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Are there any disadvantages to getting a smart meter?

Are there any disadvantages to getting a smart meter?
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Blastoise186
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The other thing to note is that when you agree to have Smart Meters installed, you are also agreeing to allow them to run in Smart Mode with full functionality enabled from day 1. While there are edge cases where it might not work - and the supplier will not penalise you for running into one - you still have to let them try to get it going as intended.

The ability to disable Comms on S1 Meters has also been removed as part of the DCC Migration - you can no longer request that either.


TomThumb
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I’ve received several communications from ovo over the last few months, asking me to book my smart meter installation.

I’m not exactly looking forward to having my traditional gas meter replaced by a smart meter, but I know this will happen eventually.

My current setup is 3 meters, a smart elec / gas + a traditional gas meter.

Several years ago when my smart meters were installed, the extra gas supply meter was deemed to be to far away from the comms hub to be linked (100m ) plus having 2 smart gas meters linked a single comms unit was in doubt, as it might or might not work depending on who you spoke to.

 

Have things changed much with smets 2 comms hubs,

A: has any progress been made with range & connectivity issues ?

B: will the comms hub now support 2 smart gas meters ?

C: if the comms hub supports this extra meter, dose ovo’s billing platform ?
(big issues in the past with 3 meters on 1 account with ovo)

 

The biggest issue for me is taking a manual reading from a smart meter.

Currently I aim my camera on my mobile at the dials on my traditional gas meter, take a pic & read it from there. most angles I can see the reading.

Having had to read my smart meters in the past when comms failed was bad enough, the glare on the led panel when talking a pic, the need to have the camera directly in line with the reading to get a legible pic, not knowing what info the display is showing, the traditional gas meter being at floor level, even if I got that low I would never get back up.

Any advice most welcome.

 

Tom…


Blastoise186
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Hey! Welcome back!

If memory serves, Gas-First installs are now supported via the use of hot-shoes where the Comms Hub is put on a fancy gadget that sits near the existing (traditional) Electricity Meter and works from there - the Electric Smart Meter can then be added later and the Comms Hub moved to live on top of that as it would normally. I don’t see why this can’t be used in your case. Likewise, it should support your three-meter setup just fine as each comms hub would only be running no more than one ESME and one GSME. OVO’s billing system should handle it as long as it’s handling your current setup via the magic tricks that I recall being implemented for you previously.

Dual-Band Comms Hubs now exist - so range issues aren’t so bad and with AltHAN being restored to availability soon, range issues should be a thing of the past.


TomThumb
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Cheers ​@Blastoise186  I did have to Google hot shoes!!!

cant find a full spec sheet re: insulation.

The only drawback being not able to install the extra equipment next to my existing electrical supply & smart meters as mentioned in all the references I found online.

Because of this traditional meters location, in a detached garage 100m away from my current smart meters, all additional equipment ie: comms unit & hot shoes would only be able to draw power from a domestic 3 pin socket. 

Tom…


Blastoise186
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Could you show us the photos of the meters again real quick? Sorry to be a pain, but it’s been a few years and I could do with a refresher.


TomThumb
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@Blastoise186 my 2 smart meters & my traditional gas meter 


Tom…


Blastoise186
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Hmm… Tight squeeze…

I’m not sure a hot-shoe will fit there and I’m afraid it’s the only way to power a second Comms Hub… You may have to move the electric meter to get this working


TomThumb
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@Blastoise186 As mentioned, the 100m distance from this traditional gas meter & the comms unit had been the original reason it had not been swapped out for a smart meter.

They never got to test if the setup would actually work with 3 smart meters.


Is there anything new out there to boost the signal from the gas meter?

Could the comms unit & system platform handle the extra smart meter even they could overcome the distance & connection limitations.

 

Tom…


Blastoise186
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There is. Luke tells me that he’s managed stupidly long distances with Dual-Band Comms Hubs, and at for at least one install he managed to pull off triple the distance like it was nothing. Other engineers have told me the same too. It is likely that a DBCH could blast 100m easily. :)

As for everything else, let me grab my new Sekrit Weapon… ​@Benjamin_OVO ...


Hey all, appreciate the message.

 

Unfortunately I'm going to say straight away this ones a no go.

1 MPAN for 2 gas meters is currently unable to be done due to the way the accounts are set up.

Also there is very restricted room for a hot shoe device.

