RTS turn off

[Harry Bloomfield]

So back to @DiyNutJob you say it is easy, please explain how to work out what is peak and what is off-peak, as I simply can't find it, I will as in wife's name ask her to get the pink thing, but should be able to read from the meter with ease, clearly that is not the case.

My understanding, is that @DiyNutJob has a basic, dumb meter, no experience of smart meters, so likely unable to advise.

You should be able to log into your Octopus account, and see all of your consumption data..

 

[ericmark]

You should be able to log into your Octopus account, and see all of your consumption data..

I can get all the info I need, however not from reading the smart meter.

Have to disagree. Since I am my own meter reader, my skills are right up there with them.

To me, this was @DiyNutJob throwing down the gauntlet, and saying how easy it is to read Smart meters, clearly there are many Smart meters, and some will be easier than others to read, @Harry Bloomfield has pointed out Octopus do have extra devices to make it easier, as to what meters it will work with I don't know, although now with Octopus, the meter was installed by British Gas, I don't know how many different meters there are, there are meters designed to work with two consumer units, one 24/7 and the other only powered with off-peak. And although mine only has two buttons, some have a full numerical key pad.

The dumb meters, do just offer those two values, but the smart meters are much more clever than that - they offer much more data.

I would hope three, I do have a meter only recording export, but it has never been used by any supplier.

Move house to a place without smart meter.

I did not have a smart meter to start with, and did not want one, but early 2023 the rules changed, and new solar insulations can only get paid for export if they have a smart meter, so I had to relent and agree to have one fitted, it seems import and export meters both have their own MPAN numbers, so a Smart meter able to do both, needs two MPAN numbers, and when British Gas fitted the Smart meter they failed to issue the second number, which resulted in my not being paid for my export, it was only when I moved to Octopus that I was made aware of the lack of this MPAN number.

I am still not sure what (ind) Q1, or Rea Xport, or total (net), or Total (sum), or Rate XX Act Imp. It seems likely the Rate XX Act Imp is the peak and off-peak, but adding them together did not equal Total App Import, or Total App ExPort so I think I may have that wrong. With instructions, it would be so easy, but since fitted by British Gas, and I am no longer with them, can't get instructions, but @DiyNutJob seems to think it's so easy, he can clearly explain.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

And although mine only has two buttons, some have a full numerical key pad.

Not at home to be able to check, at the moment, but from memory, mine has 1 to 9, A, and B. 9 brings up the meter reading/consumption figure, of both E&G meters.

 

[DiyNutJob]

@DiyNutJob seems to think it's so easy, he can clearly explain.

You started without a problem. Then you created the problem. The logical thing to do is to un-create the problem if you don't want the problem. Can't help you beyond on that because I don't have a similar problem nor the prospect of getting a similar problem. If you have a meter that confuses you, the meter reader, and the supplier, I reckon the only solution is sell house and run for it.

 

[ericmark]

You started without a problem.

Not started with a problem, rules changes in early 2023 resulted in I could not use the export meter fitted by the solar panel installers to be paid for export.

Then you created the problem.

No, it was the rule change which created the problem, this was out of my hands to change.

The logical thing to do is to un-create the problem if you don't want the problem.

Well not really that much of a problem, as said I can work out from the app what energy is being transferred, it was only that I could no longer read the meter direct.

Can't help you beyond on that because I don't have a similar problem nor the prospect of getting a similar problem. If you have a meter that confuses you, the meter reader, and the supplier, I reckon the only solution is sell house and run for it.

So in spite of your comments about how easy it is to read a meter, in real terms you had no idea what was involved in reading a meter, but you thought you could still correct another person's comments about meter readers.

In the same way, as I have pointed out, the meter is often not that easy to read, not that with a smart meter it needs reading by the homeowner, there are other methods, but direct reading a smart meter is not as easy as you tried to make out.

 

[DiyNutJob]

not that with a smart meter it needs reading by the homeowner

As a DIY pro meter reader, my advice to you is don't read a meter that doesn't need reading.

 

[flameport]

The transmitter switch off date is now reported to be 26 September 2026, so well over a year remaining.

 

[ericmark]

By 26 September 2026, likely yet again, the turn-off will be postponed. But if the valves fail, there will not be much of an option.

 

[DiyNutJob]

The transmitter switch off date is now reported to be 26 September 2026, so well over a year remaining.

That's plenty of time then. The supplier hasn't written to me on any special requirement to change.

 

[ericmark]

To start with, think the switch off date was given before 2019, but Colvid was blamed for not changing the teleswitches in time, so it was delayed, and it has now had the cut-off date changed many times. They started in 1984, although considered back in 1964, and stopped installing them in 2014 the problem is internet does not keep up with changes, so a Google hunt can still find

If your electricity meter relies on the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS), it will no longer function after March 31, 2024.

there has been huge numbers quoted as to how many teleswitches need replacing, but unlike the smart meter it was a one way communication, and there are a lot with simple time switches, so it seems the energy companies don't talk to meter readers, as that work has been outsourced, which made sense as all meters in an area read by the same team did not matter who you got your power from. But as a result it seems they have no real idea who has teleswitches fitted.

We have seen a report on this forum where a smart meter and teleswitch was fitted to the same supply. So can't even assume if a smart meter is fitted, there is no teleswitch.

The main problem is they have been unable to design an advert to tell people what the different devices do, miss information is starting with the government's own adverts, and the whole idea of off-peak supplies etc, is not helped when the tariffs alter area to area, as well as supplier to supplier, and the likes of Money Supermarket don't help, as it misses out some details.

I do have a way to work out what I have used, so I do stand a chance of working out what is my best option, but if I look at my British Gas app today it just says "Inactive accounts" lucky I took some screenshots, but in the main to look back on what I have used, I use the solar software.

For me, there is no problem, I can see without any shadow of doubt, I am gaining with an off-peak tariff. But for those who are still on a teleswitch, to work out the best option will not be easy. In 2019 we moved here, the electric supplier went to the wall, and we moved to British Gas by default. We like I am sure everyone else, worried about fuel prices, and the rates went up and then down so looking back to what we did pay, was the £140 per month due to high prices, or we were using a lot, or simply the energy company had not worked out a monthly payment which reflected 1/12th of the annual payment?

When we moved to a Smart meter, the bills did not really tie up with the change, so at no point was there a baseline to work things out from. We always had some estimation on the bill, as the bill would be to say the 20th April, but the meter read on 1st April, so we could not say how much it was really costing.

Even today I know last week used 43.21 kWh, and it costed £8.65 a nice graph so minus standing charge 66.11p per day, means average price 10p/kWh so clearly I am better off with a split tariff, but with storage heaters it needs to be worked out over the year not per week and once you opt for a split tariff your often stuck for the year. How anyone can really work out if worth a split tariff with storage heaters I don't know?