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Updated on 25/08/23 by Abby_OVO

 

Types of meter faults - Your Guide

 

Worried that your meter isn’t clocking your usage accurately, is it making an unexpected noise or even worse are you off-supply? These could indicate a meter fault that we’ll need to get sorted. In all these scenarios we’d advise getting in touch with the Support Team ASAP to do some further investigations, but we’ve put together a quick guide to cover what might be causing the issues.

 


Blank Display or Meter Not Clocking

 

  • The display has gone blank and cannot be read and it cannot be turned back on by pushing buttons.
  • This is the most common type of meter fault and has many different causes. Unless it’s a smart meter, we will not be able to bill you accurately (we will have to estimate usage)  until we have completed a faulty meter exchange.
  • Another common type of meter fault where the meter will stay on the same reading and not register any usage.
  • The removal reading will be recalculated using either readings prior to the fault, new meter consumption or usage averages. More info here


Inaccurate Meter

 

  • If you believe your meter is clocking too fast or too slowly you can arrange to have a meter accuracy test (MAT) or an OFMAT for gas. There is a charge for the test which is refunded if the meter is proven to be faulty. The charges are £149 for MAT or £157 for the OFMAT. More info on costs here. 
  • If a meter accuracy test has determined that a meter is clocking too fast by at least 2.5% or slow by at least 3.5% we will need to complete a faulty meter exchange. Please note that for OFMATs, the gas meter is replaced as part of the OFMAT appointment.
  • If the meter is deemed faulty and once the faulty meter exchange has been completed we will be able to re-bill your account, factoring in the results of the MAT test. We do not recalculate the removal reading if the meter is confirmed as slow. :blush:


Negative consumption (clocking backwards) due to solar panels

 

  • Solar panels can cause older meters to start clocking backwards. This is because the electricity generated that has gone back to the grid causes the meter to clock backwards (breaking the meter) and the meter will need to be replaced.
  • We recalculate the removal reading by using your generation readings for your solar panels to estimate how much the meter has back-clocked. If we are unable to obtain these readings then we estimate a removal reading using your new meter consumption. More info here


Loss of power

 

  • For a guide on what to do in a power cut, see this guide 
  • For a gas outage or emergency, see this guide


Broken Timeswitch (Electricity Meters)

 

  • If you have a two-rate meter, sometimes the timeswitch that controls the timing of when the registers clock can break. Normally one register stops clocking resulting in all consumption clocking on the other register. In some cases however both registers clock consumption but at the incorrect times.
  • Once the meter exchange goes ahead, we redistribute the removal reading across the two registers using either your annual averages prior to the fault or new meter consumption depending on which is most appropriate. Redistribution is not required if you’ve been charges the same prices for both registers the whole time. 


Noisy gas meter

 

  • There are two common issues that can occur in a gas meter to cause either a constant or an intermittent noise. 
    • The first is the when the regulator is faulty, causing a "humming noise" to come from the meter
    • The second is when the diaphragm in the meter is faulty and causes a "mechanical noise" to come from the meter (using a high-pitched screeching sound)
  • Both of these faults are deemed to be safe but can cause disruption for the household.
  • To diagnose the fault we will need a video of the meter so we can diagnose the sound. Email this to hello@ovoenergy.com. 
  • The recalculation of the removal reading for noisy meters is not required unless there is confirmation the meter is clocking consumption inaccurately as well.


Noisy Electricity Meters

 

  • Occasionally you may think your electric meter is making a beeping a noise. In these instances it's always recommended to check any carbon monoxide/smoke detectors around the meter to check if they are low on battery as this is most likely to be the issue. 
  • If a meter is heard to be making either an arcing, vibrating or zapping noise then this could be the meter arcing which will need to be booked in for an emergency meter exchange. Call us to get this done: 0330 303 5063. 


Smart meter communication issues

 

  • If a smart meter has any of the above issues, it will likely need to be replaced, however if there is a communication issue only, please see this guide for a Secure Liberty smart meter, and this guide for an Aclara or Honeywell/Elster smart meter.

 

OVO member but not got a smart meter yet? - Book today!

 

Interested but not yet an OVO member? - Check out our plans!

 

Hi all, I have a 2 years old Combi Boiler, recently I’ve found our gas bill has gone suspiciously high, we only use gas for heating and hot water. It’s summer month, so no heating is on, only hot water, and we still use about 2000kWh every month, 4 ppl household. We then try to investigate this by switching off the boiler overnight, the meter reading has gone up by 10 units. We then shut the gas valve, and the meter reading increases 1.2 units every hour. We really suspect that there is a problem with the meter.

