Solved

Has my Smart Meter or IHD developed a problem overnight......suddenly seeing a red usage light

  • 13 August 2023
  • 48 replies
  • 1453 views
Show first post

48 replies

A
Rank

Ok so I just said ok to "reset settings"? Was that right?

Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

Not really, that’s kinda like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

You need to change the usage level setting - doing a full reset won’t have any effect.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
A
Rank

Ok so how do I do that?

Firedog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge

I don’t have an IHD like yours, but this may help if the current figure is very wrong: https://sse.co.uk/smart-meters/do-smart-meters-save-money#:~:text=How%20to%20set%20an%20energy%20budget%20in%20your%20In%2DHome%20Display 

Your meter should make sure that the IHD has the right tariff loaded (p/kWh and p/day for the standing charge), so it’s able to convert consumption in kWh to cost in £. 

This won’t stop your speedometer going into the red occasionally, like when you switch the kettle on, but so long as it stays in the green most of the time, you should be all right. If it goes into the red when you’re not expecting it to, something may have gone wrong, so it’s worth checking to see what is switched on. 

 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA
A
Rank

Many thanks. Appreciate your advice.

 

M
Rank
Userlevel 4

Sorry but I think there is confusion here now about what constitutes a problem with the red usage light

I believe  Jessic and Ia are talking abot the light that appears at the bottom centre of the IHD. In my case, this is the light that previously shone amber in off peak times, but has now switched to red. It will only affect the instant usage ‘speedometer’

I thought we had agreed that this could well be due to an incorrectly set register in the meter and would probably need an engineer visit? So your house switches on an off peak heating circuit but it gets matched against a peak rate tariff. Result - an instant red high usage light

The user set daily budget (say £6) only affects the daily usage speedo and will turn red as you exceed the budget - but this is a different thing entirely imho

If I’m wrong, I can handle it and I apologise, but please specify which user-changeable IHD setting can be altered to fix this problem.  I really dont think its that easy a fix

Adeline - if you dont mind me asking, what energy plan are you on?

 

M
Rank
Userlevel 4

Well Ive done my load test now three times and I think it confirms the problem of an incorrectly matched tariff

  1. Just before going to bed, ensure everything in flat is off or on standby
  2. On or around 11pm, turn on off peak switch in immersion cupboard…...make a note of readings on meter
  3. 7 am next morning, turn off the off peak switch, note readings

Three times same result…...off peak readings increase by 1, peak readings increase by 6 or 7. The hours between 1am and 6am are supposed to be off-peak

If I leave the immersion switched off all day, the peak readings only alter by 3 or 4 ALL DAY

Re the advice givem to Adeline, Im curious to know which of the user changeable settings on the IHD will alter the red usage light (not the instant usage speedometer)?

BPLightlog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Hi @MikeMilf , there are no user adjustable limits for that as far as I’m aware

Independent volunteer - Sitting in a Faraday cage, waiting for a signal
M
Rank
Userlevel 4

Then im really confused now….you said to her

“you need to change the usage level setting….doing a full reset wont have any effect”

Think I best keep out of it

 

BPLightlog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Then im really confused now….you said to her

“you need to change the usage level setting….doing a full reset wont have any effect”

Think I best keep out of it

 

That wasn’t one of my responses so I’ll let others reply. On the IHD, the colour levels aren’t usually a user setting option for instantaneous usage

Independent volunteer - Sitting in a Faraday cage, waiting for a signal
M
Rank
Userlevel 4

My apologies for the error….Been looking at meter readings too much, must have made my eyes wonky lol

Im going to do a couple more load tests this week, by which time Jessica may have had some feedback. Failing that I will just have to make contact with CS

I do wish when you filled in that online support form they gave you a ticket number for your query

 

Firedog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge

Im curious to know which of the user changeable settings on the IHD will alter the red usage light (not the instant usage speedometer)?

It’s explained on the SSE help page:

From the home screen of the In-Home Display, use the Left and Right arrows to switch to Energy today. From here you can see how the energy use for today compares with the budget you've set.

Press the O button and change the value between cost as pounds an hour and energy in kilowatt hours (kWh).

For electricity use, you can also look for the coloured LEDs that appear beneath the O button. When the LED is green it means you are under your target. If it's amber (orange) it means you're on track to meet your target. When it turns red, you've gone over your target.

 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA
M
Rank
Userlevel 4

Firedog

Please forgive me but I think you are wrong.

