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Smurfhito
Rank 2
April 19, 2023
Solved

IHD not been received- Old meter type

  • April 19, 2023
  • 44 replies
  • 664 views

Hello, this is a long story but I’ll try to keep it short.

I moved into my current property 4 years ago. When I moved in, it was apparent that there was no IHD here. It appears that the previous occupants very annoyingly took it with them.

At the time I was with Eon. I tried numerous times to request an IHD from them, but Eon’s policy is not to give IHDs to anyone!

Since the energy prices rising I am now desperate to get an IHD, it’s impossible for me to track my usage effectively without one. I am aware of the apps (such as Loop), but these are almost useless for working out the amounts of energy and the cost of appliances in real time. I have tried.  Also I’ve seen the Ivie bud IHDs, but I really can’t afford to spend £55 on this, the whole reason I need an IHD is because I’m really trying to save money. 

So, I messaged Ovo, who said of course they would provide me with an IHD if I were to switch to them. With this knowledge, I made the switch just under 1 month ago. I’ve phoned up to request an IHD today, and to my massive disappointment, I’ve been told that my meters are SMETS1, and that they don’t have any SMETS1 IHDs in stock, and that these have now been discontinued.

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement, really gutted, all the hassle of switching suppliers seems to have been a total waste of time. I just thought I’d make a post here as a last resort. Any advice would be appreciated.

Best answer by Jeffus

Hi @Jeffus 

Thanks for the quick reply,  I’ve posted a photo of my meter below. I tried running the details through that citizens advice link, it seems to say my meter is SMETS1, and isn’t smart… I thought all these smart meters were supposed to be smart! I’m confused.

I did try loop and it works to some extent, but nowhere near the way that a proper IHD works, no real time info at all. 

 

It can be confusing...  In simple terms. 

So you have a smart meter, but it is an older SMETS1 meter.

This basically means the way it communicates is different to newer SMETS2 meters.

So it is more difficult to switch suppliers and keep the smart functionality and more difficult to source In Home Displays.

These older meters are in the process of being upgraded, either a software update or if all else fails a new meter. The deadline is currently end of this year. 

Interesting you say you can use loop as this doesn't work unless your meter has been upgraded. Try Hugo and see what happens just as a test. 

https://hugoenergyapp.co.uk/

It is certainly strange you can use loop but the citizens advice test gave that result.

Do you have gas and electricity? 

44 replies

Show previous replies
Blastoise186
Super User
Blastoise186Super User
Super User
April 20, 2023

Tim and Emmanuelle can’t authorise anything by themselves I’m afraid. But they can pass on feedback and get thoughts from other staff in some cases

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    April 20, 2023

    Thanks for your advice and suggestions guys, I’ll definitely consider that.  I shall hang fire for a day or two, just in case an Ovo rep might be able to help us come to a solution on this forum. 

    Just to set your expectations, the OVO moderators don't look at every post and thread, so you may or may not see them post on this thread again. 

    This is primarily a customer forum where customers chat and no OVO staff here can access accounts to make any changes. 

    Tim_OVO
    OVO Staff
    Tim_OVO
    OVO Forum Legend
    April 21, 2023

    Thanks for your advice and suggestions guys, I’ll definitely consider that.  I shall hang fire for a day or two, just in case an Ovo rep might be able to help us come to a solution on this forum. 

    Just to set your expectations, the OVO moderators don't look at every post and thread, so you may or may not see them post on this thread again. 

    This is primarily a customer forum where customers chat and no OVO staff here can access accounts to make any changes. 

     

    The one correction I would make here is that we do look at every single comment. We have to, to make sure it abides by our rules! But other than that, the advice here has been on point.

     

    @Smurfhito I agree with Jeffus that any remark promising you an IHD should’ve included a caveat that it’s dependent on stock. Can I ask, other than the live usage of the IHD which lets you, in theory, turn off all appliances and then turn one on to see it’s live energy demand, what is it about an IHD that you need that you can’t get with half hour readings and OVO’s online tools: https://dashboard.carbon-zero.ovoenergy.com/ovo-greenlight/bill-breakdown ?

    Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
    S
    Rank 2
    SmurfhitoAuthor
    Rank 2
    April 21, 2023

    Thanks for the response @Tim_OVO, and to everyone else who’s contributed thanks again. 

    That’s exactly it, being able to work out how much it’s costing for individual appliances. Being able to see how much energy (mainly heating) is costing by simply glancing up at the display. Being able to budget and keep my spending to what I can afford.
    I have tried the third party apps, and the dashboards on Eon and now Ovo. Short of me leaving my phone display on 24/7 on the mantle piece, it’s not quite the same as having a tangible purpose-built display. 
    It’s a first world problem I’m sure, but it just feels really unfair that the whole population gets one and I’ve never in my life had one!  Such is life though I suppose. 

    S
    Rank 2
    SmurfhitoAuthor
    Rank 2
    April 21, 2023

    Also, the whole switching process has been an absolute nightmare. In fairness, mainly down to Eon, who are flat out refusing to issue my credit I had with them, as they say they haven’t received the final electric reading from Ovo - although they have received the final gas reading, it doesn’t make sense.  I’ve wasted hours on the phone and webchats with both Ovo and Eon trying to get that sorted, and am no closer to a resolution on that front. I’m expecting that to drag on for months now. 
    So overall just a really stressful and disappointing experience, and it seems totally fruitless in regards to the IHD situation. With hindsight of course I wish I hadn’t switched, not worth the hassle so far. 

    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    April 21, 2023

    Thanks for the response @Tim_OVO, and to everyone else who’s contributed thanks again. 

    That’s exactly it, being able to work out how much it’s costing for individual appliances. Being able to see how much energy (mainly heating) is costing by simply glancing up at the display. Being able to budget and keep my spending to what I can afford.
    I have tried the third party apps, and the dashboards on Eon and now Ovo. Short of me leaving my phone display on 24/7 on the mantle piece, it’s not quite the same as having a tangible purpose-built display. 
    It’s a first world problem I’m sure, but it just feels really unfair that the whole population gets one and I’ve never in my life had one!  Such is life though I suppose. 

    I see you have gas, just in case you were not aware an IHD only updates every 30min for gas unlike electricity.

    Simply to conserve the battery in the gas meter. 

      Tim_OVO
      OVO Staff
      Tim_OVO
      OVO Forum Legend
      April 24, 2023

      @Smurfhito we say that it can take up to 6 weeks for meter readings to be confirmed between suppliers and final bills issues. Has it been longer? See our guide here for more info:

       

       

      Have you seen the usage breakdowns available here, @Smurfhito? They offer you usage and cost insight per appliance: https://dashboard.carbon-zero.ovoenergy.com/ovo-greenlight/bill-breakdown

      Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
      S
      Rank 2
      SmurfhitoAuthor
      Rank 2
      April 26, 2023

      Thanks @Tim_OVO  I can’t see any appliance breakdown on mine, but it says it can’t get my daily usage data now so that’s probably why!

      Quick update on my situation, I phoned Ovo today and spoke to a lovely lady, who confirmed that my smets1 meter has now in fact been updated, so should be compatible with the IHDs that Ovo have available to them. She said they don’t have any in stock currently, so she’s put me on the waiting list, but couldn’t give any indication of how long I might be waiting. 
      I just wondered if you might have any idea how long the wait could be? @Tim_OVO Any further advice would be appreciated.

      Blastoise186
      Super User
      Blastoise186Super User
      Super User
      April 26, 2023

      The Chameleon IHD6-CAD-PPMID-S1 is the one you probably need. Those things are literally gold dust.

      Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      April 26, 2023

      The Chameleon IHD6-CAD-PPMID-S1 is the one you probably need. Those things are literally gold dust.

      Have we seen any posts where people have been given S1 IHDs over the last few months?

      I can't honestly remember any, but i may have missed them. 

      Show more replies
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