My question is, will installing smart meter solve this problem? Or should I ask an engineer to check if there is gas leak? We can’t smell anything. 

Thanks!

Hi @wkei3 , if you are still seeing consumption ongoing with the gas ‘off’ then either the meter is faulty or there is a leak. 
You should probably get a possible leak looked at first otherwise if there is a leak and the meter is swapped the result will be as you see it now

 

Hey @wkei3,

 

Sorry for the issues you’re having,

 

If you think you may have a gas leak please check our website for further advice:

 

Gas emergency

If you can smell gas or think you have a gas leak: 

  • Do open doors and windows to let the gas escape
  • Do check your gas appliances are switched off
  • Do call the 24 hour National Gas Emergency hotline on 0800 111 999
  • Do turn your gas off at the isolation switch (if you know where it is), then wait outside, and let your neighbours know.
  • Don't switch lights on or off, use doorbells, mobile phones or use any electrical switches.
  • Don't smoke, light a match or use any other kind of naked flame.
  • Don't go back into your home until you’ve got the all-clear.

If you're worried fumes containing carbon monoxide are escaping from a gas appliance, call the 24 hour National Gas Emergency hotline on 0800 111 999. For further information about gas safety in the home check out our guide here. 

My Gas smart meter is no longer communicating with OVO energy. They have requested a manual reading but as the screen is blank and cannot be woken up it is not possible to send a reading. The last reading sent was on the 14th July 2023.

 

Hi @Swaddie , if you can’t wake the display by a button press, it may be that the battery need changing. You should tell OVO customer support

Thanks BPLightlog, I have informed support and they quoted 45 days before they could reply to the information I sent.

I don't think suppliers even attempt to change batteries on Smart meters. They simply replace the meter.

If the gas Smart meter doesn't come back to life which I suspect it won't from what you say, then I suspect you will get a new gas and electric Smart meter, comms hub and new In Home Display

I suspect they are all old SMETS1 equipment.

45 days seems to be the standard ovo quote for these things, I suspect this is to see if the connection to the meter can be reestablished, but when customers can't even get a manual reading the 45 days often feels like the ovo/ industry process needs tweaking. 

In the mean time ovo will estimate your usage, if you feel the estimate is too high when the meters are finally replaced I would definitely chat to ovo about it and if you don't get a satisfactory response put in a complaint. Hopefully the estimates will be fine. 

​​If you post your progress I am sure it will help other customers in the future. 

​​​​​​

Thanks Jeffus, I will update as things progress. Not sure I am keen on estimates.

If it’s an S1 site, then it’s probably better off upgrading to S2 kit anyway so that you’re ready for the future shutdown of the old 2G and 3G networks - they’re still some time away but if the existing meters are dead anyway, it’s worth upgrading.

Energy went off switched on emergency but my smart meter is continuously making a beeping noise

Hi @glindsay77 ,

If it’s beeping like that, please get OVO on Live Chat immediately. https://ovoenergy.com/help .

Otherwise, please call 105. You might need to top-up to restore supply first.

my boiler won’t ignite and engineer has visited an said gas meter is blank and no gas is getting through it. I have no heating or hot water and have our 10 month old granddaughter staying. I have tried calling ovo but office closed and no alternative number given

Hi @Jim Cos ,

Unfortunately, there’s no out-of-hours gas emergency line for this purpose across basically any supplier.

I’ve flagged this to the forum moderators for when they come online in the morning.

Hey @Jim Cos 

 

I’m really sorry to hear about this.

 

All teams are now contactable if your gas is still off supply, please contact the Support Team who’ll help get the gas supply restored. If the meter is blank, it’s likely they’ll come out and replace the meter.

Thanks they have come out and replaced my meter with a Smets2 one so all back on. However I was told by the engineer that the new meter wont communicate with my existing IHD and I would need to get in touch with OVO to have an upgrade to my electric meter too so they could communicate with a new IHD. When I called I was told there would be a £106 fee if I wanted this done because the current electric meter communicates and I can view the readings on my online account.

Although the new meter reference is now on my online account I cant view my gas usage anymore and only my electric usage. I thought the whole purpose of a smart meter was to allow you to view your usage on the IHD so you can monitor and adjust as you feel you want to but surely you shouldn`t be expected to go online constantly to view usage as that`s not what is expected of a smart meter system.

