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Why is my smart meter usage Data Missing from Loop Energy App? Is it a DCC Issue?

  • 1 April 2022
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Hi,

I signed to Loop Energy earlier this week to better see my usage and simulate solar/battery on my house.  It synced around 30 days of data from January/December and then nothing since.  

I signed up today to Hugo which works in a similar way and it synced the same data.  This leads me to thing there is a problem with how my smart meter is communicating however all of my data is correct and up to date in the OVO app.

 

I’d welcome any suggestions.  Thanks.  

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Best answer by Mr_Grumpy 1 April 2022, 15:32

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Hey there @Mr_Grumpy !

Thanks for bringing this one up. I’m Blastoise186, one of the forum volunteers here. :)

I have to admit I’m in a similar situation as well. My smart meter Raichu works fine with OVO and is communicating just fine with OVO, DCC and my DNO Western Power Distribution. However, no-one with the DCC Other User role has ever managed to connect to it to date and it’s believed that my site is in a unique situation that’s pretty rare. Literally no-one else can touch Raichu which I find pretty funny as it means I’ve got a very secure smart meter. :D

Of course, the most important thing is that your meter is at least working with OVO, which confirms that comms are good, the meter is commissioned and everything on that side is working as intended. Unfortunately however, I am not currently aware of any solution to this particular issue as you can’t usually talk to DCC directly and I think this is something that only DCC can fix.

OVO can’t help with third party apps either I’m afraid, but I’ll ask @Jess_OVO if she can think of anything to recommend.

Updated on the 16/06/23 by Emmanuelle_OVO:

 

If you want to find out more about the national enrollment of SMETS1 meters onto the DCC, check out this handy guide we’ve created: 

 

 

Hi Blastoise, thanks for getting back to me.  It is a curious situation isn’t it?

I’ve been able to see half hourly data in the OVO app flawlessly since the meter was installed 18 months ago so something must be working.  Just to share a little more information, in case is it helpful, Loop Energy has suggested the following:

 

  1. I check that OVO are seeing true usage data rather than just meter readings (I didn’t appreciate there was a difference).
  2. Loop Energy are “aware that in a minority of cases, a customer’s energy supplier can connect to the smart meter even if Loop cannot.

    This is typically due to the meter type - either the meter is from the first generation of meters or is a new meter with a bug that blocks authorised companies that are not utilities from connecting.”    I guess it could be the bug that is the issue.  

Not sure if this will change anything but always good to have as many pieces of the puzzle as possible.  

 

 

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...

  1. I check that OVO are seeing true usage data rather than just meter readings (I didn’t appreciate there was a difference).

 

That caught my eye.

These days, all the online feedback about consumption is presented by Ovo in terms of “usage”, resolved at any of half-hourly, daily and monthly levels. It would appear that third parties (DCC Authorised Users) only get the half-hourly usage data because, as far as I can tell, that is the only consumption data there is. The daily and monthly usage data is, I now know (thanks to the response to a GDPR SAR, which I received from Ovo yesterday) that Ovo only has meter reading data, and the daily and monthly usage feedback is generated from differences in meter readings. Once a month, the meter reading features in a statement of account, and the other daily (smart) meter readings are visible in the smartphone app if not via the web portal.

Except that of course, Ovo must have the half-hourly consumption data as well, because they show it to users in online graphs. I’m sure it was an oversight not to include it in their response to my SAR. Or perhaps, somehow, Ovo really doesn’t have the half-hourly usage data because they subcontract (out-source) the actual communication with customers’ smart meters.

I remain a little puzzled.

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I have always been ruthless in checking my usage data. Despite not being able to use third party apps, I have always been able to match up the usage data in MyOVO with the data from the Kecleon Brothers - and they both retrieve it directly from Raichu. It’s always been within what I expected as well and pretty much matches my meter readings.

As I’ve always said, bugs like that can be account or site specific. Just because it affects you doesn’t automatically mean it affects everyone.

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