Author Topic: Electricity Smart Meter  (Read 57080 times)

simonp

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #75 on: 20 July, 2020, 10:32:51 am »
Same for electricity IME. They want to do a reading themselves every two years.

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #76 on: 22 July, 2020, 12:07:54 am »
Got a text stating that (not offering to) we would be getting a smart meter.  I'm happily ignoring this and hoping it goes away.  We've been with supplier for about a year now and their algorithm is close enough to what the meter readings actually say that I'm happy not to send them monthly readings any more.
We can't switch any more appliances off (apparently the fridge needs to be plugged in even if we're not at home) and I don't see how the smart meter can't have an energy cost to run.  Also, all the stuff in this thread.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

simonp

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #77 on: 12 August, 2020, 10:51:18 am »
EDF tried to issue our first bill this week. Total fail; they've decided there's a discrepancy between the old supplier's closing reading and EDF's opening reading. Given they went through the process of agreeing this with British Gas and said it was sorted two months ago, this is irksome. They're quoting 6-8 weeks for this process (same as last time). Such ineptitude.

They've also managed to break our access to smart meter data in the meantime (they can get readings though).

This morning I decided this had gone on long enough. So I opened the live chat and asked them to tell me what's going on.

(Paraphrasing)

Indian-sounding name: "Oh, it's all resolved now"

(Hmm.... could have told us)

Me: "So the dispute is resolved?"

Indian-sounding name: "They have the right meter reading now"

(Who... British Gas? They issued a final bill in March and took another £0.03 - a rounding error - after the previous adjustment. Nothing since).

Me: "Can you tell me the readings you have" (Not once had they actually thought to inform us what the dispute was over)

Indian-sounding name: "They are XXXX and XXXX" (It's a dual rate)

Me: "Just to be clear... is this the meter reading the previous supplier already had?"

Indian-sounding name: "Yes"

I made sure to save the chat where they admitted all this messing around was on their side only.

I asked for a new bill to be issued. I'm still waiting to see this online - but our DD has already been adjusted, to half of what it was.

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #78 on: 12 August, 2020, 11:21:18 am »
I've been getting emails from someone saying that Ecotricity have instructed them to install smart meters. I wonder if they know about the PV, or what it will do to the FIT setup we currently (!) have. I bet they don't. Wowbagger - are you with Ecotricity for supply and FIT (do you have PV)?

I also discovered that our PV panels overhang our neighbours property by about 100mm. We discovered this because she is getting her roof replaced and the roofers told her. According to the PV guy who came to take a look today, the house is 4m wide, and they fitted panels that come to 4m, plus there's a bit of rail at each end.  ::-) FFS. Will wait and see what his boss has to say...

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #79 on: 12 August, 2020, 11:25:02 am »
We don't have any PV solar panels just one for hot water. Our roof points the wrong way to take advantage. I was told that the payback time would be 25 years. I won't be around then, and I figures that since all our electricity is coming rom renewable sources, I might uas well just keep on paying Ecotricity.

I am still getting emails requesting meter readings. I still don't understand why.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

simonp

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #80 on: 12 August, 2020, 11:25:17 am »
The smart meter could in theory be used to measure real export rather than deemed export as now.

Depending on your usage pattern, this will either reduce or increase your FIT payments. It will certainly reduce ours as we export less than 50%.

rob

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #81 on: 11 September, 2020, 09:45:37 pm »
I can’t find the more general thread on energy supply here but thought I’d add that both Council-backed energy suppliers - Bristol Energy and Robin Hood Energy have sold their customers and shut up shop.  Neither company really had their strategy right and both struggled to find their niche.  Both Councils are down tens of millions on their investments.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #82 on: 11 September, 2020, 09:59:41 pm »
Yep, I've begun proceedings to jump ship to the nearest available cephalopod.  I'm predicting another round of smart meters...

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #83 on: 11 September, 2020, 10:06:28 pm »
Bristol Energy has been in trouble for a couple of years at least. I don't think it ever broke even.

As for smart meters, we had an email about one (we're not with Bristol Energy) a couple of days ago, which I'm ignoring, as the same problems which made it impossible a few years ago still apply.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #84 on: 11 September, 2020, 10:24:52 pm »
I had a reminder today to send in a meter reading. I was told by Ecotricity that they are getting gas meter reading but not leccy, and they speculated that the leccy meter was in a more obscure place and the signal wasn't getting through. I pointed out that both meters are in the same cupboard.

I will give them a call on Monday.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #85 on: 11 September, 2020, 10:29:46 pm »
I had a reminder today to send in a meter reading. I was told by Ecotricity that they are getting gas meter reading but not leccy, and they speculated that the leccy meter was in a more obscure place and the signal wasn't getting through. I pointed out that both meters are in the same cupboard.

Does the electricity meter not obtain data from the battery-powered gas meter over Zigbee and then forward it to the mothership via the cellular WAN?

Not that that precludes some sort of fault or misconfiguration.  It's computers, of course they don't work properly.  But you'd generally expect it to be the other way round...

rob

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #86 on: 12 September, 2020, 11:26:18 am »
Bristol Energy has been in trouble for a couple of years at least. I don't think it ever broke even.

The business model is predicated on an assumption that the big guys make a tonne of money on their supply businesses and it’s just not true.  Of course the introduction of price capping hasn’t helped.

