Good afternoon @MrsH ,

I remember you’ve shown us photos of your meters previously and based on those, I can verify what OVO is telling you is correct. Your current meters are up for re-certification and are reaching the end of their service life. The only way to do a re-certification is to replace the meters with new ones. OVO knows about your meters being due based on data held in the national databases shared by all suppliers - ECOES for electric and Xoserve for gas. As for myself, I don’t have access to those systems but I can use photos you’ve posted on the forum previously to determine the manufacture date and do a rough calculation of remaining service life from there. If memory serves, your meters have already expired.

I don’t think you ever showed us your gas meter, but I calculate that your electric meter reached re-certification back in 2020, based on a 2010 manufacture date. I seem to recall that you were having false Reverse Energy Detected warnings as well due to your solar panels. Ideally, a replacement meter would be able to handle this and not trigger such warnings, because you do have a valid reason to be exporting to the grid.

The recommended upgrade path is to smart meters and it’s impossible to upgrade only the gas meter, since the Comms Hub for it relies on being powered by the electric meter and there’s currently no “standalone” Comms Hubs that I’m aware of to do gas only. The upgrade is free if you go down this route and have both meters replaced. I’d like to reassure you that having a smart meter or not won’t have any effect on your renewal options and that even with a smart meter, OVO can only charge you based on the agreed tariff and rates. The fact your meters are also due for replacement is unrelated to this, it’s just a coincidence at most. If the tariff you choose is a flat rate tariff, OVO will only ever charge you the same rates regardless of when you’re using energy.

Having had a smart meter for a while now myself, I also know they're just as accurate as any other meter, sometimes even more so. If you ever think that it’s gone out of sync though, we can help you run some tests to make sure. If it turns out your meters are inaccurate as a result of those tests, we’ll be able to advise you on the next steps from there.

However, I believe in playing fair anyway. You may still be able to opt-out of a smart meter yet and have one more run with traditional meters, but please be advised that if you choose this route, OVO may charge you for a Non-Standard Installation. I’ll ask @Jess_OVO just in case though.

If you need any more advice, please feel free to let us know.

Thank you @Blastoise186  for getting back to me. The photos I sent previously were of the solar panel system, my gas & electricity meters are on an external wall and I assume it is these that they are wanting to replace? There has been no mention of replacing anything to do with my solar panels although obviously they are linked. 

I appreciate that Ovo can only charge me within the terms of the agreed contract,my concern is possibly more long term regarding the ability for them to  implement a variable daily rate based on usage, but I realise we have very little control over this prospect.

 I will await @Jess_OVO response re the traditional meters.

Best regards 

You’re welcome.

That sounds to me like you’re describing a Time of Use Tariff. Only one supplier offers that right now and no-one else including OVO is likely to launch one until at least after the market returns to normal, which could be a while. To be on that kind of tariff, you’d also have to explicitly consent to it by signing up specifically to such a tariff. If you don’t do that, you’ll stay on flat-rate.

Personally, I doubt the Standard Variable Rate Tariffs will ever have any kind of Time of Use element attached to them, beyond the normal things like Economy 7 - and that would apply regardless of having a smart meter.

I don’t think your solar export meter needs to be replaced right now and even if it does, that would come at a later stage as a separate job from the import meters. If OVO is your current FiT Supplier, they’ll know about that export meter as well and will contact you at a later date, should an upgrade to that meter also be needed.

Hi @MrsH and welcome to the OVO online community,

Great to see our community volunteer, @Blastoise186 - on hand as ever to help ease your smart meter concerns!

In answer to your meter certification question, the details of your meter’s expiry date are held by industry who’ll advise us when it’s time to get your meter replaced. Whilst it varies meter to meter, the shelf-life is usually between 10 and 40 years. For more details on the meter certification process check out this in-depth guide:
 

@Blastoise186 has also got it spot on in terms of the future potential of a Time-Of-Use tariff, whilst the smart meter technology does make this technically possible, it’s by no means imminent and would, like all energy plans, be offered as one of many tariff options. We’ve appreciate this can be a common hesitation so have covered this (and other smart meter concerns) over here:
 

I’m hoping these guides help - please do let us know if there’s any aspects of the smart meter upgrade process that still worry you. We’re keen to understand these concerns so we can better help all our members when facing this new technology adoption. 

Good morning @Blastoise186 , I appreciate the information and your perspective. I feel better informed now.

Many thanks 

Please advise worried pensioner, what should I do if I don’t wish a smart meter and OVO refuse to repair the exsisting one. I can’t now send in a gas meter reading, please help.

Hi,

Sorry to hear of the trouble. But I’m afraid faulty meters can’t be repaired in the field because it’s basically impossible to do. Old-style non-smart meters are also no longer available at all because the stocks of them have been depleted to zero.

Your only options are these:

1. Smart Meter Upgrade via Faulty Meter Exchange (arranged via OVO Support)
2. Smart Meter Upgrade via self-service at https://smart-booking.ovoenergy.com 
3. Smart Meter Upgrade by calling 0330 303 5063
4. Smart Meter Upgrade by using Live Chat at https://help.ovoenergy.com 
5. Estimated meter readings - which WILL be inaccurate by their very nature

Only the meter manufacturer can repair the existing equipment. Given that the meter would have to be removed and swapped out anyway to even enable a repair, it isn’t viable to send it off for repair and then return it to service.

@Blastoise186  If the problem is with the gas meter will they change that and not the electricity meter? Would that result in the new gas meter being "dumb" as it wouldn't have a smart electricity meter to communicate with?

Nope. It’d be both. There’s no point in just upgrading Gas only, so both meters would be swapped out at the same time. And they would both be set up with Smart functionality as well.

