Alt-han any update on the rolling out?

Hi ​@Biohazardx9 ,

As I understand things, Alt-HAN is either back in play or very close to being ready. Bear with me and I’ll ask for an update on Monday.

Many thanks. - Also updated my forum profile with my smart meter details for electric and gas and other information.

No worries. The Forum Moderators have picked up this thread and are happy to look for answers.

Hang in there for a bit and we’ll keep you informed.

Hey ​@Biohazardx9 & ​@Blastoise186, 

I've contacted our infrastructure team internally for an update. I had planned to visit the metering lab last week to check on things, but it didn't happen. Neil is out of the office today, so I'll let you know more once he responds.

Thanks for flagging ​@Blastoise186

Thanks Chris for your reply.

Happy to wait for more info.

Thanks

I don’t need the plug through. How do I order?

You should be able to simply request a Smart Meter as normal. If the engineer thinks Alt-HAN would benefit you, they’ll equip you with one.

ok I already have smart meters as per my old provider. I just need alt-han so I should phone up for this?

Engineer booked. Thankyou for your time and help, very much apprciated.

at long last i may now see the useage of my gas...

No worries!

If you need us for anything else, feel free to stop by.

Oh, and if you fancy helping out too - you’re totally welcome to do that. We can’t pay you hard cash, but we do appreciate the support. :)

For sure I don't mind. 

Definitely when it comes to alt han etc. 

Thanks

Brilliant news!!! Thanks for keeping us posted ​@Biohazardx9 😊 & thanks Chris & Blastoise for looking into this.

Just a follow up. 

It's finally in! Got a new ihd (chameleon ihd3 which imo is much better )

So well done ovo, first class. Every other provider treated me like an idiot. You guys actually wanted to fix the problem. 

So my first reading today. And my alt han configuration is as follows:

SM <- - > B1 <----p/l------> B3 <------LRR-----> B4 <--> G/SM

Mixed of han, powerline, and LRR. 

Good morning ​@Biohazardx9, I hope you’re well.

This is fantastic news about the successful installation, and many thanks for your positive feedback - always nice to hear 😁. You can get a user guide for your IHD3 via the Chameleon website here, and included below is our Forum Topic Hub for smart meters and IHDs:

Fingers crossed everything is set up and working correctly - let us know if you have any further questions!

Cheers.

Just got to wait for my account to show the correct meter now. Give me a moment I need to update my profile as the itron is gone.

Engineer worked his socks off in the rain swapping that. I don't know his name but ovo can you give the guy something because he deserves it. I'm currently at home suffering bells palsy so can't get out much at the moment. 

I like the chameleon ihd3 as it's easy on the eye and from a user perspective simple to use (dad's got one the same and he's over 70 and finds it easy he also with ovo and also recently had his eco7 smart meter installed again same excellent result. Doesn't have to head out to top up anymore) 

​@Biohazardx9 I’ll send you over a private message, I’ll be able to find out who the engineer was and make sure that your feedback has been passed on.

If there’s vulnerabilities within your household, or your father’s household, then it might be worth signing up to the Priority Services Register. You can find out more about this and sign up here. I’m also linking you to these Forum articles, which are handy if you have PAYG smart meters:

It can take up to six weeks for the new smart meter details to be updated on your account following a meter exchange, however the process is normally a lot quicker. If the meters are set to PAYG, then they won’t go off supply until the details are updated, at which point you’ll receive an email letting you know how to top up the meters. If you’d ever prefer to switch over to be a pay monthly customer we can do this for you remotely - you’d just need to call our Support Team who would get the meters reconfigured and discuss tariff and payment options with you. 

I hope this helps!

Mines already appeared and it's definitely on the correct dashboards (was able to see via the meter network that it's live) and it's now in my ovo account. 

Just a reading from the meter to go. 

Very happy as I can now see what I'm using with the gas! 

(only 66p total yesterday!)

Since the install, my ihd has locked onto booster B3 of the alt han so I get a full signal in the living room. 

So. Given ovo has bent over backwards to help me out, I think I'll quite happily stay as a customer for the foorseable future. Especially as the dashboard is very good. (it's like a prepayment system and everyday I see it go down as I use it but it's not prepayment it's credit - a genius idea!)

As for priority register, my parents were always on that, my brother is special needs and still lives with my dad. Mum was always against technology so never had a smart meter. Passed away last year, so this year I got the meter in. 

Yup, it’s great isn’t it? So much easier to keep track when it runs on a live balance! :D

​@Biohazardx9 just to let you know I’ve managed to find the engineer who carried out the installation and have passed on your kind words - they pass on their thanks! 😁

If a smart meter installation does’nt go to plan due to the meter being in a riser and it not being capable of sending the signal to the house /.flat unit - what is the next alternative seeing as you can not and should not install old expired meters? 
 

also can you reinstall out of certification meters or is that frowned upon / against regulations ?

Hi ​@WeblyRa9 ,

As long as the Smart Meter itself can function, that’s the most important thing. The IHD in your flat is just an accessory. There’s things like Alt-HAN that can get the system fully operational though.

Meters that are on expired certifications CANNOT be re-used for legal reasons unless they’re re-certified.

There is no problem fitting a brand new smart meter, and it can usually still connect to the network and send readings in.
If for some reason it can’t connect to the network then you can still read it and send the readings in, exactly the same as you do with a not-smart meter.

However you seem to be talking here about a different issue which is sending a signal from the smart meter to an In Home Display (IHD) in the more distant flats.

The solution for that is called ‘Alt Han’ and it’s been in use for a while now.

A common type has a sender-unit that plugs into an electrical socket near the meter(s) that then sends signals through the electrical wiring to a receiver-unit which is plugged into a socket in the flat.
That second unit then broadcasts a Zigbee radio signal to your IHD so that you can read the meter and see what energy you are using without leaving your flat.

https://althanco.com/what-we-do/

Meters that are on expired certifications CANNOT be re-used for legal reasons unless they’re re-certified.
 

what about if it’s a crossed meter issue and both meters were expired / uncertified would the switch take place or would a smart meter need to be installed for both neighbours 

Gotcha. In that situation, Smart Meters would likely be installed for both properties once the cross-meter issue is resolved.

But you need to fix the cross-meter problem first.