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JohnnyMack
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October 31, 2023
Solved

Electricity meter INCLUDES the electricity generated from my solar panels

  • October 31, 2023
  • 24 replies
  • 3828 views

HI, firstly please forgive my ignorance - I am not an expert in this field.

I have PV system on my garage roof comprising 16 solar panels, a Solis inverter and a Pylontech battery.

My problem is that my electricity meter records ALL electricity energy used in my house as being supplied by my electricity supplier from the electricity grid but which INCLUDES the electricity self-generated by my panels which has been considerable.

My electricity supplier is over charging for the electricity being pulled from the grid as it records self-generated electricity as if it is being supplied by the grid.

They have recently installed a new SMETS2 meter but the problem of them also charging me for my self-generated electricity persists (i.e. it is showing all electricity being used in my house as being supplied from the grid) and is costing a fortune! 

Can anyone help with what may be causing this and how it can be rectified please?

Best answer by waltyboy

Hi @JohnnyMack I can see how that would be wildly frustrating.

 

How  long have you had your PV system, and was it in an effort to solve your problem that you had the SMETS2 meter fitted?

 

Do you have your own generation meter, which records all that your PV panels generate (regardless of how much is used by you and how much is exported back to the grid).

 

Was the system installed by an MCS registered person…if so, they should not have left you in this position. 

 

I can well understand how frustrated you must feel at being actually penalised for producing your own power, but this doesn’t sound an intractable problem, given sufficient goodwill on the part of your energy supplier when you explain things to them! For example, your smart meter will be well able to separate imported electricity from exported electricity: you could carefully examine the function buttons on your smart meter and try and find the different registers for imported kWh and for exported kWh, that would be a good start in getting your supplier’s agreement that something is seriously up with their billing. 
 

I’m not an expert either, but it does sound to me as though it’s a metering problem: the DNO meter (which your energy supplier has to use) is not informing your supplier about what is being imported and what is being exported…but even that is not answering your main problem about why your total household consumption is being seen as totally imported from the Grid. 
 

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will step in and help you further, but in the meantime do have a good examine of your smart meter’s readouts….

24 replies

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BPLightlog
Super User
BPLightlogSuper User
Super User
November 1, 2023

Ok, so a Kaifa MA120 ..

there are readings available for various register 

and also there should be a separate export Reading available 

It would be useful to know what the meter registers for export - that is if it is registering export

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
    T
    Newcomer
    thengore
    Newcomer
    July 16, 2024

    Hi @JohnnyMack can I ask how you got this resolved? I've got the exact same problem. Was it resolved by Ovo or by the solar installer?

    TIA

    BPLightlog
    Super User
    BPLightlogSuper User
    Super User
    July 16, 2024

    Hi @JohnnyMack can I ask how you got this resolved? I've got the exact same problem. Was it resolved by Ovo or by the solar installer?

    TIA

    What’s your set up @thengore ? and when/what have you noticed regarding your solar PV and usage?

    Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
    T
    Newcomer
    thengore
    Newcomer
    July 16, 2024

    Hi @BPLightlog thanks for replying.

    Pretty much the same as the OP.

    A 4.8kw PV solar array with 2 x batteries and a Solax inverter. Not installed by OVO.

    Had a Kaifa MA120 installed in June which made us realise the problem, but it was clearly happening before then now looking at data. As an example, according to our Solax data we generated and used 320kwh and then drew 43 from the grid, but OVO charged for 340 kWh. We are not on a feed in tariff.

    Had 45 mins on the phone to OVO who then sent our an engineer who wasn't very useful other than saying the meter was set up correctly. Suggested the A- reading should be the one we're charged for, but I think that's the feed in amount.

    Solar panel electrician says everything is correct from his pov.

    BPLightlog
    Super User
    BPLightlogSuper User
    Super User
    July 16, 2024

    Hi @BPLightlog thanks for replying.

    Pretty much the same as the OP.

    A 4.8kw PV solar array with 2 x batteries and a Solax inverter. Not installed by OVO.

    Had a Kaifa MA120 installed in June which made us realise the problem, but it was clearly happening before then now looking at data. As an example, according to our Solax data we generated and used 320kwh and then drew 43 from the grid, but OVO charged for 340 kWh. We are not on a feed in tariff.

    You need to be a little cautious on inverter data as it isn’t entirely accurate - it should give a rough idea but as it takes ‘snapshots’ of data, it can miss events. 

    Had 45 mins on the phone to OVO who then sent our an engineer who wasn't very useful other than saying the meter was set up correctly. Suggested the A- reading should be the one we're charged for, but I think that's the feed in amount.

    As the info earlier in this thread, the -A reading is exported electricity and +A is imported .. I wonder if you can check which register OVO are using. 

    Solar panel electrician says everything is correct from his pov.

    It is possible that the meter is set to record all energy on one of the registers. If OVO are using that register then that might be the cause. 
    Kaifa M120 overview

    Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
      Abby_OVO
      Community Manager
      Abby_OVO
      Community Manager
      July 16, 2024

      Hey @thengore 

       

      Sorry to here you’re in this situation.

       

      One of our volunteers BPLightlog has left some really helpful advice here already, it’d be really useful to know what register is being used and if these are set up correctly as it may be the problem.

      Currently Playing: She's Electric
      T
      Newcomer
      thengore
      Newcomer
      July 16, 2024

      Thanks @BPLightlog @Abby_OVO 

      I went into the TOU register and only TO1 has a value, which is 440 (i.e. the same as the +A reading).

      All of the TOU blocks read as 0. 

      BPLightlog
      Super User
      BPLightlogSuper User
      Super User
      July 16, 2024

      Thanks @BPLightlog @Abby_OVO 

      I went into the TOU register and only TO1 has a value, which is 440 (i.e. the same as the +A reading).

      All of the TOU blocks read as 0. 

      It sounds like the +A register is set to register all power then. 
      If you’re confident that the wiring is correct (post a photo here if you want) then I would tend to do some recording with photos, showing the register increasing when you’re generating but not using power. That might help 

      Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
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      Newcomer
      thengore
      Newcomer
      July 16, 2024

      Thanks @BPLightlog  I don't know about confident, we live in a very old house with a hodgepodge of electrics! Here are a couple of photos. 

      The arrow on the clamp (which I understand to be the small white box) points away from the meter, as far as I can tell. It goes through the black box directly above it and then into the white section on the right.

       

      BPLightlog
      Super User
      BPLightlogSuper User
      Super User
      July 16, 2024

      That’s quite a tangle!

      It's difficult to see but on first look, I’m not sure that the clamp CT is positioned correctly. 
      It would normally be clipped on the cable from your meter (L4 on your second photo) with the arrow pointing away from the meter. 
      If the cable it’s attached to is the L4 cable, then it looks like the clamp is pointing the wrong way

      Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
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