Just got the Chameleon IHD and the battery only last 2 hours, is it faulty?

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
April 27, 2019
27 replies
6943 views

Just got the Chameleon IHD and the battery only last 2 hours. Is it faulty?

Best answer by Amy_OVO

Updated on 28/10/25 by Ben_OVO

Great to hear about your new Chameleon In-Home Display (IHD). This’ll really help you get the best out of your smart meters by showing your up-to-date usage information. There’s more advice on using the device on our online tutorial here.

In answer to your question, whilst the Chameleon IHD does have batteries installed, we’d advise keeping it plugged in as the batteries are only intended to be used as a back-up power source, and don’t have the longest battery life.

If your IHD battery doesn’t last for any time at all, or you’re experiencing any further issues with your IHD, like a faulty display, please get in touch with our Support Team, who’ll see if they can fix the issue, and will send you a new IHD if they can’t. You can find more advice and IHD troubleshooting tips on our website.

You can also view the smart meter usage data on the usage pages of your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS).

Hope this info helps you enjoy the full benefits of going smart!

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

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

Show previous replies

Blastoise186

Super User

8p an hour for gas? That’s an absolute bargain! Even if it’s for electricity, that really is a very cheap level. I wish I could manage that! But my flat is all electric, so it’s a different story.

I think your problem here partly stems from the gas meter being so far away from the electric meter. A Dual-Band Comms Hub might stand a much better chance at getting a link to the gas meter from where the electric meter lives, but existing Single Band Comms Hubs often stand no chance in a block of flats.

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PalsyP

Rank 3

8p an hour for gas? That’s an absolute bargain! Even if it’s for electricity, that really is a very cheap level. I wish I could manage that! But my flat is all electric, so it’s a different story.

Sorry, 8p electric, not gas. Average is 480W, which is surprising considering I leave most things on 24/7 - my PC, CCTV, NAS Drive, TV (stand by), etc.

But that will all change come August when my fixed plan ends! :(

Peter

Blastoise186

Super User

Maybe. Try having a bunch of laptops, a couple of games consoles, a TV and admittedly way too much Ubiquiti UniFi kit! XD

But either way, your electric bill is a bargain right now. Can I stop by? :P

I still only have a base load of about 100W or so when everything is off or in sleep. Even right now as I’ve got basically everything going full blast… I’m under 500W. :)

My entire flat chomps through less than 5kWh a day on average, costing me under a pound a day in electricity across everything combined.

In fact, there’s a charity I’m part of where I’ve installed a ton of Ubiquiti kit. Between the (massively overpowered) UniFi Network, UniFi Protect and all the other random stuff at that charity which is always on… We barely even use £2 a day on the days we’re closed! And that’s for an absolutely massive building. It’s almost like a 600W network switch really can be pretty power efficient somehow...

I’m all for power efficiency as well, so I have a bunch of tricks to keep the costs down. I’m seriously tempted to get a Power over Ethernet clock or two as well...

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juliamc

Rank 20

I thought the IHD had a battery but if I unplug it the screen dies and when it’s plugged in there is no battery symbol. There’s nowhere to put an AAA battery so I assume it was a rechargeable - is it now kaput ?