Solved

Why are my online usage graphs showing a jump in my usage with a traditional meter?

  • 15 April 2022
  • 9 replies
  • 146 views
D
Rank

In a 3 bedroom, 3 person shared house we have always  averaged approx 500 units of electricity use a month.  As you can see in the below charts, this has been the case for every month in the last two years bar June, July, August where it somehow quadroupled.   This added over £1k to my bill.   I've reached out to OVO several times and even lodged a complaint but have no satisfactory answer or help. 

I was recently contacted via email to be told that after 2 years OVO think they may have incorrect meter information - I supplied them with a photograph of my meter and have heard nothing since despite my last fee months bills seemingly amended to less than half.  Could this be related? 

This company has been one long nightmare since I joined.  

 

 

icon

Best answer by ArundaleP 18 April 2022, 21:55

View original

9 replies

Tim_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

Really sorry to hear about this uncertainty around your usage, and now this meter details question, @Deepheat81.

 

I’m not sure if your charges for those months were high? These charges are outlined in the ‘Billing History’ section of the online account, here. 

 

Either way I’ve asked for our Forum_Support team to send you a private message and grab some account details. They’ll check on the status of that complaint and meter investigation. 

 

Tim

Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
A
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +3

@Deepheat81  does the meter number on your account match the one on the meter itself?

Did you start using an air conditioner or dehumidifier in those months? 
Do you have an EV? If so do you have a way of getting data from the charger to see if your EV is consuming more during those months (pre-cooling timer etc)?
2500kWh is a lot of electricity, I wouldn’t expect to see that kind of consumption without an EV, heat pump, AC etc

If things don't change, they stay the same!
D
Rank

@Deepheat81  does the meter number on your account match the one on the meter itself?

Did you start using an air conditioner or dehumidifier in those months? 
Do you have an EV? If so do you have a way of getting data from the charger to see if your EV is consuming more during those months (pre-cooling timer etc)?
2500kWh is a lot of electricity, I wouldn’t expect to see that kind of consumption without an EV, heat pump, AC etc

 

Thanks for the reply.

We have no EV, no AC, heat pump etc.  Its just the same 3 guys in the same house, using the same 90w table top fan to cool the living room that they used the summer previously.    

 

 

A
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +3

In the accounts section of the app, under meter readings should be your meter serial number (photo attached), have a look and make sure it matches the actual meter. You can also check the current meter readings on the meter and compare to the readings ovo have collected from your meter which should be very similar (probably a day behind actual).

You can also request historical data from your smart meter from OVO (a lot of data) and check your consumption yourself.

 

If things don't change, they stay the same!
D
Rank

In the accounts section of the app, under meter readings should be your meter serial number (photo attached), have a look and make sure it matches the actual meter. You can also check the current meter readings on the meter and compare to the readings ovo have collected from your meter which should be very similar (probably a day behind actual).

You can also request historical data from your smart meter from OVO (a lot of data) and check your consumption yourself.

 

 

Thanks!  The meter serial number matches up and seems to match on the oldest bills as well.   I have a old traditional meter - not a smart meter - the same meter that has been in the house since I moved in almost 20 years ago!  

M.isterW
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +3

Do your meter readings match the readings OVO are showing on your bill?

1992 4 bed detached house. 11kw Ecodan ASHP, a bunch of Sunamp heat batteries and i-life2 fan assisted radiators.
A
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +3

Thanks!  The meter serial number matches up and seems to match on the oldest bills as well.   I have a old traditional meter - not a smart meter - the same meter that has been in the house since I moved in almost 20 years ago!  

 

Do the historical meter readings in the same section on the app make sense. i.e. do they show the same jump in consumption?

If things don't change, they stay the same!
D
Rank

Do the historical meter readings in the same section on the app make sense. i.e. do they show the same jump in consumption?

 

The readings were estimated over that summer timeframe. There's a actual reading I submitted mid Septemeber which was quite a jump higher than the estimates but that doesn't make sense as the usage still averaged out around 500-600 units before and after the jump.   I don't see why if with more regular actual readings the average remains the same each month that OVO were £1100 under with their estimates?   With the email I mentioned that I received recently saying OVO had realised they may have the incorrect meter details, it seems something has gone wrong over the 2+ years I've been with them.  

 

Whats most frustrating is the lack of explanation from OV0 on that email.  Since I sent the meter info my last 3 months bills seem to have halved, with zero communication from OVO as to why that is and why if bills needed to be adjusted, that it was only the last few bills that they changed.  The billing and usuage information provided online is very hard to make sense of.

A
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +3

@Deepheat81 I have noticed that if you manually submit meter readings with a sudden jump in trend they average the increase out since your last actual reading, ie they only plot the actual consumption once the reading is submitted. I assume the previous meter reading you submitted was around May. The simple way of working it out would be if you know the meter reading from when you started with OVO and deduct that from todays value it will give you the total billed consumption with OVO. If you then add up the consumption shown in the app they should be the same over the whole period.

It does nothing to explain why there is a sudden jump in consumption shown by the meter for last summer if the meter and app data matches but I feel you need to see if this is a billing or consumption issue first. 
 

If there is a sudden change in consumption recorded by the meter with no explanation I would push to get a smart meter fitted, that way you should have no estimated readings and no sudden surprises. 
 

Now that @Tim_OVO  has informed the support team you should hear something from OVO soon.

If things don't change, they stay the same!

Reply


Terms & ConditionsCookie settings