A relative has had a smart electricity meter installed at their property. They’re now looking to get the gas one changed too. They’re wondering if access to the electricity meter (likely the cellular hub) is needed when a smart gas meter is installed?
The electricity meter is inside, under the stairs, while the gas meter is about 3m away, mounted on an external wall outside.
As the electricity meter is under the stairs, and they use that space for storage (nothing flammable or likely to catch fire if anything were to happen!), it is an absolute faff to empty that area.
If access is needed to scan the barcodes on the cellular hub, such as the CHF or GPF ID, will a picture of the meter suffice? There is a little viewing window in the wooden panelling so the meter can be seen and numbers verified, but impossible the barcode be read by a scanner at that distance.
They’re not with OVO (I am, however) so thought I’d ask here. Their gas is with British Gas, and electric is with EDF (they’re not interested in switching - no matter how much convincing I’ve tried)
Unfortunately it’s not a clear cut answer, but here’s advice from one of the experts:
It depends. So the dependency is on the signal to the gas meter from the location of the electricity meter where the Communication Hub is situated.
The fact you have different suppliers adds complexity but doesn't affect it all being possible. It also depends on the process the installer follows.. they WILL need the details of the Comms Hub Function in the Gas meter (it's a code on the Communication Hub needed to join to the Gas meter) to set up the Gas meter and get it joined but may not need to scan those locally.. some do, some don't... the key deciding factor is if the gas cannot connect and a Dual Band Communication Hub is needed.
That will require a process known as ‘Trust Centre Swap Out’ to replace the single band Communication Hub and replace it... so the Gas meter can connect and work... to 'punch' a signal through the wall... having both fuels with the same supplier is easier but not explicitly required as it's designed to work with separate suppliers.
Hi @strategic_goose , it might depend on the engineer at the time. The information needed is already logged against the property but some engineers prefer to double check by having access as you describe. If it were me, I’d make sure there was access, just in case
I assume the electricity consumer unit will be accessible so the engineer can turn off the electricity supply? Is this also blocked in?
I agree, best to make sure everything is accessible.
Although in many cases it works fine to have separate suppliers for gas and electricity for smart meters, there are customers who have struggled with IHD , but obviously your relative doesn't want to switch.
Unfortunately it’s not a clear cut answer, but here’s advice from one of the experts:
It depends. So the dependency is on the signal to the gas meter from the location of the electricity meter where the Communication Hub is situated.
The fact you have different suppliers adds complexity but doesn't affect it all being possible. It also depends on the process the installer follows.. they WILL need the details of the Comms Hub Function in the Gas meter (it's a code on the Communication Hub needed to join to the Gas meter) to set up the Gas meter and get it joined but may not need to scan those locally.. some do, some don't... the key deciding factor is if the gas cannot connect and a Dual Band Communication Hub is needed.
That will require a process known as ‘Trust Centre Swap Out’ to replace the single band Communication Hub and replace it... so the Gas meter can connect and work... to 'punch' a signal through the wall... having both fuels with the same supplier is easier but not explicitly required as it's designed to work with separate suppliers.
Unfortunately it’s not a clear cut answer, but here’s advice from one of the experts:
It depends. So the dependency is on the signal to the gas meter from the location of the electricity meter where the Communication Hub is situated.
The fact you have different suppliers adds complexity but doesn't affect it all being possible. It also depends on the process the installer follows.. they WILL need the details of the Comms Hub Function in the Gas meter (it's a code on the Communication Hub needed to join to the Gas meter) to set up the Gas meter and get it joined but may not need to scan those locally.. some do, some don't... the key deciding factor is if the gas cannot connect and a Dual Band Communication Hub is needed.
That will require a process known as ‘Trust Centre Swap Out’ to replace the single band Communication Hub and replace it... so the Gas meter can connect and work... to 'punch' a signal through the wall... having both fuels with the same supplier is easier but not explicitly required as it's designed to work with separate suppliers.
Thank you (and thank you to those who have responded) - that’s super interesting about needing a comms hub switch to punch through the external wall. Looks like I’ll have another day of removing stuff out from under the stairs and banging my head.
Given that the meter (and hub) were installed a few days ago, could it be the case a dual band variant had already installed? Or are single band ones routinely being installed and dual band where needed? No matter if not, this is just purely for my curiosity.
The comms hub is a Toshiba SKU1 with UKCA marking so it must have been manufactured after 1 Jan 2023. If I take their IHD outside to where the gas meter is, I get a reading of -69dBm, though I’m not sure if the gas meter would use the same transmit method/frequency as comms hub to IHD.
I’d imagine a dual band comms hub would only be installed if the gas can’t connect. But the only way to check this for sure would be by speaking to the installer or smart metering team.
This topic has some information about Toshiba SKU1 Cellular Comms Hub:
Can anyone enlighten me regarding what is involved in fitting a gas smart meter? Does it replace an existing old-type gas meter or is it additional to the original? How does it work if my existing gas meter is outside on the ground and I am in a 2nd floor flat?
Also, can I have just a gas smart meter but not an electric one?
Why can’t it go inside and the original left in place?
I don’t want my electric meter replaced as it’s in a convenient place indoors in my flat. Why can’t I just have a gas smart meter? I only want a gas smart meter to save me having to go outside to get a reading!
Because that’s how it works. Both meters will be swapped in-situ - they won’t be moved because they need to be in the same places as the existing wiring and pipework.
The gas meter connects to a comms hub above the electric meter. Without the electric, the gas can’t communicate and won’t work.
I’m afraid I don’t understand what exactly you mean by ‘comms hub’. And what do you mean by ‘sits above’, exactly? Do you have a photo example or link?
Does this help, it’s all done by wireless signals:
A bit, thanks. I think I’m concerned that the smart gas meter would be outside, 2 floors down, and the electric meter is inside the flat and in a cupboard. Might there be issues with the gas meter being at a distance and with the fabric of the building in between?
Ok. Well I’m not in a high-rise - I’m in the top floor! A couple of floors ‘doable’? Does that equate to guaranteed? Does all the above still apply just the same in Scotland?
For Alt-HAN? Piece of cake. It has absolutely massive ranges when installed correctly.
As this is the HAN side and relates to the local signal between the devices in/near your property, it works everywhere, Scotland included.
With that in mind… A Dual-Band Comms Hub will probably also work. If it does, that’s generally slightly easier to deploy and tends to be the preferred option.
I hope our community members’ advice has been helpful.
You can look into having the gas meter moved first, but it doesn’t sound like it’s necessary, at least not in terms of the technology that would be installed. If the engineers have an issue with connectivity when they come to install, they’ll let you know, but it sounds like it should be okay. Personally, I’m in a poor signal area, but have yet to have a problem with my smart meters so even if coverage is poor it doesn’t mean it won’t work.
As out members mentioned, any meter exchange would replace the existing meter and relocating a meter requires separate work to be carried out. You can find more about this on these helpful topics below:
Hi, reading the answers, I’m a bit surprised. I have a similar issue—my gas meter is installed outside the building, on the ground floor, and my electricity meter is inside, on the first floor. Physically, they are not that far away, but there could be a couple of walls between them. The engineer told me they were too far away, and there will be a connection issue. Could it be that the engineer in my case was wrong? Or has the technology improved, maybe? (Cannot complain about the engineer, though. During his visit I got accidentally locked out – my housing association was useless, it was he who assisted me while I was sorting this out).
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