Suppliers, DNOs , MPANs and Meter Serial Numbers

[genou]

I figure this forum has a better chance of answering this than just DAK.

Months ago, I had a new three phase electricity supply installed. That created a new MPAN, given to me by the DNO. And it required a new meter, with a new serial number, installed by the supplier. But my supplier has attached the new meter to the old, single phase MPAN. Which leaves me in an interesting place if I try to change supplier. My question is - is there anyone here with an understanding of how MPAN / Meter relationships are managed ?

The current position is that I have a "serial_number": "UNKNOWN" meter attached to what the DNO regard as the active MPAN, and my active meter attached to the "retired" single-phase MPAN. Magically, the supplier is able to get readings from the ( SMETS2 ) meter despite the error.

I have been assured that they are trying to fix the error, but it has been a matter of months now, for what looks to me like a trivial database entry task.
I do have a formal complaint open, but have not yet pushed to go the regulator.

Is there some deep dark art here?

[DrFfybes]

No deep dark art.

The MPAN is the number the DNO assigns to your supply. It is assigned to the property, and I've never known it to change (although I guess going from single to 3 phase might do it as it encodes all sorts of supply info). Iou have an old Economy7 supply this was coded into the MPAN, although the meter can override it.

The Meter Serial Number (MSN) is simply the serial number of the piece of electronic equipment that measures your energy use (same as your laptop or telly or fridge has a Serial Number). Your supplier will use the MSN to make sure it is getting readings from the correct meter (unlike my old gas meter, which had the wrong MSN against my MPSN on the National Database and hence the supplier took readings from someone else's meter).

https://www.energy-review.co.uk/guides/ ... l-numbers/

Have a look at an online MPAN checker to see what you have - Google will find plenty.

Paul

[genou]

No deep dark art.

Paul

I see from your other thread that they've fixed your MSN in 24 hours. Now I'm even more pissed off.

But it has triggered a new thought. I wonder whether contacting the DNO to say that my MSN is connected to the wrong MPAN would put a fire under the supplier, or even if the DNO could fix it.

[DrFfybes]

I see from your other thread that they've fixed your MSN in 24 hours. Now I'm even more pissed off.

But it has triggered a new thought. I wonder whether contacting the DNO to say that my MSN is connected to the wrong MPAN would put a fire under the supplier, or even if the DNO could fix it.

Well, it's not done yet, I just looked, but I hope it will update overnight), but they have acknowledged the error.

When we moved in the gas MSN was wrong and we were getting smart bills from someone else. In hindsight I should have said nowt and just put the heating on but I'd already queried their opening reading which revealed the discrepancy Getting it corrected was a complete PITA (and it had been wrong since the meter was changed about 20 months prior ro us moving in).

There was the "Send a photo" stage, then the "Is it your neighbours?" stage, then "we won't come and visit because our meter changing people are furloughed for Covid apart from emergencies" stage (this is when I should have claimed to smell gas).

Eventually, after photos of the meter, the cupboard, the house, etc they accepted it was wrong, but couldn't change it right away as they were still working from home and as no meters were being changed they didn't think they'd need remote access to that system so needed someone in the office to do it.

However, it was done by my supplier, not the DNO. However I wonder if the supplier only sees the old MPAN on their system attached to your address. I suppose the plus side is that if you stop paying they can't disconnect you without coming around or correcting it all

Paul

[modellingman]

This brought back some memories.

Blame the free-market wonks who took over OFGAS, OFFER and as they then became OFGEM.

The solution to everything is of course marketisation. Everything always works better if there are competing interests trying to do the same simple job better/at cheaper price/extracting more rent/take your pick. It is one of the reasons why the UK's smart metering ended up in such a god awful mess with SMETS1 meters going dumb on change of supplier.

So competing suppliers - probably good thing provided they are competent (though despite recent clearouts a lot still aren´t). But competing meter point owners, competing meter point operators, competing connected subnetworks, etc. Competition too far, methinks.

Everything's great until it isn't. When a market participant's employee screws up (because they're on minimum wage or worse) and incorrectly assigns an MPAN to an address or something equally human, it takes God, or occasionally the consumer affairs editor of the Guardian or Times, to get TPTB to correct the cockup.

Good luck getting it sorted. If you really want to know how it works study the meter point administration section of the relevant network code document.

modellingman