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Rank 2
January 9, 2023
Solved

Smart meter sending Solar generation as consumption?

  • January 9, 2023
  • 31 replies
  • 3980 views

Had solar and battery storage installed in December. All working as it should and inverter is showing solar generation, as is the Solar company’s app. But on the OVO portal and app our kWh consumption is unchanged, despite solar company data showing that we’re generating and using solar.

 

Rang the solar installer and they advised to contact OVO as they needed to send an update to the meter so it will record correctly.

 

I spent 5 hours in the web chat queue today to speak to someone. Eventually reached position 3 and then never got any further. So I thought I’d ask here first whether anyone has heard of this before and will a simple call fix the issue or not?

 

Just looking to hear similar experiences before I face another day of waiting in a long queue to get nowhere.

Best answer by BPLightlog

Hi @stefbrowne_132 on your picture I can only see one CT connection for the solar PV / Battery system .. there are usually 2. These can be arranged back to front and give false readings to the solar system (what make is it?)

Unless the installer has connected incorrectly, your smart meter which the energy company uses (OVO in this case) cannot add the solar generation onto the meter reading. As others have said, your smart meter does not need updating to cope with a solar installation.  

 

31 replies

M.isterW
Rank 6
Rank 6
January 10, 2023

I think the blue line is showing positive when the battery is charging and negative when it's discharging. Look at the graph from 15:25. The green line, which is the electricity the house is using, is a mirror of the blue line because the house is drawing from the battery.

1992 4 bed detached house. Solar PV + battery, Zappi EV charger, Mitsubishi Ecodan ASHP and i-life2 fan assisted radiators.... No gas 😊
Rank 2
January 10, 2023

Hi @stefbrowne_132 looking at you top line graph above, when charging overnight the battery line (blue) is positive which normally would show when being used. If being charged, it is a negative line (below zero) like shown when your solar is charging. There’s something odd about the overnight charging unless you’re exporting to the grid at that time instead

Thanks, I did wonder about this, but the graphs are so confusing I figured it was just me! I’ve kind of assumed though that the positive side of the graph is showing power going ‘in’ and the negative power going ‘out’. So it would make sense that the battery power would rise at the rate the grid was being used at that point. I don’t know if I’m right about that, it’s just how I’ve tried to make sense of it.

Rank 2
January 10, 2023

I think the blue line is showing positive when the battery is charging and negative when it's discharging. Look at the graph from 15:25. The green line, which is the electricity the house is using, is a mirror of the blue line because the house is drawing from the battery.

Yes, this is how I’m reading it too.

M.isterW
Rank 6
Rank 6
January 10, 2023

Do you have a picture of your half hourly meter readings for the same day?

1992 4 bed detached house. Solar PV + battery, Zappi EV charger, Mitsubishi Ecodan ASHP and i-life2 fan assisted radiators.... No gas 😊
BPLightlog
Super User
Super User
January 10, 2023

I think the blue line is showing positive when the battery is charging and negative when it's discharging. Look at the graph from 15:25. The green line, which is the electricity the house is using, is a mirror of the blue line because the house is drawing from the battery.

Yes, this is how I’m reading it too.

So to me that is opposite to what I would consider normal 

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
Rank 2
January 10, 2023

Do you have a picture of your half hourly meter readings for the same day?

I don’t seem to have a way to see half hourly readings, which is frustrating and on my list to ask OVO about. If I try to view detailed daily data it says ‘Sorry, this usage data is currently not available’. Could this be my problem??

BPLightlog
Super User
Super User
January 10, 2023

Do you have a picture of your half hourly meter readings for the same day?

I don’t seem to have a way to see half hourly readings, which is frustrating and on my list to ask OVO about. If I try to view detailed daily data it says ‘Sorry, this usage data is currently not available’. Could this be my problem??

Are your readings being estimated then?

Just looking again at the line graphs, if they are as suggested (it seems likely) then the brown line is grid consumption and there’s not much of that at all. Perhaps what has happened is that your addition of solar and battery has confused the recording and so it is showing estimates rather than your new actuals. 
Perhaps check your actual meter readings for a day or two

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
Rank 2
January 10, 2023

Do you have a picture of your half hourly meter readings for the same day?

I don’t seem to have a way to see half hourly readings, which is frustrating and on my list to ask OVO about. If I try to view detailed daily data it says ‘Sorry, this usage data is currently not available’. Could this be my problem??

Are your readings being estimated then?

Just looking again at the line graphs, if they are as suggested (it seems likely) then the brown line is grid consumption and there’s not much of that at all. Perhaps what has happened is that your addition of solar and battery has confused the recording and so it is showing estimates rather than your new actuals 

I’ve just had one of the most frustrating customer service experiences on the webchat with OVO, who told me I have to wait 45 days for someone from the smart meter team to look at it, except the form allows you to do no more than provide basic details. Nothing about the problem itself. Spitting feathers at the moment…

According to the OVO app, the readings are not estimated, they are actual, but only once a month. So I’m not sure how it can show me daily kWh consumption from as recently as yesterday? Unless that is in fact estimated and it just isn’t saying so? I did manage to get the person on webchat to switch the meter to half hourly readings, so I got something useful out of the conversation.

But you’re right, I take it that the orange/brown line is grid consumption and other than the charging of the battery overnight and a small amount later in the day, there’s not much of it. Perhaps changing the reading to half hourly will make a difference. I might ring the solar company back and ask to speak to one of the engineers directly to see if they’ve seen anything like this before.

M.isterW
Rank 6
Rank 6
January 10, 2023

If your smart meter is only sending monthly readings that's the problem. OVO won't know your usage has dropped because the meter hasn't sent a reading yet so the daily figures you're seeing on the app are estimates.

 

I suggest you start taking readings direct from the meter every day at the same time. That will tell you how much you're using from the grid each day and if it matches what you're seeing on the solar app (warning - the solar app will be less accurate than your smart meter so the figures are unlikely to be exactly the same but they should be in the same ballpark).

 

I would also recommend changing your meter to half hourly readings. That will give you more information about your electricity use. Any OVO customer service agent can request that for you.

 

I still don't think there's anything wrong with your smart meter so until you've checked your daily usage on the meter I wouldn't contact the solar PV company or speak to the OVO smart meter team.

1992 4 bed detached house. Solar PV + battery, Zappi EV charger, Mitsubishi Ecodan ASHP and i-life2 fan assisted radiators.... No gas 😊
Rank 2
January 10, 2023

If your smart meter is only sending monthly readings that's the problem. OVO won't know your usage has dropped because the meter hasn't sent a reading yet so the daily figures you're seeing on the app are estimates.

 

I suggest you start taking readings direct from the meter every day at the same time. That will tell you how much you're using from the grid each day and if it matches what you're seeing on the solar app (warning - the solar app will be less accurate than your smart meter so the figures are unlikely to be exactly the same but they should be in the same ballpark).

 

I would also recommend changing your meter to half hourly readings. That will give you more information about your electricity use. Any OVO customer service agent can request that for you.

 

I still don't think there's anything wrong with your smart meter so until you've checked your daily usage on the meter I wouldn't contact the solar PV company or speak to the OVO smart meter team.

Thanks for this, that’s encouraging. We did send a manual reading and it didn’t adjust the figures, but maybe it’s just not frequent enough to have made a difference yet.

As mentioned in my last post, I did manage to get the OVO agent this morning to adjust to half hourly and she said this should take effect in the next day or so. Hopefully this will start to make a difference to what I’m seeing.

Thanks for mentioning the accuracy on the solar app - I’m aware it won’t be perfect, but they’re not even close at the minute, so somewhere in the same region would be good!