I believe they are changing from THTC to Smart E10 (possible another tariff)

So I woukd think if you can't  get a Smart Meter because is not going to work they will have to fit a non-smart E10 meter before the switch off.…

Buy I'm sure they will be trying to get to the bottom of why the Smart meter isn't working 

According to the Engineer there wasn't a signal, I have seen posts saying that happens in "rural areas" but I am in a large city, thanks for your reply though.  I will have to wait and see if OVO come up with a solution. 

When I was fitting them thus happened  all over 

Rightly the rural areas were prone but other areas /buildings were affected too

Areas did get better so where there was no signal one day maybe got a signal a few months later 

Many things can weaken or block signals.

Rural is more usual as you say, distance from the transmitter, or mountains/hills, even trees can get in the way and be a problem.

In the urban environment it can be a building that is in the way, especially a building made with girders. (Girders are good for making Irn-Bru, but somtimes also good for blocking radio signals).

I would imagine granite would cause some problems too if there is enough of it between the transmitter and receiver - when you think about it it's a mountain that has been moved to build a city.

Yeah forgot about those house made of concrete with the rebar 

They were  a nightmare 

A few areas in Dundee have houses made like this 

The smart meter will probably have tried to catch the LRR signal from the Angus TV tower. If your meter is on the wrong side of the Law or the house, not to mention if it’s down in a dungeon, the signal may well have difficulty getting through. It may be some time before a good solution is available, but you’ll have to get a new meter before next June anyway. If all else fails, you’ll probably get an Economy 7 meter. 

I’m not sure whether pre-payment is another complicating factor. Are you sure that’s the best solution for you? The new smart meter will do its job of measuring your electricity consumption, but you’d have to submit readings manually until the connection is made. It could be that topping-up will be a pain, but ​@Blastoise186  would know more about that.
 

Thanks for your reply, probably right about the Angus transmitter also meter is located in cupboard under stairs.  For budgeting purposes pre payment suits me , the local shop does top up etc, being senior and at home most of the time economy 10 is also my best option. I don't know how long OVO will take to get back to me about this, the Engineer obviously sent the failed installation details to them. As far as I am aware none of my neighbours have smart meters so it could mean the whole street is out of signal range

E10 is what they are offering I believe  as a replacement to THTC

If the smart one can't be fitted then a non smart is what they will have to fit before the switch off 

With Smets 2 the more smart meters in the area or getting near the area the more chance the signal  works I was always yold by the powers above 

So maybe it will get to your street eventually 

Thanks, hopefully someone will contact me soon from OVO with some information 

Non-Smart Meters haven’t been manufactured in over a decade IIRC. No stocks remain.

Oh dear, looks like I am in Limbo, thanks for your reply 

No. OVO has considered that possibility - Smart Meters that are pre-configured with both E10 and E7 are currently being made available. These provide a temporary solution for cases where WAN is too weak to connect while it gets fixed.

I suppose I will have to wait until they contact me then and see if they offer me that alternative, thanks again 

Topping up is more difficult if there’s no WAN. Arguably, it may not be possible if the Meter can’t even be commissioned, but that’s also why safeguards exist such as defaulting to Credit Mode in those situations to keep the lights on as that’s more important.

I would like to note however, that I also believe PAYG may not be the right choice for you given your circumstances anyway. Please consider moving to Pay Monthly if possible.

I may consider that at a later date but I am old fashioned and like to pay for things as I use them and that way I can budget accordingly, technology is definitely not my strongest point and I have never read a meter in my life always had a professional meter reader come in to do it so I don't think I would be very competent at that either, things are looking bleak on the switch over

Cheers

Do these pre-configured ones chand rates without a signal ?

Yes. All of them change rates locally, whether pre-configured or not. Once the Meter has downloaded the ALCS Calendar configuration, the Meter follows it indefinitely even if WAN drops out. Unlike RTS, with Smart Meters there’s absolutely no reliance on remote control signals whatsoever.

RTS Meters supposedly have similar features as a failsafe, but it cannot be relied upon because:

• It’s 1980’s technology which is getting pretty old
• We can’t guarantee that all RTS setups actually have that failsafe
• There’s no way to reprogram or retrofit the failsafe - if an engineer was doing that, they may as well just fit a Smart Meter anyway
• The failsafe was designed to cover short-term outages, not a total permanent shutdown
• We have to make ABSOLUTELY ZERO promises that the failsafe will even work at all on any particular RTS Meter

Thank you 

Fitted thousands of Smart Meters and never knew they changed rates locally 

Thanks 

You learn something everyday 

I suppose that depends on what you mean by change rates. With OVO’s current arrangements,

• The tariff can’t be changed locally. This means that any costs displayed on the meter and on the IHD will only be anything like accurate if the tariff (unit rates and standing charge) loaded at installation remains valid. For anyone on a Standard Variable Tariff, this will fall apart on 1 January.
• The change from one meter register to another - from Rate 1 to Rate 2, for example - happens locally. The times it happens at (the ToU matrix) can’t be changed locally.
• The switched load switches off and on, from peak rate to offpeak rate, and back again according to the local ALCS calendar. The calendar can’t be changed locally. 

So, which of these were you referring to?

Octopus are starting trials with remote operation of the ALCS, so they can power up switched loads at greener times and conversely power them down when demand is high. I suppose the next step is the one many SM-deniers say they fear - increasing the unit price when demand is high, which is of course what their Agile plans do anyway.