Smart Meter needs an Engineer Visit?

dws1900

I signed up and had installed a smart meter with Octopus. I received a monitor from them. I purchased a Glow meter to enable me to send data to my computer. I registered the meter with Glow. All is well.

I then transferred my account to OFTM, and after a few issues, all was well, since August 2025. The glow and the octopus monitors are working. BUT, OFTM say they have had no readings since april 2026 and need to send out an engineer. My understanding is the Octopus monitor is tied to the meter and gets its data directly. The glow meter gets its data from DCC via the Glow system. I see internet traffic to the glow site regularly. Totally Confused!

QrizB

Welcome to the forum.

The glow and the octopus monitors are working. BUT, OFTM say they have had no readings since april 2026 and need to send out an engineer. My understanding is the Octopus monitor is tied to the meter and gets its data directly. The glow meter gets its data from DCC via the Glow system. I see internet traffic to the glow site regularly. Totally Confused!

It sounds to male as though it's a software problem with the meter or the attached communications hub - in other words, one of the embedded modules (apps) has crashed.

The engineer is probably going to try rebooting the meter and hub by disconnecting the power - turning it off and on again - just like you'd restart your phone or computer. Once they do this, they'll make sure communications are working; if there's still a problem, they'll replace the meter and/or the comms hub.

Ildhund

I wonder if this is another example of the trouble we've seen with some other suppliers when customers switch from Octopus. It's not clear to me whether this is related to the MHHS CoS flows not always working as intended, but we've seen a few cases where Octopus have eventually had to release their token giving them access to the meter manually This doesn't involve an expensive engineer visit, but it does perhaps need the gaining supplier to push for it.

squirrelpie

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6673820/smart-meter-needs-an-engineer-visit

You say you purchased a Glow meter. Do you mean you bought a Glow Display and CAD device (GD&C)? That allows you to send data to your computer and it also has a screen you can look at various things on, like an IHD. The Bright app gets some of its data from the DCC as you say but the GD&C is connected to the HAN and gets data directly from the meter as well.

Is your monitor from Octopus an IHD or an Octopus Home Mini?

Each organization that gets data from your meter has to register individually with the DCC. I thought Octopus Home Minis stopped working once you left Octopus because Octopus are no longer authorised to connect to the meter, but maybe I'm wrong. If it's an IHD then you need to get OFTM to move it to their authorisation. Or maybe they have already?

MWT

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82047986#Comment_82047986

Probably not as it seems OFTM were getting data from the date of the switch up to April this year …

Chrysalis

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82048001#Comment_82048001

In my experience the mini stops working when leaving Octopus, so no idea why the OP's still works.

QrizB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82048389#Comment_82048389

My assumption was that it's not a Mini, it's a full-fat IHD.

Ildhund

@Ildhund remarked:

I wonder if this is another example of the trouble we've seen with some other suppliers when customers switch from Octopus. It's not clear to me whether this is related to the MHHS CoS flows not always working as intended, 

To which @QrizB responded:

Probably not as it seems OFTM were getting data from the date of the switch up to April this year …

Yes, but these 'sticky' Octopus tokens first came to light about then. The fact that @dws1900 referred specifically to 'the Octopus monitor' suggests that this is indeed a Mini operating with Octopus's authentication, which now needs manual removal. It's probably futile to try and head off the engineer visit, and it may well be that rebooting the CH and refreshing the trust centre will do the trick, just more expensively.

FreeBear

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82048389#Comment_82048389

Indeed. The Home Mini sends data to an Octopus server and their app pulls the data for display. Once you switch supplier, the account is terminated and data (should) become inaccessible.
If the device that @dws1900 is a regular IHD, that will continue to work regardless of supplier (as will the Glow device).

@dws1900 - If the engineer decided to change the comms hub or the whole electricity meter, make sure he scans the IHD and Glow to pair them with the meter - Don't let him leave until you can confirm both are working.