New Octopus smart meter woes

Reed_Richards

I agree with @MWT that the most likely cause of your problem is that the smart meter installer messed-up the sensor(s) that your battery uses to tell it when to charge itself and when to discharge. Can you step back in the "Smarty" app to a day before your smart meter was installed and post a picture from then of the battery charging and discharging?

If we are right, the company who installed your battery are probably the best bet to fix the problem. Octopus could send out another smart meter installer but they might be no more clued-up than the last one. When the problem is fixed you could then try to seek compensation from Octopus.

QrizB

I agree with @MWT that the most likely cause of your problem is that the smart meter installer messed-up the sensor(s) that your battery uses to tell it when to charge itself and when to discharge.

I share your opinion. The battery shouldn't be charging and discharging three times a day. The most likely cause is incorrectly placed (or oriented) CT clamps.

OP if your meter is showing 545kWh of import and 489kWh of export since the 13th of July, your net consumption is 56kWh which is almost exactly 2kWh per day - the amount you're expecting.

Unrelated to your current issue:

I've been getting feed in tariff from British Gas since 2011 and am on the highest rate 76.90p/kWh of which iiswhy I hesitate to take Octopus tariff as when I enquired they told me I'd lose that rate.

Octopus have given you partially wrong information here. You can switch your export tariff to Octopus and keep your FIT generation tariff with BG. I did this earlier this year (albeit my FIT is with E.ON Next). We can help you with this once you've fixed your current problem.

CappacinoGirl

DebitCardMayhem sorry. I don't have that information prior to smart meter being installed.

Photo of battery usage coming up.

So grateful to you all.

Anne

CappacinoGirl

Battery graph from 12 July is day before smart meter installed

QrizB

^ Thank you, that's more what I'd expect to see from a battery curve! You can see the battery isn't charging from the grid at all, but discharging from dusk 'til dawn then refilling from solar in the morning.

I suspect the CT clamp that the battery uses to measure your household demand has been installed backwards.

It's hard to be certain without being present in the room with the equipment, but there's a reasonable chance that the CT I've ringed in red below needs to be unclipped and rotated through 180 degrees.

Edit 1: I had used the wrong photo!

Edit 2: you can see in the "before" photo that the black cable from that CT clamp trailed downwards, while in the "after" photo it seems to be poking upwards. This also suggests it's been refitted the wrong way around.

debitcardmayhem

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82099598#Comment_82099598

That's ok, it seems that the other guys have hit on the answer. For your info you can get the info I asked for using the app/website for octopus.

Reed_Richards

that's more what I'd expect to see from a battery curve! You can see the battery isn't charging from the grid at all, but discharging from dusk 'til dawn then refilling from solar in the morning.

I agree with @QrizB . Your battery was behaving sensibly before your smart meter was installed and crazily on 10th August. Given your total export and import, it seems likely this haywire behaviour has been taking place ever since your smart meter was installed. You not only got a smart meter but you got some new coloured wires to and from your meter and the black and blue junction boxes are either new or have been relocated upwards, so your installer made a lot of changes. I know from personal experience that smart meter installers can make mistakes with the sensors that clamp around the wires. My installer got it wrong.

CappacinoGirl

@QRizB the clamp in question below has an arrow moulded on the side facing outwards and that arrow points upwards. The cable does come out the top.

Clamp in question

The other clamp has it's cable leading down and I have visual only on top and two sides

Reed_Richards

Can you supply photos to the company that installed your battery to seek their advice?

CappacinoGirl

Reed_Richards indeed. I can email them the photos and see what they say. As a caveat they can be slow to respond but I'll phone them as well.