I am only interested in the light that comes on underneath the O button as that has been the warning I noticed that my usage wasnt as it should be

The usage budget you mention is only of relevance to the  daily usage speedo dial, it has no effect at all on the instant usage dial, so that is no use as a warning, and is certainly not linked to the O button light

As a test, I set my daily budget to 0.01

The instant usage speedo was completely unchanged at 0.12 and the arrow still pointed to green

The daily usage speedo did of course turn red as I was 99% (at least) over my daily budget

Importantly, the O button stayed green as only 0.12/hr is being used. If I go boil a kettle it goes red for the duration, then back to green

I firmly believe that the O button light (the one you instantly see) is set by whatever your instant usage is, and is not related to daily budgets. That is why it is affected by incorrect tariffs kicking in at the wrong times

Im not arguing for the sake of it mate as youve been so helpful. I just needed to point this out to you

Edit - changed my daily usage budget back to what it was and the daily usage speedo went back to green. The instant speedo and O trade light stayed exactly as they were

(Sorry again)

 

 

Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

It’s a Geo IHD right? You need to change the Usage Level setting to High if you have stuff like Storage Heaters.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
M
Rank
Userlevel 4

Sorry I feel we are now going round in circles and acheiving nothing

The O light that used to show orange when my offpeak circuit came on, now shows red.

The tariff shown on my IHD is the reverse of what it should be, and my load tests bear that out

At no stage did I touch the stored budget, so that hasnt caused anything

Instant usage that used to show at around 85p/hr now shows at £1.30  because the wrong tariff is being applied

I think id best leave it at that. Dont want to fall out with anyone

Firedog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge

Firedog

Please forgive me but I think you are wrong.

 

That’s quite possible, so I’m sorry if what I quoted isn’t helpful. I wonder if we’re talking about different models of IHD?

  

As a test, I set my daily budget to 0.01

 

The page I referred to makes no mention of setting a ‘daily budget’. That doesn’t mean the function doesn’t exist on the device the page is describing, just that whoever wrote the text perhaps didn’t give the whole picture and ended up misleading both of us. 

 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA
M
Rank
Userlevel 4

Firedog

Please forgive me but I think you are wrong.

 

That’s quite possible, so I’m sorry if what I quoted isn’t helpful. I wonder if we’re talking about different models of IHD?

 

Hey Firedog….please dont apologise. You make me feel bad now because you have done nothing but be helpful

All I will say is that on my Geo IHD, there is a menu option to set a daily budget. I do not think this has any link to the O light that first got me thinking something wasnt right. On my IHD the O light is just a representation  of whether instant usage costs are low/medium/high. Obviously if instant usage is being linked to an incorrectly set tariff, then I think that will be the cause of my problem

Where is Jessica the Tech Lady when we need her….I need to hear further tales of her chats with CS lol…. Im not exactly relishing the thought of running all this past a switchboard person in CS. Would rather speak to a techie-type who would instantly recognise the problem weve identified

Once again Firedog, my apologies if any unintended offence was caused

 

 

 

Firedog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge

Once again Firedog, my apologies if any unintended offence was caused …

 

No need - I wasn’t offended, and it takes a lot more than being told I’m wrong to offend me (it’s too often true 🙂).

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA
T
Rank

I have been away for two weeks, so hence not using hardly any  electric. 

Come back to put the kettle on, to find that the dial jumps up to the red, I have never experienced the dial going into the red, are they charging me more to make up for the two weeks i have been away???!!

BPLightlog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Hi @Tracy Chesney , the indication on the IHD (in home display) does not affect your plan rates. You can check these here https://account.ovoenergy.com/plan

Independent volunteer - Sitting in a Faraday cage, waiting for a signal
Emmanuelle_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

Hey @Tracy Chesney,

 

Welcome to the OVO Online Community,

 

BPLightlog has given a helpful suggestion here. If the rates on your IHD are incorrect you can ask the support team for a ‘tariff configuration’. Don’t worry the rates on the IHD won’t affect your billing.

 

If you’ve recently switched providers, it may be the IHD has re-set to it’s factory settings.

 

 

Hope this helps.

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
M
Rank
Userlevel 4

Took a break from monitoring readings as to be honest I was getting a bit obsessive lol

Received my first months bill since the switch from SEB and surprisingly it was only £12.44 (yeah right). They have only billed me for the daily standing charge, but no actual usage despite all my readings being on the website.

When I rang CS to raise a query I was (tersely) told that I had already been informed that the initial six weeks were subject to “validation”. Yeah ok, but there was no mention of this causing delayed billing…..

Needless to say I have not heard from tech support about the online form I submitted re incorrect tariffs. Then again, it hasnt been the forty-five days they said I would have to wait. Even if I wanted to chase it up I cant as they dont issue a ticket reference.

I shall continue my regular prayers to the electricity fairy that all this will sort itself out with me having to spend hours on hold, like I did frequently with SEB

 

Fingers crossed eh

Emmanuelle_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

Hey @MikeMilf,

 

Sorry to hear this, 

 

It can take 6 weeks to get your first bill when switching from a new supplier as the opening/closing readings need to be validated by the industry.

 

Once this time period has elapsed please contact the support team if you haven’t received a proper statement. 

 

In regards to the results from your load test, I’m not sure of an online form you can fill in for this? I’d advise calling the support team about this and they can get it raised to the right team if you haven’t done so already.

 

I hope this gets resolved for you soon. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.

Reply


Terms & ConditionsCookie settings