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Pedromot
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May 21, 2017
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How far apart can my meters be to allow a smart meter upgrade?

  • May 21, 2017
  • 144 replies
  • 44399 views

My gas meter is just outside my home but the electricity meter is in a communal building about 20 metres away.


I understand that a Smart Meter works by radio, so would it work on my installation?

Best answer by Tim_OVO

Updated on 13/05/26 by Chris_OVO

 

Great question to ask for those considering a smart meter installation.

 

As your gas meter needs to be able connect via a Home-Area Network (HAN) to the smart meter communications (comms) hub, which is attached to your electricity meter, we’d only advise getting a gas smart meter installed if it’s within 18 metres of your electricity meter. If you’ve got an appointment booked and your meters are further apart, you may find that the engineer’s only able to replace your electricity meter.

 

If you already have dual smart meters installed and are having gas meter communication issues, we may be able to upgrade your comms hub to a dual band comms hub which has a slightly larger range than the standard comms hub. In order to check whether this is a option for you we’d recommend carrying out a smart meter health check for your meter type below and contacting our Support Team with the results.

 

 

 

OVO customer but not got a smart meter yet? - Book today!

Interested but not yet an OVO customer? - Check out our plans!

144 replies

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A
Anonymous
February 21, 2018
There isn't a policy in place when it comes to fitting smart meters in flats @Transparent

@stevep7 if you wanted to have smart meters installed, we would certainly look into arranging an appointment for you. However, we do want to make you aware that there's a strong possibility that the smart meters won't be able to communicate with us. If this happens the meters would lose their smart functionality, and revert back to operating as traditional meters.

Thanks,
Emily
Transparent
Rank 20
Transparent
Rank 20
February 21, 2018
That sounds good, @Emily_OVO.
Since @stevep7's electricity meter is the one in the upstairs flat, if the gas meter below it is unable to communicate via the HAN (Zigbee 2.4GHz), surely it will only be that gas meter which reverts to non-Smart operation, won't it?

In the link provided by @Tim_OVO at the top of this page, your Guidance Notes imply that it is the electricity meter which operates as the Master unit, sending data to OVO via the DCC. The gas meter simply sends it's data to the Smart Electricity Meter to be relayed on.

This makes sense because the gas meter uses an internal battery, whereas the electricity Smart Meter obviously has access to mains power. Thus the electricity meter is better suited to send the higher power signals to/fro the wider GSM network.

If @stevep7's electricity meter can communicate with his nearest mobile phone mast, then won't it still operate in Smart Mode even if it can't listen to the gas meter below it?

Or have I misunderstood those Guidance Notes?
Save energy... recycle electrons!
A
Anonymous
February 22, 2018
That's right @Transparent it's the electricity meter that sends the readings to OVO. So if @stevep7 's electricity smart meter was able to communicate with us -
but the gas wasn't, only the gas meter would lose it's smart functionality and need to be read manually. ^Emily
C
Newcomer
CoraDias
Newcomer
March 15, 2018
Hi..i am a new user here. As per my knowledge it really does depend on your individual property and the location of the meter, whether there are obstructions or not so on and so forth. The only way to actually find out would be to schedule your installation of your smart meters for both gas and electric and the engineer will assess whether you would be able to have a smart meter for your electric.
    S
    Newcomer
    sethmthomas
    Newcomer
    October 19, 2019

    A smart meter was installed on 18th June 2019.  The installer said that the distance between the new meter and the gas meter was too far for the gas to be read but I would be contacted when an intermediate relay would be installed. I have not heard anything since then and although I have been submitting gas readings every month I have only been charged for electricity.

    Could someone please tell me what’s happening.

     

    Tim_OVO
    OVO Staff
    Tim_OVO
    OVO Forum Legend
    October 24, 2019

    We can sort out a signal relay @sethmthomas - see above for more info on what this does. 

     

    Chase up yours (which will be posted out to you) via webchat on the Help Centre.

    Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
    Transparent
    Rank 20
    Transparent
    Rank 20
    October 24, 2019

    I’m a little puzzled by what the Installer told you @sethmthomas.

    I would expect that meters supplied in June would be [color=#A00080]SMETS2[/color] variety. The intermediate boosters were only provided as part of [color=#D00070]SMETS1[/color] installations.

    With OVO’s agreement, I actually conducted a trial at my house in May where I deployed a [color=#00C0D0]ZigBee relay[/color] on my [color=#A00080]SMETS2[/color]  installation which had lost communication with the Gas Meter.

    The relay device made no difference, wherever I placed it, despite me requesting that the Gas Meter retry to make the connection.

    The issue was resolved only when OVO’s SMETS2 Team used my [color=#5060b0]Communications Hub[/color] as part of a software upgrade trial about a month later. There were in fact no issues with signal strength itself.

    Signal boosters/relays are not an approved part of a [color=#A00080]SMETS2 Smart Meter[/color] installation.

    Save energy... recycle electrons!
    S
    Newcomer
    sethmthomas
    Newcomer
    October 24, 2019

    Thank you Tim.  I’ll look forward to receiving the relay.  Apart from the distance between the smart meter and the gas meter there are also a couple of very thick walls so hopefully the relay will fix the problem.  I am still mystified why I have not been charged for gas usage when I have been submitting the readings each month.

    Seth.

    Eva_OVO
    OVO Staff
    Eva_OVO
    OVO Staff
    October 29, 2019

    It sounds like the engineer hasn’t sent us the information we need to arrange for a relay to be sent out. Send us a message on Facebook or Twitter with your name, DoB and account number.

     

    If you don’t use social media, get in touch though webchat on the Help Centre.

    My friend told me how electricity is measured and I was like Watt!
    R
    Newcomer
    rao4844
    Newcomer
    January 23, 2023

    My existing Gas meter is located in the garage.  My existing Electricity meter is located inside the house.  Does this situation preclude me from having a Smart Meter?

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