My smart meters don't work

[XFool]

Eon.next are now telling me the meters are now working properly as of April 1 but I gave them the reading on that date after learning from a Mumsnet forum what button to press to get the gas reading from my particular meter. Am I right in thinking that if the meter were working properly it would be churning out the consumption all the time and Eon could select a reading whenever they wanted. How exactly does it work at their end? I feel inclined to ask them to take a reading and confirm the figure to me. If they weren't working after the last techie had been here, according to someone I spoke to at Eon the next day, how have they got them to work now, without another visit here? Someone else I spoke to at Eon had previously told me they were working from Mar. 24.

I doubt if I can answer your question, unfortunately. "not working" could mean more than one thing:

The meter itself could have failed or the meter itself could be working OK but the company has been unable to pick up the signal to read it remotely.

I am tired of getting illiterate, unintelligible communications from all these organisations; Plusnet is another example.

How are you communicating with Plusnet? Nowadays this is always difficult via phone (not just Plusnet) if it involves faults or queries - rather than renewal of contract etc. The best method nowadays of dealing with such kinds of general inquiries or technical faults is via the online forum: https://community.plus.net/t5/Forum/ct-p/Forum

That assumes that the issue is not so serious that it prevents you getting online!

If you can't get online because of a possible serious line fault then the current method of dealing with this is a self administered line test via automation. Assuming you do have a mobile then, for a Plusnet landline, text: "PHONE <landline number>" to 07800 008121

For a BT landline text: "PHONE <landline number>" to 61998 (will even redirect to Plusnet line test if it finds your line is with them)

It works! I've done it myself.

(You don't text the '<' and '>' characters)

[seagles]

Cannot answer for EON but British Gas has an option in my account for me to tell them how often to read the meter. Mine is set for 1/2 hourly. I can change it to daily or monthly. Each option gives different "enhancements". Monthly is just accurate bills.

[scotview]

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I dunno about how meter accuracy is checked or tested though. That is a matter for the gas suppliers.

I have often wondered how many of the millions of gas and electricity meters are reading in error on the high side. Particularly during the high usage winter months.

It is surprising to me that suppliers are not mandatorily required to recalibrate meters on say a 3 year basis. Particularly with the way the energy market is run now where no one is accountable or responsible any more.

This will get even more critical as, in my view, we are only at the beginning of a significant ramping up of energy costs.

We all assume our meters are reading correctly.

[Mike4]

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I dunno about how meter accuracy is checked or tested though. That is a matter for the gas suppliers.

I have often wondered how many of the millions of gas and electricity meters are reading in error on the high side. Particularly during the high usage winter months.

It is surprising to me that suppliers are not mandatorily required to recalibrate meters on say a 3 year basis. Particularly with the way the energy market is run now where no one is accountable or responsible any more.

This will get even more critical as, in my view, we are only at the beginning of a significant ramping up of energy costs.

We all assume our meters are reading correctly.

If you doubt your meter(s), there is nothing stopping you having a meter of your own installed immediately downstream of the company meter. This can be done with both gas and electricity.

[XFool]

If you doubt your meter(s), there is nothing stopping you having a meter of your own installed immediately downstream of the company meter. This can be done with both gas and electricity.

Yeah? But how do we know our meter is reading correctly? What if they differ? This sounds like it's gonna need three meters! (At least...)

[Bouleversee]

X-fool wrote: "The meter itself could have failed or the meter itself could be working OK but the company has been unable to pick up the signal to read it remotely."

The elec. one always showed the consumption and cost but the window on the gas meter was blank but now I know what button to press on the meter, the figures are shown for a few seconds. The problem was (and possibly still is) that the readings weren't/aren't getting through to them. None of the techies knew why they weren't working but then they had never done a survey of the property which has two completely separate systems, having been considerably extended laterally.

[scotview]

If you doubt your meter(s), there is nothing stopping you having a meter of your own installed immediately downstream of the company meter. This can be done with both gas and electricity.

I have one for my electricity, it's called a Zappi car charger which has a CT monitoring my grid usage, and can report both home and car.

I know that I can ask my gas supplier to calibrate my meter, if I doubt the accuracy.

My point is that the responsibility is on the user not the supplier to ensure overpayment isn't being incurred. But I doubt Joe Public could be bothered to get a calibration done. I suppose that's just how it is.

[swill453]

If you doubt your meter(s), there is nothing stopping you having a meter of your own installed immediately downstream of the company meter. This can be done with both gas and electricity.

I have one for my electricity, it's called a Zappi car charger which has a CT monitoring my grid usage, and can report both home and car.

I know that I can ask my gas supplier to calibrate my meter, if I doubt the accuracy.

My point is that the responsibility is on the user not the supplier to ensure overpayment isn't being incurred. But I doubt Joe Public could be bothered to get a calibration done. I suppose that's just how it is.

