Why are my solar panels causing my electric meter to run backwards?

Hi ​@Cate123, yep, that meter is exactly the right jobby, your generation meter.   That’s good to know, and will be useful to you (it looks like your panels have already generated 365 kWh, assuming the meter was set at zero when installed, which I have no doubt it was). 365 kWh for 7 recently installed solar panels is no mean feat, actually, April/May time.  And 7 kWh for yesterday alone is pretty good, my fourteen panels yesterday generated exactly the same!  Half facing North-ish and half facing South-ish, but your modern panels will possibly be around 400 Watts each, whereas my somewhat elderly exemplars are 200 Watts each.  So, take heart, you’re generating very respectably indeed, only imagine if you do persuade them to put some on the South-facing roof, too!  There’ll have been some reason for them selecting the aspect that they chose…wonder what it was?
 

The flashing red light is purely to help some electronic impulse-reading equipment read the meter if one wanted to fit that as an option for logging and recording purposes (I think, I’m guessing a bit here, maybe ​@BPLightlog or someone equally more knowledgeable than I, can elucidate on that for us?) but it’s definitely normal, my generation meter looks to be almost an identical meter, including the pulsing red light!

So, it sounds as though you are getting the job well and truly in hand, you will definitely notice the difference the panels will make to you.  A very Good Thing, well worth all the teething problems that you’ve successfully negotiated….all the very best, please do keep us posted on how everything goes, especially with the house’s new smart meter in July.  
 

EDIT.  Doh! I clearly must have had a hard week!  Make mine sixteen panels not fourteen, actually!  So that makes your 7 panels even more productive!  atb…

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I’m wondering if the photo shows the generation meter?  I do look at this every day.  

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Yes as Waltyboy mentioned that’s your meter to record generation (separate to export).

and the red flashing light is just like any other meter - it flashes as it’s measuring power, just in this case measuring power from your solar panels. In some cases it is used as a remote sensor but that’s generally not used.

You can see it tells you how many pulses for each kWh of energy produced 

Our previous energy supplier SSE refused to confirm that the installation of a smart meter would not adversely affect our solar panel installation, does anyone know whether or not a smart meter can adversely affect a solar panel installation.

Hi ​@Ballywalk ,

Long story short, a Smart Meter will NOT disrupt your solar panels. Just make sure the CT Clamps are correctly re-installed afterwards and you’ll be fine.

Earlier models of smart meter were not compatible with solar PV but as Blastoise mentioned, with the SMETS2 type meters now in main usage, they cope well. 
If your solar inverter monitors your power via a CT then this must be reconnected in the same way as previously. It will have an arrow moulded into its casing and it’s important that this points in a specific direction once clipped around the correct cable

Hey ​@Ballywalk,

We’ve had some great responses to your question above! Have you had the chance to review them yet? 

Please feel free to ask any follow-up questions you may have 😃

If your meter is running backward then you definitely don’t need an export meter fitted or need your meter replaced as it’s doing you a favour. If you have notified your supplier that the meter runs backwards then you have done your part, whether they take action to resolve it is down to them.

It’s hugely beneficial to you if the meter runs backwards as it means you’re essentially able to use every bit of solar energy you generate which is what most people need a battery for. If your installation is MCS certified then it should already include an export meter that’s separate to your normal electricity meter.

Ever since my landlord, I'm a local council tennant, fitted solar panels I've had nothing but trouble, after I submitted my last meter reading my direct debit has just gone from £40 per month to a whopping £227.

I live on my own, I've always been self conscious about leaving anything on standby, never anything plugged in that I'm not using,  power point switches switched up in the off position, I turn off lights in rooms I'm currently not in, apart from my small fridge freezer running as normal,  I don't consume much power,  recharging my phone ever other day, couple of hours tv, electric shower,  use the kettle for my dishes,  cold wash in my washing machine, and this may sound strange to other people but I never ever have the water heater/boiler on, that's always been switched off, I have storage heaters that are controled by the Total Heating and I've only had two of these heaters switched on in the winter,  they go on automatically three times a day, for around 45 mins to 90mins each time, and have given off a consistent comfortable heat around the house,  yet I've been informed by OVO that the signal that control these Total Heating will be switched off, the largest of the storage heaters I use has an option to switch it on manually, I've had to do this a couple of times this week for around an hour a day, OVO have been emailing and sending me letters for months now insisting that I have a smart reader installed or lose my heating.

my Total Heating meter is acting weird, it's not running backwards but has had a significant drop in it's reading, last year the reading started with 72... now it's just 53.... furthermore my electric meter has shot up from 26...to now starting with 29.. OVO refuse to accept my Total Heating meter reading and are still billing me for their 72....reading hence my direct debit going up, I'm currently having all this investigated by one of their customer service agents who has requested I take meter readings and pictures for the next week.

Nobody can tell me what exact benefit these solar panels are giving me,  nobody seems to care about the third meter with it's flashing light that sits in between my Total Heating and electric meters, nobody can tell me why when they installed these solar panels they also installed a power point in the meter cupboard so this plug can be plugged in, and what happens if I unplug this plug.

The same copy and paste smartmeter propaganda BS reply