I have a SMETS1 Landis+Gyr smart meter and Trilliant comms hub from British Gas - Can I get an OVO Aclara SMETS 2 smart meter fitted?

Photo of the troublesome pipe

Oh good. It’s another pesky S1 Landis+Gyr G370. I kinda dislike these things… Thanks for the snap @Tedbarn !

They’re also nearly impossible to tell apart from the S2 variant, because L+G re-uses the model names and numbers so extensively for just about everything.

I don’t know about what Transparent might say, but in my opinion there’s LOADS of space there! I could fit Deoxys (my Nintendo Switch) in that gap… Twice… And still have room on all sides.

At very most, it might just need some clever fitting kits but I don’t see any reason why an S2 UniFlo or S2 SciFlo can’t be fitted. They’re actually smaller than a G370...

Ok. I’ve just done some more research into this one.

The only reason that particular L+G G370 is able to fit in that space is because it’s an Ultrasonic type rather than a Diaphragm type. The reduced number of moving parts results in the entire unit being more compact. But I’m still not a fan of any L+G meter anyway due to several design flaws - the tiny displays are just the start. If you want an ultra easy read display, Aclara is definitely the go-to for electricity meters and Flonidan UniFlo/SciFlo does the job nicely for gas meters.

Having looked at the datasheets, it does appear as if the Flonidan SciFlo is slightly smaller than a G370, so if it were my decision, I’d rather go for the SciFlo instead of messing with the pipework. Not least because it’s easier, more cost effective and less disruptive!

It’s just a case of getting hold of one...

Very useful info @Blastoise186 

I'm all for less disruption and happy to wait....just hope I don't fall off of the Ovo radar and am able to change it in future

Don’t worry, I won’t allow that to happen. 

Whenever I play my Joker Card, it never leaves the deck until it gets results. 

I don’t always reveal all the tricks and mischief that my Joker Cards can deploy, but I use them… Wisely… For those cases where I see a valid reason. OVO will also have to sort you out anyway, as you can’t be left with a half upgraded site with a Frankenstein setup!

I love that you have a Joker Card! Very impressive!

I was feeling a bit despondent after my earlier online chat but you have restored my faith that the situation will change.

Thanks so much again 🙏

Hehehe. Anytime.

Given how many contributions I make via this forum, it’s only fair that I can call in extra help from time to time. And it should be a no brainer that an Ultrasonic Gas Meter that was fitted due to space constraints is best replaced with an Ultrasonic Gas Meter that’s also designed for said confined spaces. You’re probably not going to fit a Diaphragm Gas Meter like the Flonidan UniFlo in tight spots like this one!

The Support Team are always great with me, but they don’t always have the same insights - or time - that I’ve got on my side over here. Unlike when you’re on the phone to OVO, I have the freedom and flexibility to go off and do research for a few hours before responding. I use that to my advantage.

I don’t even have access to any of the internal systems either! I purely go off of publicly available sources combined with my ability to reach out to some of OVO’s teams via Tim and Jess for those cases where more specialist advice is needed.

One point I should add, there were no space constraints when the meter was fitted.

Understood and it is very good of you to help people like me. Imagine what you could do if you had access to the internal systems!!

From Ovo I am just looking for a bit of consistency with the information provided to me and hopefully a resolution.

So what you’re saying is… Somehow that magic gas pipe materialised after that Landis+Gyr G370 was fitted? I knew L+G was a weird company, but I’ve never known them to use black magic as an anti-competitive or vendor lock-in strategy! 

As for the internal systems, that may be true. But it would also create a crazy amount of liability issues, GDPR, NDA and a bunch of other pesky blockers. I happen to know about quite a few of the systems OVO uses internally, because I’m pretty good at figuring stuff out… But I don’t think I’ll be able to touch them anytime soon.

Mind you, it’s a good party trick for when I reach out to the Support Team and ask them to use a SMETS Command to pull an Instantaneous On-Demand Reading from Pikachu, and that they’ll need to search insert sekrit internal system name here to find Pikachu because it’s been upgraded to S2 firmware - and because it’s an Aclara meter rather than a Secure meter. And especially when I ask them if they could log said reading into Insert sekrit internal codename for MyOVO that I’m not meant to know here. Hehehe! 

As for consistency with information, that’s one of the biggest things I focus on here - especially with accuracy - and trying to get these standards up across the board is something I’m hoping to push for this year. The more snags I can flag up and submit for review, the closer that goal can get.

And yep. Bug hunting is also my passion. But I never let that take over my entire free time!