IHD and Meter says I’ve used £2300 of gas this billing period

Disclaimer: I have no personal experience of gas meters, smart or otherwise.

The power interruption can have had no effect on the gas meter; it’s generally regarded too dangerous to mix mains electricity and gas. 

Where do you see ‘£2302 usage’ on the gas meter? A photo of it would help. 

The reading you quote - 63769.440 - is very close to the kWh equivalent of 5719 m³. Have another look to check what units are being displayed (the meter can only give an approximation of the kWh amount because it can’t know the calorific value of the gas it’s metering).  

The IHD may have been upset by the power outage, but if it hasn’t come right in a few days, ask Support for help. Meanwhile, you should be able to rely on the online account for an accurate picture of what’s happening.

Hi ​@Mikep , when you say that

How are you seeing any cost on your meter? The IHD is not used for billing so as long as the meter reading on your meter hasn’t suddenly jumped then your bill shouldn’t be affected.

There are ocassions when a very low usage on the gas meter can affect the IHD but again, as the IHD isn’t used for billing it shouldn’t make any difference.

Thanks for the reply 

this is why I asked the rep whether I had to convert the meter reading on my ihd show KWh into another figure and he said no that was the meter reading figure 

then obviously seeing the £ figure triggered my concern . 
attached are photos of my current display

under meter readings I can only see the kWh figure and not cubic metres.

Thanks again for your explanation. Certainly more helpful than I had from online chat. 

Hi ​@Mikep , when you say that

As per the title my IHD and gas meter are displaying a stupid amount of gas usage (£2302)for the first three weeks of this month. (My total gas usage for May was only £16) 

 

How are you seeing any cost on your meter? The IHD is not used for billing so as long as the meter reading on your meter hasn’t suddenly jumped then your bill shouldn’t be affected.

There are ocassions when a very low usage on the gas meter can affect the IHD but again, as the IHD isn’t used for billing

it shouldn’t make any difference.

Pressing OK on the IHD shows account information (ok) pressing ok again shows Bill so far this period , first for  electric then pressing the thunderbolt/flame button shows gas.

Photo attached of IHD which is clearer than the meter but I get the same info showing.

The  customer service rep told me that was the cost of the gas I’ve used so far for the month . Well moth actually, which I guess was a typo. 

Thanks. That’s a fault I don’t remember seeing before, and I can’t imagine where it comes from. The IHD is supposed to receive and display m³ figures for gas. The gas proxy (a device inside the communications hub on top of the electricity meter) is clearly receiving the right m³ data from the gas meter so they can be sent to OVO, so it’s a mystery why the IHD is getting kWh figures from the same meter. It also looks as if the IHD is using its own internal systems to work out consumption figures in £ as if the data it was receiving were normal, which they obviously aren’t.  

I’d suggest contacting Support again, using the webchat option. You’ll then be able to upload the images so they will be added to your account and can be scrutinized by someone who knows about IHDs.

Meanwhile, please upload a photo or two of the actual gas meter. You will have to touch a button to light up the screen; repeated touches should display more information than just the kWh figure.

Meter showing KWh reading 

Meter showing Cubic M reading

Meter showing cost yesterday 

Meter showing current cost , same as bill so farthis period on IHD

IHD Display

Thanks for this I’ve added photos as requested 

checking my online bill I don’t see that I’m going to be charged 2k, but as you say the IHD must be displaying the wrong figure under meter reading. I’ve turned it off and back on again but still get the same result. 
I note you say the IHD may be using this wrong figure to calculate to £ but it’s also displaying as such on the meter🤷‍♂️

Thanjs a lot for your input 

Thanks. That is a SMETS1 meter, so it’s perhaps not surprising that it doesn’t work flawlessly in an otherwise SMETS2 environment. 

For the time being, you shouldn’t take too much notice of the £ figures you’re seeing. There is clearly a misconfiguration somewhere which may or may not come right by itself in the next few days, so as  both BP and I have said, “you should be able to rely on the online account for an accurate picture of what’s happening.”