We've all had meters in our houses all our lives. Personally I can't recall any being calibrated, ever.

Scott.

[Mike4]

If you doubt your meter(s), there is nothing stopping you having a meter of your own installed immediately downstream of the company meter. This can be done with both gas and electricity.

I have one for my electricity, it's called a Zappi car charger which has a CT monitoring my grid usage, and can report both home and car.

I know that I can ask my gas supplier to calibrate my meter, if I doubt the accuracy.

My point is that the responsibility is on the user not the supplier to ensure overpayment isn't being incurred. But I doubt Joe Public could be bothered to get a calibration done. I suppose that's just how it is.

We've all had meters in our houses all our lives. Personally I can't recall any being calibrated, ever.

Scott.

They are not going to calibrate a gas meter installed and in service. They will bring a workshop-calibrated one with them, fit that, and take your old one away so you'll never find out if it was wrong.

Just as importantly, you need to make sure the gas pressure at the meter is correct. the regulator is before the meter and the meter measures volume and if the pressure is on the low side then you're paying for fewer molecules of gas (and therefore energy) in each cubic meter of gas you are buying!

[scotview]

We've all had meters in our houses all our lives. Personally I can't recall any being calibrated, ever.

Scott.

Does that mean they are accurate ?

[swill453]

We've all had meters in our houses all our lives. Personally I can't recall any being calibrated, ever.

Does that mean they are accurate ?

Of course not. But it does seem to mean nobody worries about it...

Scott.

[UncleEbenezer]

If anyone's really interested, I'm sure the industry (not to mention its regulators, and various academics) publish extensive data on the accuracy of domestic meters, both ancient and modern.

[servodude]

If anyone's really interested, I'm sure the industry (not to mention its regulators, and various academics) publish extensive data on the accuracy of domestic meters, both ancient and modern.

Yes meters are sold factory calibrated, with accuracy figures and if deployed within specified operating conditions (which will normally be the case unless someone really wants a feature from it on the output of a genset in a Pilbara installation ) won't need servicing to re-cal in the field
...and then there's "calorific value" which I think is the average of magic

-sd

[seagles]

If you doubt your meter(s), there is nothing stopping you having a meter of your own installed immediately downstream of the company meter. This can be done with both gas and electricity.

I have one for my electricity, it's called a Zappi car charger which has a CT monitoring my grid usage, and can report both home and car.

I know that I can ask my gas supplier to calibrate my meter, if I doubt the accuracy.

My point is that the responsibility is on the user not the supplier to ensure overpayment isn't being incurred. But I doubt Joe Public could be bothered to get a calibration done. I suppose that's just how it is.

We've all had meters in our houses all our lives. Personally I can't recall any being calibrated, ever.

Scott.

They are not going to calibrate a gas meter installed and in service. They will bring a workshop-calibrated one with them, fit that, and take your old one away so you'll never find out if it was wrong.

Just as importantly, you need to make sure the gas pressure at the meter is correct. the regulator is before the meter and the meter measures volume and if the pressure is on the low side then you're paying for fewer molecules of gas (and therefore energy) in each cubic meter of gas you are buying!

One of my neighbours noticed a big change in their gas readings. The supplier came and found the regulator was faulty. When British Gas installed my new smart meters, the fitter checked and replaced the regulator.

BTW the old electricity meter was made circa 1957, house built in 1987. Seems they had warehouses full of meters in the past , makes you wonder how accurate they really were.

[Itsallaguess]

but the window on the gas meter was blank but now I know what button to press on the meter, the figures are shown for a few seconds.

Given that Google is quite good at picking Lemon Fool posts up with their search-algorithms B, I think it might be helpful if you'd be able to clearly explain just which button you pressed on your gas SMART meter, to eventually gain visibility of the reading?

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[Bouleversee]

To read my EDMI GS 60B gas meter you have to press the right hand button, the OK button, for about 20 seconds and then the reading in m3 shows up in the display window. I am talking about the actual meter, of course (mine is on a cabinet on an outside wall) not the in-home display device as I have never had one of those which worked, the installer having smashed it. It doesn't show a KwH reading or a price for units consumed so all it enables me to do is pass on the reading to Eon.next. It doesn't enable me to work out what the cost is since the previous reading. Hopefully, if and when I get a home display unit which works I will be able to do that.

All meters are different, of course, and have their own instructions for getting the readings. The instructions on Eon.Next's website don't include any for this particular meter so far as I could see.

[XFool]

All meters are different, of course, and have their own instructions for getting the readings. The instructions on Eon.Next's website don't include any for this particular meter so far as I could see.

Tally's with my previous experience with a friend's 'SMART' electricity meter. I had to produce my own summary 'manual' for it from information sources available on the web.

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