What I'm going to say now probably seems counter intuitive but you should go ahead with the smart install booking, reason for this is if an engineer comes out and surveys it and it can't be done we stop sending you comms. Cheers


TomThumb
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Thanks for the reply ​@Lukepeniket_OVO & ​@Blastoise186 

At least I know where I stand now, a dumb meter it shall be.

 

 Rather than call an engineer out for a failed smart meter installation,

would you be happy for me to quote your post ​@Lukepeniket_OVO to customer service, so they can add it to my account notes?

Cheers

Tom…


Blastoise186
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Go for it! You’re always welcome to refer OVO Support to discussions that were held here. :)


Yeah bud absolutely, if the care team want to reach out to me then just give them my name and field team manager.


TomThumb
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Cheers for that both, much appreciated 👍

 

Tom…


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How do I stop being asked by OVO about installing a smart meter. There are nearly 4 million smart meters in the UK not working properly, why would anyone want to join the queue.

I cannot conceive a single advantage in having one, and the thought that someone can switch the meter off without visiting you, plus they may not even be in this country.

And finally I have a dear friend with a smart meter, his boiler stopped working on Christmas eve fortunately he had Boiler Insurance, they came out immediately and identified the fault was his Smart Meter, which they were not allowed to touch, so he had no heating, no cooker, until the week after Christmas.

I rest my case. 


  • Carbon Cutter**
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  • January 15, 2025
Geoff Dickson wrote:

I cannot conceive a single advantage in having one, and the thought that someone can switch the meter off without visiting you, plus they may not even be in this country.

What do you mean by that? Who may not even be in this country – energy supplier or the user?


nealmurphy
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Why would you not want to save money?


waltyboy
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The “not working properly” complaint is a bit of a red herring: every electricity consumer has to have a working meter to accurately measure electricity consumption. Billing and ultimately supply would be impossible with 4 million UK household meters not working properly.

 

Perhaps you mean that for some users some (or all) of their smart meter’s smart features (or meters’, as consumers with electricity and gas usually have an additional gas smart meter communicating with their electricity meter) may not be working properly?  Worst case scenario in that case surely is that by “not working properly” you mean a smart meter may be no better than any of the soon-to-be-phased out non-smart meters? They can still be read in the normal way and readings submitted etc.  When consumers find it difficult or even impossible to access or read their meters, they can ask for regular meter readers to call, as used to happen for all of us once upon a time.
 

I must say the idea of a gas boiler keeling over because of a smart meter is puzzling, though. That would be extremely alarming for any user. Perhaps it’s not so much that your friend’s meter was maliciously exhibiting malfeasance of some kind but rather, for example, was not properly set up, or maybe was a (difficult, by all accounts) replacement for a THTC meter? I’m pleased you report they got it sorted a few days later, albeit having undoubtedly had their Christmas marred somewhat.  Did your friend say what the solution was? Hopefully it didn’t involve ripping the thing out and replacing it with a dumb meter.


Personally, though, I’m very happy with the performance of my smart meter, as it gives me much more accessible information than was possible with the old meter.  I can see half-hourly usage figures for electricity and for gas, which I find invaluable. And I do like the current £12 monthly OVO incentive to switch my electricity consumption away from peak periods. Given my relatively low use (we’re a pensioner couple), that incentive of an “extra” 50 kWh or so of electricity every month is a very significant target chunk for us to aim for, impossible without a smart meter.

All the very best for the New Year, and hopefully a warm house again for your friend….


  • Carbon Cutter*****
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  • January 16, 2025

Thank you for the new year wishes, and the same for you. I take on board what you say about reading the smart meter never having had one I cannot comment. My friends problem was the Smart Meter turned the gas supply off, consequently the boiler had no gas so wouldn’t work. unfortunately his boiler insurance did not cover the smart meter, another problem I have is that I live out in the sticks, which means I can barely get a Smart Phone signal, I assume the Meter would need a constant signal?, and finally being in my 80s do not like new technology, especially if it has been made in China and can be turned off from China.

Fortunately trying to cover all bases, I have a 25KW log burner, plus electric Showers, as well as boiler run showers.

Take care and thank you for the reply.


waltyboy
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Thanks Geoff, I take your point about the communication angle with smart meters.  And we did have initial teething problems with ours, I readily admit. But the initial struggles turn out now to have been well worth it.  And of course in any event the old style meters are due to be finished with completely. 
 

