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New smart meter - import / export readings being sent to OVO / IHD back to front...

  • 2 February 2024
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Hi, our set up solar panels (had for 10 years and never any issues with old traditional meter -  no actual recorded export as on old style tariff where assumed 50% of generation exported), battery since July 2023 - again no issues with the old meter, but battery and solar panel apps have shown significantly less exported since battery installed as hoped for. 

We had a smart meter installed 19th January and have been able to see the half hourly readings are being collected by OVO since the day it was installed via our account page on the OVO website so it looks like the meter is communicating with OVO - but it looks like the meter readings are being processed by OVO back to front (likewise on the display in the kitchen).  

Our solar panel iPhone app (Enphase) show we have imported approx 96KwH since the meter was installed and exported 1.7 or so (battery means really not exporting any at this time of year).  The meter is showing a -A value of 99KwH and +A value of 1 KwH.  Assume these are the import and export as they tie in nicely with the solar app measurements. The half hourly records on our OVO account page show show tiny amounts being recorded which would tie in with the minimal export shown by the apps.

My question is can the actual physical meter be recording the usuage correctly, but somehow sending the readings ‘back to front’ - ie is the meter is sending the export reading (the +A) to OVO (and the IHD) as the consumed value rather than the actual recorded consumed figure (the -A value). I have raised this with OVO and they asked me to do a ‘load test’ but not heard anything more since. 

Is this something that just needs time for the system to update and realise the values are back to front or is this a more fundamental problem with our meter or the way it has been wired up? 

Thank you

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Best answer by BPLightlog 3 February 2024, 17:00

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BPLightlog
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Hi @Blind-dog , it looks like the meter is recording the wrong way around (-A is export and +A is import).

What is your meter (Aclara?) .. post a photo if you can so that we can see (no personal info pls).

 

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Hi BP Lightly - thank you for your reply - I wasn’t sure which way round the -A and +A are meant to be for export/import, but that is exactly what seems to be happening! 

The meter is a Kaifa and today's readings just now are showing -A of 106 and +A of 1Kwh.  

Have tried to attach a couple of photos but nit sure it that has worked.

Do you think is likely the meter is not working properly or it has been installed wrongly somehow? 

Thank you 

BPLightlog
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Hi BP Lightly - thank you for your reply - I wasn’t sure which way round the -A and +A are meant to be for export/import, but that is exactly what seems to be happening! 

The meter is a Kaifa and today's readings just now are showing -A of 106 and +A of 1Kwh.  

Have tried to attach a couple of photos but nit sure it that has worked.

Do you think is likely the meter is not working properly or it has been installed wrongly somehow? 

Thank you 

No images .. you can add them when you reply via the box at the top right

I not sure that it’s possible to install the meter the wrong way around so you need to look at the solar measurement system (often with a clamp ct). If this is not positioned correctly it can cause a problem. 
What I would do is to switch off the solar feed and see what a ‘normal’ usage looks like. Then depending on what the meter records, you might need to adjust the solar connection. 
If you have an image from before the meter swap to compare with the current setup, that might help as well 

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Actually @Blind-dog , thinking about this a little more, a lower import reading might be expected surely if your solar PV and battery storage is providing good house power so that you wouldn’t import so much from the grid. The smart meter will not record the generated energy so what would mainly need to be figured is why the higher export reading. 
Your old meter wouldn’t record that. Presumably you have a separate generation meter for the solar feed?

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Hi BP Lightlog - thank you.  So we have a couple ofapps on iPhone which record generation, battery storage / discharge and import export (Enphase, Zappi and Fox ess).  They all show no change in our import / export  and battery usage ‘pattern’ since the smart meter was installed compared to before - ie import/storage/export have not changed since the new meter apart from the expected day to day fluctuations with the weather.  Generally are barely exporting as the battery or Eddi are using any excess, or the car when it is plugged in.  

The enphase app shows export and import values which correspond really nicely with the meter values, albeit  -A tying in to within a few KwH of what the app shows imported.  

Interestingly on the day the meter was installed the engineer connected one of the clamps in meter box in the wrong flow direction which caused the battery to export to the grid for a few minutes before we realised as it showed the Zappi and battery app.  When I look at our account page on the OVO website for the meter readings of consumption every half hour it shows quite clearly that period of export and then back to more or less no export once we realised the clamp was there wrong way round - ie the meter was exporting values almost immediately it was installed but sending the export value to OVO and the IHD as if that were the import value. Hope that sort of makes sense! 

BPLightlog
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Ok, yes. The registers are definitely +A for active import and -A for active export. There’s some detail within this …
https://www.ovoenergy.com/help/article/meter-readings

I wonder if any of the active registers are switched? 
 

If your monitoring system is recording as it was, I wonder if there’s been any phase change on the connection. (A photo might help here)

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Hi BPLightlog, sorry for slow reply - busy weekend.  Not 100% sure what phase change means but assume it sot of means the meter is measuring things back to front. The main difference to before the smart meter was installed was the “WNC SKIU1” cellular unit was below the old meter (we had a smart gas meter installed a year or two ago) - could moving this have somehow caused a phase change?  The first photo shows the old set up with the supply cables going in to the SKU unit, where they now go directly to the meter.  I will email OVO again and tell them the forum has suggested a phase change, but TBH they haven't seemed to bothered so far despite numerous emails, chats and phone calls, so maybe I should keep quiet and just have the free electricity 😉😉…. haha…!  Thanks for all your suggestions and advice. 

 

 

BPLightlog
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Looks like the old setup was an old unit with a communication hub .. that just hides the cables to the meter above so shouldn’t be a problem. 
One thing in the new setup are those ct clamps. Presumably they are for your solar PV system but they look wrong to me. 
Normally the ct’s are positioned after the meter pointing towards the distribution board (consumer unit). So although they may be oriented correctly, I think their positioning may be wrong. Where were they before?

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Meter wiring looks correct. I would have expected to see the CT’s on one of the cables indicated with a red dot 

 

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Thanks BP.  I’ve sent this photo to the solar installer who did the original install 10 years ago and then then Zappi and battery upgrade last summer. He is also an inspector for the island to oversee others work - he tells me where the meter installer has left the clamps (battery and Zappi) are ok as they’re purely for our monitoring and don’t relate/affect the actual meter in any way.

His view is phase change wouldn’t be possible with the type of meter we have and it's more likely a faulty meter. Like us, he can't understand why OVO not interested in repairing / replacing it.  

Will send an update when/if we get OVO back to have a look! 

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