Thanks for your time and assurance. I should have come here first, rather being told ‘the figure is right and I can’t do anything about it’ by the CS person!

It’s worth noting ​@Mikep , that there is a situation where that particular meter can be showing Total lifetime values (from install) and the IHD can mimic that.

The button options are 

1 - Displays cost of consumption and units used on the current day and previous day
2 - Displays cost of consumption in the current week and previous week
3 - Displays cost of consumption in the current month and previous month
4 - Displays historical data comprising monthly units consumed and cost of consumption
5 - Displays ‘Not Used’
6 - Displays tariff name, standing charge per day, active rate register(s) along with the consumption and cost per unit recorded in each rate register (Will provide Economy 7 readings: IMP R01 is the night read, and IMP R02 is the day read)
7 - Displays ‘Not Used’
8 - Displays ‘Not Used’
9 - Displays total import and export register values (will provide a total reading after IMP KWH)
0 - Performs display check and then displays date, time, load and CO2 data of the current hour and current day, yesterday, last week and last month (will show 'COMMISSION' instead if meter needs to be commissioned)

There a guide here 

Hey ​@Mikep,

We're glad to hear this seems to be a visual glitch that isn't affecting your account. Please keep us updated on whether the reset resolves the issue. ​@BPLightlog and ​@Firedog have provided excellent advice and support on this thread.

I’ve included another guide which you might find useful below: 

Thanks for the tutorial link!

24 hours has passed since the reset at Ovo’s end. I also turned my IHD off and back on again as I was told, but this morning it’s still saying my Bill to date is £2303 and the meter reading on the IHD still displays in KWh not Cubic metres. The gas meter itself correctly cycles through cubic meter and KWh readings but also says cost now as £2303

I wonder if it’s worth trying to get the gas meter exchanged?

Maybe that’s exactly what an enginner will do if they now send one out following the unsuccessful reset.

It is a SMETS1 meter, and 8 years old so probably due for replacement soon anyway.

I’ve just come off the phone to Ovo as they wanted me to let them know if the reset hadn’t worked. They are going to try something else which could take 2 weeks to work . No idea what that is, but I just have to forget about it for a couple of weeks ! 

Hey ​@Mikep,

It’s likely they’ve raised a case with our metering team, who can investigate the technical issues causing the IHD to display incorrect figures

I had an email to ring about pairing my meter to IHD. It was done remotely but again didn’t work  so they have sent me a new Trio IHD, which I’ve received today. 
Just have to wait for Ovo to pair the new IHD 

Pairing a new IHD is best done via Phone/Live Chat - email is NOT recommended as you only have one hour to complete the process once the Comms Hub is put into Search Mode and the HAN is unlocked to enable a Device to Join. After the hour runs out OR a Device has joined, the system locks down again automatically, whichever comes first triggers that state to resume.

As for your new IHD, I’d suggest letting OVO know you’ve received it, they’ll walk you through the remaining steps.

When I had the email asking me to phone them as they said my IHD needed to be paired I thought they would be talking me through how to do it, I was put on hold and the rep came back saying they’d reset at their end, and to wait 48 hours. If the IHD was still displaying incorrectly to contact them again. 
I did query this, saying they’d done this before and as they had now asked me to phone for my IHD to be paired, that I thought I’d have to do something my end. He said no it’s done remotely.

when the 48 hours was up I decided to email back this 

“I assumed as you asked me to phone that I would need to follow some instructions to do something my end. The gent I spoke to said no he’d reset it and if the IHD was still wrong after 48 hours to ring back. 

I did explain that a reset your end had already been done which hadn’t worked. He said no there was nothing I needed to do. 

Anyway, my IHD is still saying my gas usage for this billing period is £2300 and the meter reading is still in KWh not in  Cubic metres. 

