Aclara SMETS2 smart meter communication hub lights - what do the flashing sequences indicate?

Just to say that I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get a reply from the smart meter health check.

I just hope this problem can get resolved as I didn't get anywhere with Scottish Power as they didn't resolve my problem either when I was with them and they ignored my emails as well.

I may have to think about changing supplier when my contract is up next July.

I wish I hadn't got rid of the meter cupboards as the meters are both eyesores and I am not any better off as I still have to give manual meter readings.

I first reported this smart meter problem over a month ago and apart from feedback here on the forum I haven't heard anything from 'official' channels so I have no idea if anything has been done or whether my request is just been ignored.

Even if the Covid19 situation is hampering home visits (if I do indeed need one) it would be nice to have feedback.

Customer service is very important to me and is why I am still with Sky after more than 20 years and why I have recently moved to Sky mobile (from EE) because I have found Sky customer service to be first class.

I have just read a few posts on here and not many smart meter problems seem to get resolved.

@MikeEwrote: “I have just read a few posts on here and not many smart meter problems seem to get resolved.”

That’s an interesting observation. There have been a number of Smart Meter topics to which I have input a substantial contribution. The discussion then goes silent.

In a few cases I’ve followed up the situation with the original complainant in a Private Message. The usual response has been “No one contacted me from OVO, but it suddenly started working OK. I didn’t really have anything I could report back on the Forum”.

I’m becoming convinced that the lack of contact/acknowledgement from OVO staff who solve the issues is having a detrimental effect on the customer-base.

Assuming that @Tim_OVO, @Amy_OVO, @Ed_OVO and the rest of the Moderator Team are going to read this… it’s important to us that when we expend significant time and effort here on the Forum in helping to diagnose what the fault is, that CS do at least provide the complainant with a basic response to say what they’ve done to resolve it.

If CS can’t even be bothered to recontact the customer to say what they’ve done and ask politely if all is now working, then the inevitable result is that customers won’t renew their contracts.

The feedback is every bit as important as CS having arrived at a solution.

@Transparent Yes both you and @Tim_OVO have been very responsive to my problem and, in your particular case, you have spent a lot of time going into detail about the inner workings of how the smart meter system(s) work and I have found your technical information interesting, yes I am a geek lol

@Tim_OVO sent the expert team a set of questions a while ago with no feedback and with the smart meter health check team not responding either, I am beginning to think that customers smart meter problems (perhaps other problems like billing etc) take a back burner.

I just hope I am wrong but I do know that OVO got fined last year for incorrect billing between 2015 and 2018 so it is obvious that it's in OVO's interests that they fix the problems they have with their smart meters !

From the OFCOM article it says:

"The regulator claims Ovo was aware of the problems, did not self-report the majority of the issues and was slow to put things right"

Has anything really changed ?

Also this topic has been marked SOLVED, well it hasn't been solved !

I have had enough I have been making enquiries about switching suppliers.

I know I have to pay 2 x £30 in exit fees but I am not bothered about that. Just waiting now for responses to my emails which should take around 2 working days.

I am moving to NPower. They said they will try and get my existing SMETS2 meters working with their systems.

If they can't get it working they will fit me 2 new smart meters.

I have enjoyed the technical chat on here but won't be posting any more.

Adios 

Thanks for letting us know @MikeE 

You don’t lose your Forum membership by no longer being an OVO customer. You could still ask anything you want here even after you’ve had NPower sort out the meters.

@Tim_OVO- I hope you can mark up this Topic in orange highlighter and shove it across Adrian’s desk!

@Transparent I didn't know that I could continue to be a forum member even when I am no longer an OVO customer.

I thought that my membership would be cancelled !

I have had my say now and in future if I am still allowed to post on here I will not be posting any anti-OVO comments as I don't see the point.

By the way who is Adrian 😆 ?

There’s no problem with you remaining an active user here. Two of the Ninjas (SuperUsers) aren’t actually OVO customers!

There’s some interesting technology coming along in a couple of Trials during the next six months (Air-source heat pumps and PV-driven Storage batteries, both controlled remotely by the Kaluza Flex Platform). You can still enter discussions about these and keep your geek certification alive.

Kaluza is operated as an entirely separate Division so that this technology can be licensed to Energy Suppliers other than just OVO. There’s nothing preventing NPower licensing this technology for their customers.

Adrian is someone within OVO who would be able to knock heads together when he finds out why you didn’t receive responses!

By the way, when you switch suppliers there’s a minimum 14-day cooling-off period stipulated by the Financial Services Act. So if OVO got their act together and resolved your reported issues really quick, you could reappraise your position accordingly without any penalty.

@Transparent- that's a coincidence that you mention heat pumps as my girlfriend has one at her flat along with underfloor heating and it costs her a fortune almost £10 a day in electric.

The brand is NIBE which is Scandinavian I think !?

She is also on a prepayment meter.

She wishes she still had her combi boiler.

Regarding OVO sorting out my smart meter problem before 1st October (that's when I am due to move to E.ON) I won't hold my breathe !

As I said before customer service is very important to me and if I have to take a £60 'hit' I will.

I don't know what NPower customer service is like but the woman I spoke to was very keen to resolve my meter problem.

I will still post on here if I am allowed to :)

@Transparent My girlfriend (Lisa) is with United Welsh (a housing association) and it's a joke. 

They have so many different brands and variants that the engineers don't have a clue what they are doing !

Instead of having (say) 2 models of heat pump installed, making it easier for the engineers to learn functionality, no one engineer knows everything about the whole range of heat pumps !

One engineer was sent a few months ago and he didn't have a clue lol

Another thing is Lisa only has 2 room thermostats (one in the living room, the other in the bedroom) and neither work.

This means it is not possible to prevent her flat getting too hot !

The air is always dry and is normally around 25C all year round, even in a heatwave lol

She is looking to move but so far has not found anything suitable.

By the way, it is 'wet' underfloor heating not dry.

One final thing to say is she has 3 solar panels on her roof but we don't think it is working as on a wall module next to the heat pump, there is a sensor flashing and on a particular screen, we can see that the temperature is listed as __ in her loft, where as the temperature is displayed outside so the temperature monitoring isn't working properly and she has been in this situation since last November when she moved in !

The heat pump is complicated (maybe not for you as you understand technical stuff) not to mention massive, it's as big as an American fridge freezer !

At least she only has electricity to pay for as there is no gas supply at her flat.