Smart meter commissioning (Ed.)

[coughdrop77]

I have 2 smart meters installed but they are not working properly.I have been told they need commissioning remotely by phone, does anybody know what will be done?

 

[jurassic sparkk]

They will reconnect the smart meter back to their 'systems'.

 

[coughdrop77]

They said it would be done over the phone.But I have no idea if it will work. I don't see what I can actually do.

 

[Murdochcat]

Bear in mind that if the supplier installs smart meters and then don't get them working you are almost certainly entitled to compensation.

Do you have the IHD?
Do you have the supplier APP on your phone?

 

[coughdrop77]

No they never gave me an IHD.I have the octopus app.

 

[Murdochcat]

No they never gave me an IHD.I have the octopus app.

Why didn’t they give you the IHD?

So no real time readings on your app?

 

[coughdrop77]

I have no idea why they didn't give me an IHD, the engineer tried to connect the meters to what looked like a mobile phone, he tried for over an hour then said it won't connect, leave it for 6 months then ask. I have been on to them a couple of times and they are going to try and commission them over the phone.

 

[Murdochcat]

I have no idea why they didn't give me an IHD, the engineer tried to connect the meters to what looked like a mobile phone, he tried for over an hour then said it won't connect, leave it for 6 months then ask. I have been on to them a couple of times and they are going to try and commission them over the phone.

So he doesn't want a marker against his install showing he failed.

Get on to the supplier, ask for them to get it sorted and tell them you are expecting compensation for it not working

AND this is the issue with SM's - the energy resellers have targets to fit them - not make sure they work and continue to work.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

the energy resellers have targets to fit them - not make sure they work and continue to work.

Complete and utter policy failure from central government. It's as if nobody with a functioning brain was present when this decision was signed off.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

No they never gave me an IHD.I have the octopus app.

My understanding was, that an IHD was always part of the deal, so the customer knows what it is costing them - I would ask [email protected] about the IHD.

As a supposedly better alternative to the IHD, Octopus developed an alternative device for its customers, called the Home Mini. The HM connects to the HAN, plus your wifi, accepts the same data as the IHD, then relays it to an Octopus server. From the server you can then connect your phone, to display your usage data, no matter where in the world you happen to be. The HM, is a tiny pink coloured device, with no display, it just plugs into a socket for power.

Smart meters do usually take a couple of weeks anyway, before they become fully commissioned.

 

[ericmark]

Interesting, I had a smart meter installed, mainly to allow payment for exported energy, but also allowed split tariff, I have an IHD and a phone app. The meter is installed where hard to read.

The IHD does not seem to show any history, the app is hit and miss, in my case British Gas, and the £75 exit charge means not a good idea to change.

The app has gone as far as a month before updating. It now fails to show tariff, and shows kWh used but no price, so in real terms the smart meter tells me next to nothing.

The IHD shows kWh imported for the day, but no totals for export. Often where it should show kWh it just shows - - - so in real terms I use the solar panel software, however often the smart IHD does not agree with the solar app.

As yet not had any bill since changing to split tariff, will be interesting to see what it says.

 

[coughdrop77]

My understanding was, that an IHD was always part of the deal, so the customer knows what it is costing them - I would ask [email protected] about the IHD.

As a supposedly better alternative to the IHD, Octopus developed an alternative device for its customers, called the Home Mini. The HM connects to the HAN, plus your wifi, accepts the same data as the IHD, then relays it to an Octopus server. From the server you can then connect your phone, to display your usage data, no matter where in the world you happen to be. The HM, is a tiny pink coloured device, with no display, it just plugs into a socket for power.

Smart meters do usually take a couple of weeks anyway, before they become fully commissioned.

I asked for an octopus mini a couple of weeks ago, on a waiting list now.Asked about an IHD still waiting for that. I'm getting a phone call from them to commission my meters hopefully.

 

[Murdochcat]

Complete and utter policy failure from central government. It's as if nobody with a functioning brain was present when this decision was signed off.

Nobody had a functioning brain when the design standard for SM,s was decided.

13 years on and seemingly nobody has learnt anything

Still got our dumb meters

 

[ericmark]

I asked for an octopus mini a couple of weeks ago, on a waiting list now. Asked about an IHD still waiting for that. I'm getting a phone call from them to commission my meters hopefully.

Thank you, I have seen so many people telling me to get Octopus, saying how much better to British Gas, it seems they are all a much of a muchness, at least I have a IHD, and it does show import/export in kWh although not so good with £ display, same with app, very much behind with readings, at one point a month behind, now only a few days, but I have no way unless I do a balancing act to read actual meter to know if I am being charged what I was told over the phone.

Been waiting a few months for paper work on being paid for export, told it will be paid from date I applied, hence can't really swap supplier plus the £75 exit charge.

So much for estimated bills, we pay a fixed monthly charge exactly the same as before the smart meter, it has allowed a change in tariff, so get cheap rate over night, but without the solar software we would not have a clue as to what we are using. The solar shows exactly what we have used, and on the day I have today used 5.8 kWh, imported 7.1 kWh, (difference is what has gone into battery) fed in 3 kWh, and solar produced 5.4 kWh but as far as cost, since tariff should change at 8 am, I can only guess that my bill today is 7.1 x 8.95 + 59.14 so £1.23 so far today, likely will run out of battery before end of day, so will be more than that, so some figure x 31.31p for the higher rate, but looking back I get so totals for each day, but no way to see what used before and after 8 am. Hovering mouse pointer over the day only gives totals, however that is far more than the smart meter tells me.

But my IHD shows £1.68 used, that is very different to the £1.23, no idea why. It also shows used 5.05 kWh which works out at 24.36p per kWh so some thing up the creak.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thank you, I have seen so many people telling me to get Octopus, saying how much better to British Gas, it seems they are all a much of a muchness, at least I have a IHD, and it does show import/export in kWh although not so good with £ display, same with app, very much behind with readings, at one point a month behind, now only a few days, but I have no way unless I do a balancing act to read actual meter to know if I am being charged what I was told over the phone.

The supply of smart meters, IHD, and collection of data, has nowt much to do with whom you pay your bills to. Octopus, BG and etc., will all have quite similar issues with poor connectivity. Octopus, at least, offers a wide variety of great tariffs, and a workaround to the poor mobile comms, with the Mini, and a server setup specially to provide instant data..

I long ago explained on here, all the issues I suffered with BG, I've had absolutely no such issues with Octopus.