Issues getting a replacement THTC Meter in Scottish Highlands

I have asked a new question but maybe somebody here can tell me what the engineer that visited today meant when he said the solution I need (a remote maybe wireless device/controller) hasn’t been invented yet …….  He showed me a small grey box said one like this with a SIM card in it??  I have a similar setup to the photo above with 2 meters outside and the radio signal box beside the consumer units inside.  How are we so close to the switch off and there is still no solution.  We have 2 dimplex quantum storeage heaters and wall fixed dimplex convection heaters in the bedrooms which are rarely on - only when we have visitors as we like cool bedrooms.  I am retired and home most days but the quantum heaters keep the house warm during the day  on from 6 til 8 am, then just going on at set times for half an hour At 10 and 3pm then on from 7 til 10 in the evening.  We have opted for E10

Hey ​@janie,

From what I understand a heritage meter is an older style of meter but they come pre-programmed with the requested tariff. Hopefully we’ll have more updates shortly that’ll give a clearer understanding of what’s required. We are fortunate the team have been working closely with us and helping us with giving information to those affected. 

If I hear anything further we’ll let you know! 

​@Chris_OVO 

Thanks very much, it's nice to be kept informed 

So now into February but still being told we cannot be scheduled for a replacement meter as our area postcode does not have sufficient WAN LAN reception.   We have full phone and internet at the moment so what is the issue?  Also if we cannot get replacement meters, what is my worst case scenario ( I understand we will still have power but at what cost  per unit usage??)

Hi ​@Argyll837 ,

Could do with more info here! What’s your current tariff would help a ton

If you are indeed in Argyll, then (for the time being, at least) your phone and Internet connection quality is irrelevant, because the WAN in northern Britain uses long-range radio, provided by Arqiva:
  

The WAN signals will most probably be transmitted via an antenna on your nearest full-fat TV transmitter mast, which could be any of the ones covering Argyll (Torosay on Mull, Rosneath across the loch from Helensburgh and Darvel, east of Kilmarnock are the closest). If you’re hidden from these by mountains or buildings, ‘that is the issue’.

There may be light at the end of this particular tunnel, though, although it’s still months or even years away.

Thanks for that info … makes sense.  If its a while away, I still worry about what happens come June …..  if all my electricity is charged at the higher rates then I am goosed as my bills are already very high.

You’ll have to get a new meter before the RTS shut-down, if that’s what you’re worrying about. When your meters are exchanged for a single smart meter, it’s probable that the new one will come pre-configured with your tariff of choice, e.g. Economy 7 or Economy 10, which both give you hours of offpeak electricity, but no 24-hour heating, I’m afraid. It depends a great deal on what sort of heating you have (both for space and water) which would suit best, and it could be that a single-rate would be more economical. 

Same here in Shetland. News report today states that there are 5000 houses with RTS equipment needing replaced and OVO can only replace about 4 a day. Other suppliers have told customers they have no one to install. I’ve been trying for months to get a smart meter installed but have had numerous reasons why they can’t. The latest being the WAN signal. Being in a LMA was causing problems when I first contacted OVO about a new meter but that issue seems to have been resolved. Does anybody know if OVO are working on a solution regarding the connectivity issues? 
 

On the simpler energy- economy and heating load plan. 

Worth noting that’s 4 per day, per engineer. If OVO deploys multiple engineers, the daily capacity increases.

As for the connectivity? Yes, OVO now has pre-programmed units that can be used if needed.

​@Firedog 

​@Blastoise186 

I love your optimism and appreciate the help you give on this Forum but I copied you both in my post 30th January informing you of a 50 minute call with ovo complaints who in turn contacted the RTS team and the reply from them was "there is no solution for rts switch off in no signal areas and they will not be fitting smart meters in these areas that will not communicate back to ovo". Complaint closed with no solution. 

The agent you spoke to likely doesn’t have the same access to information as we do.

You need Squad 70 - they’re the ones who are best placed to figure this out.

​@Blastoise186 

Apparently the agent spoke to her Manager who mentioned squad 70 but the reply came back from the RTS team,it very much ended with a "don't call us, we'll call you" which isn't very helpful at all

Try again - you can contact them directly, but some agents make it a little tricky to get transferred over

​@Blastoise186 

I will wait until the end of February by which time 3 months will have passed since my failed installation and then I intend to escalate it by any means available.  It's not like I haven't tried and they have all the information and complaints on their system. 

Thanks anyway 

Hey ​@janie and ​@Blastoise186, 

I just wanted to interject in your discussion to provide some context. 

​@Blastoise186 - 

“The agent you spoke to likely doesn’t have the same access to information as we do.

You need Squad 70 - they’re the ones who are best placed to figure this out.” 

Janie has already spoken with our Support Team/Squad 70 and the advice they were given was correct. Pushing back on this will only cause unnecessary friction and add to an already tense situation. 

​@janie The infrastructure team is working hard to find a long-term solution. We understand that the wait is frustrating, but we want to avoid implementing short-term fixes that will only require additional work later. We have a list of all affected customers and will contact you with next steps as soon as a solution is available.

I hope this clears things up and if you have any questions let me know and I can try and get answers for you! 

​@Chris_OVO 

Many thanks for this confirmation 

 I'm feeling the same as you. Just along the road towards Perth and unable to get a new smart meter fitted due to signal issues. No comms and wondering what'll happen come June. Ok...looks here like they'll install some dumb meter but what will be the effect on my bill?

We’re not keen to speculate on the answer I’m afraid ​@Jonny Early , but we will let you know when OVO tells the Forum Volunteers (myself included) what the end-game solution will be.

I just don’t want to say X thing and then drop you off a cliff when it turns out to be wrong, so I’m having to hold back right now.

They seem to be in the process of looking at other options regarding signals etc but not had any confirmation 

Thanks for the feedback ​@Blastoise186 and ​@janie. Look forward to hearing more as soon as news becomes available. 🤞

​@Blastoise186 

​@Chris_OVO 

Have just received an email asking me to rebook a smart meter appointment,  can anyone confirm if they have sorted out the no signal issues in the DD2 area or has this email just been automatically generated. 

If you’re getting that email, it’s likely OVO has identified your setup as being eligible for migration.

Whether that’s to an instantly fully active Smart Meter, or to a pre-configured one that’ll get comms later I can’t say - but it’s a good sign regardless. We highly recommend you accept the offer ASAP anyway, as otherwise things may break.

​@Blastoise186 

Thanks for your reply, I will try and get through to squad 70/RTS team to see if they can shed more light on it before I commit.  I could not handle another failed installation. 

​@Blastoise186

Just a quick update, apparently that was just a generated email and it's been confirmed there is no solution as yet to no signal areas like mine, told to ignore any further generated emails and when there is a solution I will be contacted probably by other means.