Can you please confirm that when I ask for the IHD to be paired with the meter I have to take some action my end or not, as it seemed odd you emailed to ask me to phone if it’s something you can do remotely ?”

The reply I had was “

Thank you for contacting us about the technical issue with your In Home Display (IHD) and its inability to communicate with your smart meter.

I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this has caused. We've reviewed the functionality of your IHD on our systems and have attempted to resolve the issue remotely. Unfortunately, we were unable to fix the problem this way, and we will need to send you a replacement device.

We aim to have the replacement device delivered within the next 10 working days. While we don’t have an exact delivery date, please rest assured that we are processing this for you. In the meantime, you can view your meter readings and usage through your MyOvo account or by manually waking up the meters.

If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.”

The leaflet in with the new IHD doesn’t say I have to phone them for it to be paired. It’s say they’ll do it their end remotely and to contact them if the display isn’t showing all the meter information after 6 days . 

Hey ​@Mikep,

To pair a Geo Trio In-Home Display (IHD) with an OVO smart meter, ensure the IHD is within close proximity of the meter and powered on. The IHD should automatically attempt to connect to the smart meter network, displaying "Connecting to smart meter..." or similar. If it doesn't connect automatically, you may need to enable Wi-Fi on the IHD and connect it to your home network, then check the IHD's status and ensure it has a strong signal. If issues persist, contact OVO support for assistance with re-pairing the IHD. 

Detailed Steps:

1. 1. Power on the IHD:

   Plug the Geo Trio IHD into a power outlet using the provided mains cable. Avoid using batteries for prolonged use. 

2. 2. Check for initial connection:

   The IHD should automatically display a message indicating it's connecting to the smart meter network. 

3. 3. Connect to Wi-Fi (if needed):

   If the IHD doesn't automatically connect, navigate to Settings > Wi-Fi network on the IHD using the arrow and selection buttons. Enable Wi-Fi and select your home network from the list. 

4. 4. Enter Wi-Fi password:

   Use the on-screen keyboard to enter your Wi-Fi password and select "OK" to confirm. 

5. 5. Check IHD status:

   If the IHD is connected to the network, check for a strong Wi-Fi signal (5 bars) and ensure there are no obstructions between the IHD and the smart meter. 

6. 6. Contact OVO Support Team  if needed:

   If the IHD still doesn't connect or if you encounter any error messages, contact OVO support for assistance with re-pairing the IHD. 

 These topics might be helpful:
 

Missing usage data for one or both of your supplies

First, thing to check is that your device is correctly paired to your smart meters via the Home Area Network (HAN). You can do this by checking how regularly the HAN light is flashing on the smart meter communications hub, which is attached to the top of your electricity meter - see this SMETS2 smart meter guide for more info.

If you’ve also noticed missing smart meter usage data on your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS) the issue might be caused by a lack of Wide Area Network (WAN) communication, in which case we’d recommend carrying out a Smart Meter Health Check and contacting our Support Team with the results.

If there’s no issue with your smart meter communications, we recommend carrying out the following checks:

Check the distance to the electricity meter, has the IHD been moved? 
 

Try to keep the IHD within a max of 6 metres from the electricity meter. The signal will decline significantly with walls.

Has the IHD shown data previously or has anything changed e.g. any new obstructions?
 

If the IHD was previously showing data, check if anything has changed in the home that could’ve caused the loss of communication.

Is the IHD showing the correct time?

If it's not showing the correct time, the IHD is not paired. Contact our Support Team who can help re-pair the device.

Thanks for this 

I had an email this morning from support requesting the GUID on the Trio. It doesn’t  actually have one like my old Chameleon one did. So I sent photos of the info screens showing the serial number etc which is all I can find on the back of the IHD anyway. 
I have noticed every reply I’ve had has been signed off by a different person. Surely it would be more efficient for one person to be assigned to a case like mine which is ongoing as it does appear I’m asked for the same details over and over and I have to explain my story each time I phone.