I, too, rely heavily on a couple of log burners which help enormously.  Both, I hasten to add, are DEFRA approved.  Our gas usage actually increases in the summer months (no woodburner kettle or cooking)!  And the log preparation and stacking during the summer and carting in during the winter certainly is good for us.  

 

In the West we’ve farmed out so much of our manufacturing to China that I’ve become accustomed now to PRC produced goods, and they generally seem fine to me. The house is full of the stuff, from consumer units to mobile ‘phone to clothing; mind you, I do draw the line at Chinese wood burners! Our small Danish-made cast iron stove is excellent, and our even smaller English steel and cast iron one is not bad at all. 
 

Can you remember all the furore in the sixties when Japanese “mass produced” stuff appeared? In 1970 for £40 I bought my first motorbike, a 1946 Norton single cylinder 500CC (“guaranteed to climb any hill in England”) which I absolutely loved, but I had (have) respect for the excellent Honda 50, 90 and 250 which unfortunately were so good and reliable (and cheap) that in the end they did for all our wonderful AJS, Norton, BSA etc. although of course the era of UK motorcycling for the working man (person, I should say) as a main means of getting about was drawing to a close then anyway.  Possibly the current crop of Chinese MG and BYD etc. will soon answer the needs of many EV drivers in just the same way. I can’t afford yet to go electric, in spite of the temptingly low running costs and the compelling environmental considerations, particularly as our plucky little 18-year old Clio is still going strong, but price will be the main factor for us if and when the day comes.

 

Take lots of care, look after yourself, and from one septuagenarian to one octogenarian, all the very best….Walt


Ben_OVO
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  • January 16, 2025

Hi ​@Geoff Dickson 

 

Thanks for your post. I’m linking in an old post below as it has lots of handy info regarding smart meters:

 

 

As ​@waltyboy has handily pointed out

 

the initial struggles turn out now to have been well worth it.  And of course in any event the old style meters are due to be finished with completely. 
 

 

What I’ll add personally, is that smart meters, like any technology, can have issues and teething problems. However, like with many other pieces of tech, you often only ever hear the horror stories! I’ve had smart meters for years and have never had a problem. I know my bills are exact to my usage, and I know my bills will be accurate if I’m away on holiday etc.

 

We’ve installed hundreds of thousands of smart meters and the vast majority haven’t had any issues. We’ve dealt with far more issues relating to older traditional meters, as they’re less advanced and can run into all sorts of issues that we don’t see with smart meters. 

 

Have a think about it - they’re not mandatory, however they’re the only style of meters being manufactured now in the UK. If you have them installed they can make your life easier, and you’ll also be aiding our path to Plan Zero. Smart meters don’t just help customers, they help the UK Energy Industry to know exactly how much energy is being used, therefore how much energy must be provided, thus keeping costs down for everyone! 😁

 

If you aren't happy with the amount of calls and emails you’re receiving about having smart meters installed, reach out to our Support Team and they’ll put a stop to it for you.

 


Blastoise186
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Also worth noting that in the UK, Smart Meters run on 100% private infrastructure that cannot be accessed from the Public Internet - it’s pretty much completely airgapped, isolated, firewalled and sealed off. Access to any of it from China is, as a matter of course, completely blocked as well. There is no possible way anyone outside the UK can just randomly mess with it.

If you really wanna avoid Chinese stuff, it’s complicated but for a start you’ll have to avoid using Huawei phones (or any of the other Chinese brands like Oppo, Lenovo, Motorola, HONOR, TCL or OnePlus) which means you’ll probably want to go with something like Samsung (South Korea) Google Pixel (USA), Sony (USA/Japan), Nothing (UK), Apple (USA) or HMD Global (Finland).

You’ll also need to get rid of your “free” ISP Router (except you actually pay for it via dark patterns) because many of those come from Chinese brands like Arcadyan (other other cheapies like Sagemcomm or Technicolor) and migrate to either Ubiquiti UniFi, Netgear or some other non-Chinese brand. And that means you’ll need to understand how to set up and use them - they’re not impossible but I have to be honest… Don’t choose your own router and expect it to be totally Plug-N-Play - some manual setup is required to get them going, as well as regular maintenance (such as firmware updates) which requires action on your part unless the device automates everything for you. The only reason the ISP ones set themselves up automatically is because of the deep integration with said ISP - which is also why they become e-Waste if you leave that ISP for another.

Long story short… It’s far more complicated than just “get rid of all Chinese stuff from my life in one fell swoop”...


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