Likewise, if a SMETS1 Gas Meter needs to be replaced for any reason, both meters would be switched out with SMETS2 - and the same applies for S1 Electric if an S1 Gas is also in place.

There’s no scope to just do gas in this situation. If one meter has failed, then it’s likely the other is on the way out as well. It’s easier to just replace both at the same time to minimise disruption and avoid having to come out a second time.

Can I ask @curleythomas73 why you don’t want a smart meter ?

Do I have to have a smart meter or can I have a new dial meter to replace my old one

Hi @Barcrob5 There are very few of the ‘old style’ meters left now so it may have to be a smart version

Hi BPLightlog, thanks for replying will have to look into it further 

We have received an OVO letter saying that our electricity meter is approaching the end of its certification and needs to be replaced. I have two questions: a) Is there any way of not having a Smart meter installed as a replacement? (we really don’t want one); and b) if OVO insist that only a Smart meter will be installed, will this affect, in any way, our ability to have quarterly billing - we do not want to move to Direct Debit billing? Grateful for advice.

Hi @AB2023 ,

I can answer both for you.

1. Nope, sorry! The stocks of non-smart meters have all but run out and only smart meters get fitted now
2. No, your billing cycle won’t be affected, nor will your payment method. It just means the meter itself gets swapped but everything else remains the same

Thanks. Slightly disappointing but perhaps not unexpected.

I have been informed that the certification has expired on the the electricity meter. 
 

The meter is situated currently outside my property. I have also been informed that it will be replaced with a smart meter which I  believe is not compulsory. Other companies can replace with a standard meter. How will this affect the readings if a smart meter is installed outside? When are the smets3 being installed. 
 

I do not want new installation inside due to future building works and remodelling inside property. How will this affect the collection of data? Does anyone else have an outside smart meter? 

Many smart meters are installed outside. As long as the enclosure is suitable it will be fine. 
There are no plans for a 3rd gen smart meter as far as I’m aware

Hi @Jonesac1

It is a question often asked. 

If your meter is faulty or out of certification, suppliers are under no obligation to fit a non smart meter and you can't refuse a smart meter. 

You can decline an upgrade to a smart meter if your meter is working and still certified.

My gas smart meter is outside in a meter box. OVO simply swapped my traditional meter for a smart meter in the same space.

If you post some photos of your meter and where it is, i am sure someone here can give some extra feedback.

You don't have to have the smart meter moved inside your home. 

Based on the info in this thread and what I know from around the market, there’s not really any suppliers fitting non-smart meters anymore outside of landlord sub-metering setups which are a completely different beast anyway.

Ultimately, if a meter is replaced these days, there’s a 99.9999999999999999% chance it’ll be a smart meter regardless of supplier because stocks of the older types have pretty much dried up. You can opt-out of having an upgrade, but suppliers can override if they have a legitimate reason. Ultimately, the opt-outs just turn off marketing communications about upgrading until such time that the meter has to be replaced.

My own smart meter is technically outside, albeit in an electrical cupboard with a whole bunch of other meters and random stuff accessed via an external door. It’s pretty safe and secure being in there because it’s sheltered by being in an electrical room.

As long as your meter boxes are in good order, you should be fine.

I can also confirm there’s no plans for SMETS3 anytime soon. SMETS2 is still pretty new and doing a brilliant job so there’s not really a need to replace it at the moment.

Just to add to the excellent advice you’ve had so far, I suspect that the meters for most properties are outside. It made sense when they were installed: you didn’t have to be at home when the meter reader came. The exceptions would be, for example, in a block of flats, where the meters are in a communal space like a cellar.   

Some people may be confused by users’ references to their ‘smart meter’ when in fact they’re talking about the In-House Display. The IHD is a little electronic gizmo that makes it possible to ‘read the meter’ from inside, thanks to modern wireless technology. It receives the same data from the meter as the energy supplier does, so you can monitor your usage in real time. It’s also possible for the supplier (e.g. OVO) to send messages to the IHD, although this has only happened three times in the six years since my smart meter was installed, two of them by accident. 
Smart Meters and In Home Displays - Topic Hub | The OVO Forum (ovoenergy.com)

So, yes, it’s quite normal for a smart meter to be installed outside, even though meter readers are a dying breed.  

Thank you all I very much appreciate the quick response. I feel much happier now.  Kind regards

Couple of weeks ago I received a letter saying my electric meter would soon be out of certification and needed replacement, so I went online and booked an appointment for a new smart meter. The first thing that surprised me was that it’s booked for May 1st, which is a Bank Holiday. I just chalked that up to them being keen to get smart merters into every household so it didn’t ring any alarm bells at the time.

Since then I’ve been spammed on an almost daily basis with reminders, by phone and email, asking me to confirm or cancel the appointment. I must admit, I did click to confirm when the first email came in, which I’m starting to regret now, as clicking links in emails is something I never usually do. Anyway, the texts and emails kept on coming so I just ignored them.

This mornng I received a letter through the post saying they’ve not heard back from me yet regarding the letter they sent me about getting my meter changed!

Is this just the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, or should I refuse entry to whoever turns up on Monday? I tried ringing them but they’re not open on Saturdays. I can’t find any way of contacting them via my online account, so I thought I’d try here and see if anybody from OVO is monitoring the forum at weekends.

Live Chat is open and active at https://help.ovoenergy.com/ . Try that.

Otherwise, the social media team are monitoring those accounts.

Please also show me photos of the current meter. I can tell you roughly how much service life it likely has left.

Thanks. I did manage to find the web chat, and they have confirmed the appointment date.

You probably don’t need the photo now

The meter is about 20 years old. Gas meter is even older. Says 1984 on the front panel!