Reading a smart meter

[milgo123]

Did the previous occupiers leave you with an IHD (in house display)? The little display linked to the smart meters that tells you how much energy you are using etc. If they did then there is a chance that you can get the meter readings that you need from that.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Did the previous occupiers leave you with an IHD (in house display)? The little display linked to the smart meters that tells you how much energy you are using etc. If they did then there is a chance that you can get the meter readings that you need from that.

From memory of when my IHD last worked, it doesn't provide an actual meter reading, only consumption data.

I have just given my new to me supplier for the past two months, a dig in the ribs via email, in regards to their promise before I joined them, to upgrade my Smart Meters to fully compatible versions. I am still waiting for their reply...

 

[milgo123]

There must be variations by model then. My SMETS1 meters were fitted by Scottish Power back in 2016. On moving away from SP to a different supplier the meters became "dumb" and were not able to be read by the new supplier so I was back to providing manual readings which was when I found in one of the IHD menus that it would actually display the meter reading. I have recently moved to another different supplier and they are now able to take remote readings from both meters again.

I have read online about the older generation SMETS1 meters being "adopted" onto the network via a remotely applied software update, enabling them to be read remotely by any supplier that is able to remotely read meters.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

On moving away from SP to a different supplier the meters became "dumb" and were not able to be read by the new supplier so I was back to providing manual readings which was when I found in one of the IHD menus that it would actually display the meter reading.

A long time since I last had the IHD plugged in, but I remember thinking when it was in use - it seemed an odd thing to not display with all the things it did show. It seemed an awfully crude device compared to the actual meters.

 

[Alec_t]

I see my last post in this thread was Aug 2020. An update, now that the thread has been resurrected:-
I deduced that my old smart gas meter had a dead battery. BG finally got round to installing a new (actually I think it was a reconditioned one) smart meter in Spring 2021 and provided a new IHD. After the novelty of reading my meters remotely wore off (about 1 week!) I put the IHD in a cupboard and forgot about it. I occasionally check my fuel usage via the BG web-site. I have no reason to suspect BG's readings are inaccurate.

 

[Mottie]

Never checked before but I'm with OVO and I see on the app that they give me my daily readings.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

After the novelty of reading my meters remotely wore off (about 1 week!) I put the IHD in a cupboard and forgot about it. I occasionally check my fuel usage via the BG web-site. I have no reason to suspect BG's readings are inaccurate.

My first meters were installed by (I think) OVO. OVO gave the option of monthly, weekly, or 30 minute data updates to their website, which all worked rather well to show what was consumed when. The entire batch of 30 minute data was uploaded as a batch soon after midnight, so could be 24 hours behind, but not the less useful. Even when meters have worked fully Smart with a supplier since then, I have not had a decent level of data.

With BE now and their usage app is pathetic, doesn't even show any electric usage, gas usage is just a single bar for the months consumption - so I'm bending their ear with complaints about none working Smarts and their useless consumption page

Never checked before but I'm with OVO and I see on the app that they give me my daily readings.

Yep, as said above - OVO is one of the more useful ones. I maintain my own spreadsheet of consumption of E,G and W - updated each Sunday. No particular reason other than I like to know and like playing with numbers and spreadsheets.

 

[Alec_t]

OVO gave the option of monthly, weekly, or 30 minute data updates to their website

BG offer daily or 30min updates. I opted for daily. 30min updates would allow any nosy person to detect if I were at home or not . I can change via my online a/c if I want.. My a/c lets me see weekly/monthly/annual summaries of E,G separately or combined, in kWh or £. And no, I don't have a smart phone with an app !

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Never checked before but I'm with OVO and I see on the app that they give me my daily readings.

View attachment 257178 View attachment 257179

BG offer daily or 30min updates. I opted for daily. 30min updates would allow any nosy person to detect if I were at home or not . I can change via my online a/c if I want.. My a/c lets me see weekly/monthly/annual summaries of E,G separately or combined, in kWh or £.

Or they could just knock at your door to see if you were in

30 minute updates are only relayed as a batch to the supplier, at the end of each day. Not really real time and near impossible to hack.

 

[ericmark]

I no longer have gas, so whole reason for wanting a smart meter to monitor gas usage has gone.

With electric I can monitor use without a smart meter, so see no reason to have one.

My problem with gas was seeing if the boiler was modulating correctly or not, updates every 30 minutes would have been useless. I wanted it in real time. Now boiler does not modulate so run time easy to measure.

 

[foxhole]

Interesting. I thought the supplier was legally obliged to take actual readings every so often, rather than use indefinite estimates?

They do not have to take regular readings, but you are not obliged to pay estimated bills since they are just that, estimates. You can insist on reading before payment.