Smart Meter - Increased electricity use this winter?

That is annoying. I would ask them to set it and see how many meter readings they capture. I think it is set to 1  a month which is terrible.... I can't see why they won't but perhaps they have a reason 

The Bright app is perhaps worth a look to see what frequency of readings they pickup if you haven't already tried. 

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bright/id1369989022

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.hildebrand.brightionic

They are authorised and regulated by the Energy Regulator OFGEM like a few others. In some ways it is more useful than the apps from many suppliers.

We have seen instances where they pick up 30min readings when for some strange reason ovo don't.

You could buy one of these and get very accurate data on the Bright app. You just need to check if you need the SMETS1 or SMETS2 version 

https://shop.glowmarkt.com/products/display-and-cad-combined-for-smart-meter-customers?variant=31079504248910

@BPLightlog is very knowledgeable in the Bright app and the glowmarkt device. 

@Jeffus thanks i’ll download that and also ask them again about the 30min setting

We moved in 2 years ago and dont have an IHD and they have told us none are available for the meter we have. which isnt much help

The glowmarkt one is probably worth investing in given your issues to get near real time data. Just need to make sure it is the right one for your meter. 

See what this check shows

https://smartmetercheck.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Actually if you get the Bright app, they can match to your meters and match their IHD accordingly. Mine came pre-programmed so it was just a matter of plugging in and getting my Wi-Fi enabled for it

Hildebrand Support are also really good at helping you out if you get stuck. They’ve certainly helped this forum out a couple of times!

Hello ​@perniente Was your issue resolved? I installed the new meter and the bills are skyrocketing. I was paying like £60-70 per month using the previous meter. I paid the balance fully, and it was zero just two days ago. Now, it has increased to £11.7 in just a just two days. My energy usage has not changed and I am not sure what the issue is.

Hi ​@sfmoosavian 

Sorry to hear of your higher charges since having new meters installed. I’m assuming they’re smart meters if they were recently put in - it is unlikely that they are clocking incorrectly due to how highly meters are calibrated these days. 

Firstly, I’d recommend making sure that the new meters have actually been updated on your account (this can take up to six weeks from the installation date. If the meters haven’t been updated then we may be billing to estimates. I’m linking in another Forum page that gives handy info for checking if your meters are set up on your account:

If the meters haven’t been updated on your account, you may have to wait up to six weeks for this to happen. If you contact our Support Team they will be able to fully assess the issue for you, and maybe even get the meter details updated on your account if they’re not already there.

If the new meters are on your account, you’ll need to check that they are in comms and sending us reads. You can check your reads online, or on the app, and cross reference them against the reads on the meters themselves. Log in, click ‘Meter Readings’ and then ‘view reading history’. The above article contains instructions for taking manual reads from the meters.

Finally, if all reads are in line and there are no issues with billing or estimates, then the issue may lie within the property itself. It would be worth checking if there are any changes made within the home, or any appliances left running. I had an issue at my own property one time with a couple of huge bills - it turned out that I had accidentally switched my immersion heater on at the wall so that it was running all day 😑.

The above checks should help you ascertain what the issue is, but I would recommend getting in touch with our Support Team for a thorough investigation. Make sure to ask them to set your reading schedule to half-hourly. I really hope this is solved fo you soon!