However, successful supply businesses like Bulb and Octopus are also loss making but have high market values.  I don’t get it.

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #87 on: 12 September, 2020, 11:41:28 am »
SSE keep badgering me to install a smart meter. Have these things been sorted now regarding tech standards and transferability etc?
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #88 on: 12 September, 2020, 11:53:44 am »
SSE keep badgering me to install a smart meter. Have these things been sorted now regarding tech standards and transferability etc?
When I looked into about 18 months ago, SMETS 2 was bring rolled out,which meant transferability between suppliers, so I bit the bullet. Comms issues , either between the gas meter and the electricity meter or the electricity meter and the supplier meant they had to fit SMETS1 , with no transferability. Bah.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

simonp

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #89 on: 12 September, 2020, 01:54:15 pm »
SMETS1 meters should in theory gain transferability with firmware upgrades over time. We didn't wait as we wanted to switch to a smart meter tariff with a new supplier so got it changed to a SMETS2 meter.

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #90 on: 12 September, 2020, 02:01:06 pm »
SMETS1 transferability could also be solved easily by making the original supplier responsible for forwarding the data to a central broker service where it can be made available to the appropriate supplier/billing co.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #91 on: 13 September, 2020, 10:16:20 am »
Smart meters. Hmmm.

We had ours installed, by E.on, when the extension was built.

It worked fine, they got the readings OK and didn't bother us. However they are expensive as a utility supplier, so we swapped. To BG. Who then expected me to read the meters for them every 4 weeks. Despite having confirmed that the smart meter was compatible with their systems.

As soon as I could, I kicked them into touch.

Now on Green Energy Network who read both the meters, remotely every week and update the portal so that I can verify.

It's not rocket science, this customer service thing....
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

simonp

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #92 on: 13 September, 2020, 10:49:17 am »
SMETS1 transferability could also be solved easily by making the original supplier responsible for forwarding the data to a central broker service where it can be made available to the appropriate supplier/billing co.

It’s not quite that simple since the meters have two way communication. So the broker would have to be able to transmit commands back from the new supplier eg when switching between dual rate and standard tariffs.

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #93 on: 13 September, 2020, 02:02:09 pm »
SMETS1 transferability could also be solved easily by making the original supplier responsible for forwarding the data to a central broker service where it can be made available to the appropriate supplier/billing co.

That's not really compatible with the fly-by-night nature of half the energy suppliers in this country, although maybe the worst ones never wasted money on deploying smart meters.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #94 on: 15 September, 2020, 02:28:32 pm »
Another wildly inaccurate set of "estimates" and a bill vastly in excess of reality. I am currently on hold after raising the issue with Ecotricity. Their cut-glass-accented female sales droids do a very good line in patronising.

And she hasn't explained to me why, after a successful smart meter reading on 11th Sept, my bill was based on an estimate, dated 14th September, about £200 in excess of the reality. Or why their website doesn't work when I try to submit my electricity reading.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #95 on: 15 September, 2020, 02:38:57 pm »
And a £500 refund! Splendid!
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #96 on: 29 September, 2020, 04:52:35 pm »
Have taken the plunge, both gas and leccy being fitted early October.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #97 on: 11 October, 2020, 01:05:28 am »
 :o

The cephalopod appears to have a much higher level of competence than the man in green:

Code: [Select]
{
  "count": 240,
  "next": "[REDACTED]",
  "previous": null,
  "results": [
    {
      "consumption": 0.199,
      "interval_start": "2020-10-10T00:30:00+01:00",
      "interval_end": "2020-10-10T01:00:00+01:00"
    },
    {
      "consumption": 0.291,
      "interval_start": "2020-10-10T00:00:00+01:00",
      "interval_end": "2020-10-10T00:30:00+01:00"
    },
    {...}
  ]
}

Actual readings!  From the SMETS1 meters that have been playing dumb for the last couple of years.  I'm genuinely astounded.

I'm seeing more RRD goodness and a lot less poking the gas meter with a stick through a small slot while holding a torch in my future...

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #98 on: 11 October, 2020, 10:16:30 am »
:o

The cephalopod appears to have a much higher level of competence than the man in green:

Code: [Select]
{
  "count": 240,
  "next": "[REDACTED]",
  "previous": null,
  "results": [
    {
      "consumption": 0.199,
      "interval_start": "2020-10-10T00:30:00+01:00",
      "interval_end": "2020-10-10T01:00:00+01:00"
    },
    {
      "consumption": 0.291,
      "interval_start": "2020-10-10T00:00:00+01:00",
      "interval_end": "2020-10-10T00:30:00+01:00"
    },
    {...}
  ]
}

Actual readings!  From the SMETS1 meters that have been playing dumb for the last couple of years.  I'm genuinely astounded.

I'm seeing more RRD goodness and a lot less poking the gas meter with a stick through a small slot while holding a torch in my future...

Can you please explain how you extracted that information from the meter? What hardware / software / anabaric magic was needed?
Quote from: Kim
Paging Diver300.  Diver300 to the GSM Trimphone, please...

Re: Electricity Smart Meter
« Reply #99 on: 11 October, 2020, 10:56:56 am »
MQTT over Zigbee?

So I'm guessing just a USB Zigbee receiver and some passive snooping.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."