Hey @Jim Cos 

 

This definitely doesn’t sound quite right. I reached out to double check this and you shouldn’t be expected to pay £106.

 

The Support Team may charge for a new IHD if one has become damaged or lost, but in the event of a meter exchange, and where the engineer can’t provide an IHD at the time, our support team can put a request in for an IHD for you. 

 

Definitely get back in touch with the Support Team so they can arrange for an IHD to be sent out to you.

Did you make any progress with the fee @Jim Cos 

I haven't contacted them back yet as I am still waiting to see if the has usage starts to show on my account as I still cant see it. It was the support team I contacted and was told that nothing didn't think she was correct as she didn't know the answer initially and went away to ask them told me about the charge. She then proceeded to tell me incident need to view it on an Ihd as I could view online which I said that isn't what a smart meter is for as I would have to log online to view usage all the time which internally very consumer friendly but she basically said yes it is as it sends us the readings which in her opinion was most important.

Can auto correct has mixed the reply up sorry. "she told me I didn't need to view it on Ihd and can view online which isn't very used friendly tbh." 

Hey @Jim Cos,

 

It can take up to 6 weeks after a new meter is installed to see this on your account. This is because we need to wait for the engineering report, update the national database and our back end system.

 

Keep us posted! 

Hey hey. Hoping for some informed advice RE my Landis + Gyr E470 SMETS 1. There’s been no display for 4 years. Asked provider to sort this several times over that time but not action taken. Readings have been attempted by doorstep reader  mannies (unsure what their formal title is) but impossible. 
So, been paying based on estimates all this time. Finally, provider seems interested in doing a replacement. However, I’m concerned there may be some logs in the profile that may provide higher readings than the estimates. 
is this possible/likely? 
many thanks for any informed input!

Welcome @Malkymagic ,

As you’ve probably figured out, I know a lot about these L+G Meters. :D

It does sound to me as if the meter is totally dead - replacement is, unfortunately, the only option in this situation. You would at least get SMETS2 though which is one upside.

Once the Meter Exchange (MEX) is done, the Supplier should try to rebuild your meter readings using data from the new meter and recalculate both your usage and bills from that - thus refunding any identified overpayments if needed.

Estimates are almost always wrong - and pretty much always overcalculated! It’s rare that they’re lower than your actual usage so you’ll probably get a big refund.

If your current supplier chokes the MEX somehow, OVO can probably do it instead but you’d have to switch first. If you’re up for that, it’s https://switch.ovoenergy.com .

By the way, who is your supplier? Feel free to mention them - it helps with our advice.

Thanks fella. That’s reassuring. Other than the “chokes the MEX somehow” statement. Does that mean they may be able to read the actual readings? I’d much prefer they chucked it in the bin then used my next few months readings to reestimate historical use (since q3 2021 ideally). I just worry that perhaps I’ve used more and may face a big bill. You could be right and they e overestimated but I don’t like risk. 
one of the reasons for me chasing them up to sort this out is because I can switch now without fee as deal about to expire. I expect switching would be problematic with current situation.

thanks again meter master!

Well, that’s the snag. If the existing meter is dead, then it will definitely be chucked in the bin… Well… More accurately it’d be recycled and disposed of responsibly in the most environmentally friendly ways possible - most likely by the manufacturer or an authorised agent. But you wouldn’t have to worry about that since it’s their responsibility.

There isn’t a way to get readings off of totally dead meters.

With that being said, the first few readings from the replacement meter would be used to re-estimate historical usage and recalculate everything. Whatever payments you made during that time will be factored in and knocked off any catch-up bills as a bill credit. If you overpaid you can get the difference back as a cash refund OR put it towards future bills - totally up to you.

If you did underpay (which is unlikely!), the supplier would either write most of it off, or figure something amicable out with you to come to an arrangement - they’d discuss this with you first. However, any payments made would still be knocked off first and you’d only be expected to pay the difference at most.

Once you solve this, definitely feel free to switch if you wish. :)

Amazing. So most likely scenario is it’s binned (hopefully converted to unicorn food, O2 and the remainder used to make a s2) and estimates recalculated. Less likely is they will get the readings but will be willing to write off any difference or at least be reasonable in reaching agreement (I guess I could argue the unit is faulty and the data unreliable). 
Just because of you I will aim to switch to OVO - assuming the price is fairly competitive. I want to assist with the environment business but within bounds. Read a lot on this forum today and I like your style.  
bloody marvellous and thanks once more. 

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