still checked my readings against theirs every few months just to ensure nothing is out of whack.

QrizB

If you'd usually expect to use 60 cubic metres and your gas meter thinks you've only used six, it definitely sounds like something is wrong!

These readings are currently being verified and appear to be increasing within what looks to be a normal range for your usage.

This sounds like a form letter, chosen either by AI or by a poorly trained CS representative.

Try emailing them again, but be prepared to escalate to a complaint if you don't get a reply from a competent human.

Octopus's CS does seem to have gone down the tubes recently.

MikeJXE

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81905068#Comment_81905068

There is definitely something wrong, I just checked the meter again and it displays 228m3 which computes to 44m3 usage but I still think that's low, I will take another look tomorrow

Alnat1

Can you see daily usage on the Octopus app? Worth having a look to compare daily usage. It has been a bit warmer for last week or two, if that's when you've used less, it might all be ok.

MikeJXE

Yes I can see the graph, nothing surprising there, still spikes as normal, day and night as my thermostat is set at 18 degrees 24/7, odd days I have bumped that to 19/20 for a couple of hours, I will check the meter tomorrow

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6657517/unusual-gas-meter-read

If I have read the post correctly, you are saying that your typical monthly gas consumption is 61m3 yet in February it was 6m3.

Is that correct?

That sounds like a decimal point discrepancy in reading the meter.

MikeJXE

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81905240#Comment_81905240

That's not the case as I can do maths

Last months read was 184 and this month 190 both with photos

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81905248#Comment_81905248

Oh, that's odd indeed.

I actually thought the display moving the decimal point could be a real "thing" that could happen if, for example, last month was 9980.00 and the consumption 60, so this month 10040.0

Ildhund

I don't use Octopus, so I have to ask … You say you can see usage figures in your online account, and they seem normal. Can you also see the actual readings - the nightly snapshot of the meter's register? Interspersed, perhaps, with your own manual readings? If there's a discrepancy between the readings returned by the smart meter and what you see on the meter's display, something is indeed wrong inside the meter itself.

Sorry if this sounds patronizing, and it's a very long shot, but: some meter varieties have an option to vary the display between m³ and kWh, the latter being an estimate based on an average CV. You can't have muddled these up, can you? After all, your 6 m³ is equivalent to about 67 kWh. Sure, that's improbably low for a cold winter month's heating, but I had to ask …