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April 5, 2019
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My smart meter display is blank - Is the meter broken?

  • April 5, 2019
  • 86 replies
  • 38819 views

I reported my Smart Meter was not working in July last year. Nothing has been done about it, though every month I get an email message about the need to supply readings, which is kind of annoying. The screen on the meter is dead so not even manual readings are possible. When chasing some action on this I received a reply in November saying there was a queue for meters to be fixed, but I would be notified as soon as an engineer was available. As it is now April, it must be some long queue.

Best answer by Amy_OVO

Updated on 17/04/26 by Abby_OVO

 

‘Waking up’ the smart meter screen

 

The screen on the most smart meters will be blank or 'asleep' until you press a button on the meter (note - this is different to the screen on the smart meter In Home Display, IHD). Usually pressing any button on the meter will cause the screen to ‘wake up’. 

 

Taking a reading

 

A smart meter should communicate your readings automatically meaning you shouldn’t need to regularly take a manual meter reading. Worried that your smart meters may have lost communication? We’d recommend carrying out the smart meter health check for your meter type below and contacting our Support Team with the results. There’s also a great troubleshooting guide on our website here.
 

 

 

For SMETS1 ‘Secure’ smart meters:

 

Press the ‘A’ button on the electricity meter, to wake the screen up and the ‘9’ button (for single rate meters) or ‘6’ (for dual rate meters) - it will show IMP KWH on the screen followed by the reading. On the gas meter pressing ‘9’ will show the reading  in both kWh or M3 (we use the M3 number). More info on how to read your Secure S1 smart meter here
 

For SMETS2 Aclara, Flonidan, Honeywell or Elster smart meters:

 

  Aclara (Elec) / Flonidan (Gas) Elster (Elec) / Honeywell (Gas)
Reading the meter
  • Elec: Press A three times until TOU Rate 1 appears.
  • Gas: Press C to wake up, then C to access the menu. Use B to scroll and C to select the reading option.
  • Elec: Press the top button once or twice
  • Gas: Press the circle button once or twice

 

Meter Screen not ‘waking up’?

 

If you’re pressing buttons on the meter and the screen is still not showing anything, this suggests your meter might be faulty. In this case reach out to our Support Team, who can help get a meter replacement exchanged.


As long your smart meter is still communicating the readings remotely this shouldn’t affect the accurate billing of your account. In the unlikely event that the meter screen fault occurs on a non-communicating meter we may need to estimate your usage or recalculate your charges once the meter is replaced.

 

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

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

86 replies

Newcomer
November 21, 2022

Am I entitled to take OVO to court over this? You don’t have a leg to stand on, given the last 3 months lack of communication. 

Blastoise186
Super User
Super User
November 21, 2022

You might be able to try other contact options at https://help.ovoenergy.com . Otherwise, your best bet is https://ovoenergy.com/feedback .

I wouldn’t recommend going to court over this. It’s not worth the risk and besides, that’s not the appropriate course of action anyway. Just about any decent lawyer would probably recommend using OVO’s complaints process instead.

As for recovering the final reading, it is sometimes possible for an engineer to revive a dead meter for long enough to grab a final reading out of it. If they can do so, they will.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
Newcomer
November 21, 2022

I am a chartered graduate engineer as opposed to a meter fitter. Can you explain what they do to recover the data? I can understand details…….or as I suspect it’ll be too late once the meter is removed. Then I’ll end up in a world of hurt, spending hours on a phone trying to contest estimated values whilst continuing to pay inflated charges. 
has anyone had any experience of the ombudsman? I guess there’s always the Sunday Times!! 
 

Blastoise186
Super User
Super User
November 21, 2022

There’s solutions for that. Your usage on the new meter can be used to calculate what the final reading from the previous meter was.

But if the engineer somehow manages to pull off some black magic and get the meter to light up, they will attempt to take a reading. That’s all I have. Funny really, since I do actually know one of OVO’s Smart Meter Engineers. :)

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
Emmanuelle_OVO
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
November 22, 2022

Hey @charlie lee,

 

Sorry to hear you’ve not been able to get in touch with us,

 

I’ll get someone from Forum_Support to contact you. 

 

Hope this helps. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
Newcomer
December 6, 2022

I have had an issue for several months with my Smart Gas Meter not communicating properly with OVO. As a work around I have been sending periodic manual readings to OVO to ensure that they do not continually estimate my bills. The problem has now upped a level as my Smart Meter no longer displays the reading (just a blank screen) when I press either of the buttons. This suggests a meter issue (maybe battery) and I have raised it again with OVO but on the basis that it will take them ages to sort:-

  1. Does anyone know how the meter continues to record gas usage when it is apparently dead.
  2. Is there a risk that I will suddenly find myself cut off without any warning?
Blastoise186
Super User
Super User
December 6, 2022

Hey @harrrj ,

If the meter is dead, it’s dead. There’s no way for it to continue recording usage. If you were in Credit Mode when it happened, your supply will continue running uninterrupted and the valve will remain open. It will not be closed at any point.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
Newcomer
December 7, 2022

Thanks - looks like I will need to continue to press OVO to do something about the meter.

Emmanuelle_OVO
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
December 7, 2022

Hey @harrrj,

 

Sorry for the issues you’re having,

 

If you have a faulty meter, which includes a blank screen you should be able to book a 17 working day appointment for a replacement. I know that our installer SMS will continue to deal with emergencies over the festive period (if you’re off supply) but there will be a period between 17 December and 2 Jan where SMS cannot accept Maintenance bookings.

 

I’m assuming this is why there’s a delay. They should be able to book you in for any appointment date after the 2nd of January. 

 

 

Hope this helps. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
Newcomer
December 7, 2022

OVO have now booked an engineer for 18 January.