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We’re currently looking for OVO customers who’d be interested in taking part in a Trust Centre Swap Out (TCSO) trial. The trial will hopefully allow us to swap your standard smart meter comms hubs with a new one without needing to exchange/replace the entire smart metering system within your home.

 

In the future this capability will help us to exchange and replace existing comms hubs with newer dual band and 4g variants to overcome in-home challenges associated with poor or low signal. 

 

By taking part in this trial, you'd help us on our journey to make energy better for people and the planet, by reducing the waste and the time required on site to resolve problems with our smart metering equipment.

 

What is a smart meter comms hub?

 

A comms hub connects smart gas and electric meters to a secure network and creates a HAN (Home Area Network). This allows your smart meters and In-Home Display to connect to each other. 

 

Dual Band comms hubs use multiple frequencies to increase the coverage of smart meters. It can help push the signal further in buildings that may be difficult to reach. This allows us to be able to communicate with your meters better.

 

To be able to take part in this pilot you need:

 

A SMETS2 Electricity meter that is sending remote readings that are being used for billing 

 

What happens on the day: 

 

An engineer will arrive at your home and conduct a network signal check. 

If the signal check is passed, they’ll exchange the comms hub and wait for the HAN to reconnect. There will be no interruption to your power and we should not be on site for longer than 90 minutes.

 

If the new comms hub fails to reconnect our Engineer will remove and replace the entire smart metering system to ensure that you are left with communicating meters. 

This will mean your supply will be interrupted , if you're reliant on any medical equipment, please speak to your engineer before shutting off your power.

 

As this is a trial we do have to let you know that there is a chance that this could happen, but we hope it’s unlikely. This won't impact your energy supply and will be done on the same day.

 

If you have any further questions, please feel free to comment below.

 

Sign me up! Please also provide me with a DBCH upgrade and a suitable DB IHD - I’d love to actually be able to use one! :D

I'm up for it too.

Bearing in mind that I also have an appointment already booked for a new SMETS2 gas meter install on the 18th of November.

Currently I have a SMETS2 electricity meter and hub but SMETS1 gas meter - because at the time of the Mex the new gas meter could not connect with the hub so the old gas meter was left in place as dumb.

To me that sounds like the kind of test case for HAN that you may be looking for.

Edit: unless of course you are looking at larger properties and tower blocks Alt-HAN. In which case my 1-bed ground floor flat is not going to be a good test.

Edit2- See my post below for more details of what this TCSO trial is actually about

Put me down for a trial, too, please. 

Please sign me up for the smart meter comms hub pilot

I’m also willing to take part…

Hi everyone,

 

Thank you for your interest in this pilot. 

 

I’ll be sending you all private messages shortly to gather some information from you all to pass onto the team that is doing the pilot.

Hi,

I would like to take part. I am due to have my smart meter replaced on the 26th Nov 24.

Thanks

Hey @Weeck14,

 

I sent you a private message to confirm your details 😊

I have found some more information about this TCSO trial and what it is,

CONSULTATION ON INTRODUCING AN OBLIGATION FOR TRUST CENTRE SWAP OUT PROVING

TCSO is a capability native to all ZigBee Smart Energy devices that allows the Trust
Centre, the Communications Hub in the case of smart metering, to be exchanged
whilst leaving existing devices operational. TCSO is likely to be a key component of
the successful transition to 4G Communications Hubs in the Central and South
Regions.

Laboratory testing has demonstrated TCSO works but it is not widely used in
operational settings for the purpose of replacing a Communications Hub. The results
of this testing have been shared with our Smart Metering Delivery Group where the
need for further proving to be conducted has been agreed. Large Supplier Parties
have indicated a willingness to participate to build on the initial laboratory testing and
expressed support for introducing obligations to continue this work.

 

But note also:

Whilst the initial focus is on gaining information on the TCSO process to support the
forthcoming rollout of 4G CHs in the Central and South Regions, we believe that
general information on the TCSO process can be gained from any SMETS2+ TCSO,
and therefore propose that TCSOs in the North Region should also be able to count
towards meeting the obligations

If there is indeed scope for the north region to be included then I would be keen to take part. I am in Scotland and currently have no WAN connection due to poor LRR coverage.

Hey @Retroanaconda 

 

If you send me a private message to confirm your details I’ll forward this to the team & they can advise if you’re eligible for the trial 😊

Happy to take part.

South West.

Electricity supply only.

Marginal mobile signal. Current connection via domestic WiFi.

Hey Mike 

 

I’ll PM you for your details 😁

Reply


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