OVO SMETS1 Pipit In Home Display (IHD) - Why is my gas "history" section frozen?

Thanks @Tim_OVO . I can confirm that both accounts have SMETS1 Secure Liberty smart meters and both have Secure Pipit 500 IHDs. Throughout the last 6 months I have been in close contact with OVO Energy Support and they are fully aware of all of the issues raised. I can also confirm that from the outset both meters have been sending accurate gas & electricity usage readings every 30 minutes and OVO Energy has used this data to generate accurate and up-to-date energy bills each month. The problem has been to get reliable usage data to be displayed on the IHDs themselves, particularly gas history data and real-time data covering today’s gas consumption at 30 min intervals. (See photos above).

For dual fuel a smart meter system for a domestic property comprises 1) a smart electricity meter, 2) a smart gas meter and 3) an in-home display. Unless all three are working together and working successfully then the account does NOT have a fully operational smart metering system. The IHD is an essential component for successful energy-efficient operation. For a customer with internet access to their account it is NOT acceptable for OVO Energy Support to say, “you have web access, so therefore you don’t really need an IHD. Use the internet instead”.

Hey @jrhayley,

Really sorry you’re still having issues.

I can see you’ve already reached out to our Smart Team many times in regards to this. We’ve also tried to give lots of advice here on the Forum.

To be transparent, if the issues with your IHDs are persisting the only thing else I can suggest here is raising a Complaint? Although we don’t currently have stock of Pipit IHDs so I’m not sure what resolution would be offered in this case if a replacement isn’t possible. 

Unless @Blastoise186 has anything else to add here? 

Not much right now I’m afraid. The SMETS1 Secure Pipit 500 IHD is basically dead at this point in terms of manufacturing and stocks. I don’t foresee any more of them being produced either.

Depending on circumstances, OVO might - and I do mean MIGHT - be able to offer you a Chameleon IHD6-CAD-PPMID-S1 or Chameleon IHD7-CAD-PPMID-S1 at OVO’s discretion. However, those things are literally gold dust and OVO is currently trying to use the stocks of those more on Boost SPAYG customers who desperately need them more due to the PPMID (Prepayment Meter Interface Device) functionality that’s critical for entering UTRN Codes for manual top-ups. If your Pipit 500 is also out of warranty, that might result in OVO deciding against offering you a new IHD. You are of course, welcome to ask anyway if you wish.

Please understand though that this is not guaranteed and OVO reserves the right to refuse to offer you a replacement IHD if your current one is out of warranty.

However, if your meter has migrated to DCC, you do have options. I’ve got them listed in my guide below.

Hope this helps!

Thanks @Blastoise186 for your help. I can confirm that for both of our accounts the SMETS1 smart meters have indeed been migrated to DCC. From what you say it seems that @SimonW, @supercitybity and myself are all basically in a Catch 22 situation from which there is no obvious escape. The heart of the problem is that OVO Energy are saying that to solve this problem requires IHD replacement whilst at the same time it has become evident that OVO Energy appears to have no practical arrangements to actually replace these SMETS1 IHDs. 

Thanks also for linking to your thread on sourcing IHD replacements which was most helpful, particularly the information about third party In-Home Displays for SMETS1 meters such as the Hildebrand Glow Display. Some good food for thought here.

Yeah, in OVO’s defence it is more complicated than what first meets the eye.

The easy and obvious replacement - the Secure Pipit 500 - is no longer manufactured and the only potential option OVO could offer is the Chameleon IHD6-CAD-PPMID-S1. The problem is that stocks of that model are a nightmare to come by and OVO is having to prioritise Boost PAYG customers over OVO PAYM customers, because if you’re on PAYG, you absolutely RELY on having a PPMID (Prepayment Meter Interface Device) for being able to monitor your credit and topping-up.

@jrhayley 

I’ve contacted OVO support and directed them to this thread and they’ve “helpfully” come back with the below.

When I have enough patience I’ll spell out my problem to them again. I can only assume i’m at the first stage of getting support, which is, automate the reply and hope the customer sorts it by turning it on and off…  It’s a shame that they haven’t taken the time to look at the thread and see our photos and description of the issue. 

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Hi Stuart, 

 Thank you for getting in touch, I’m Susan, I'm part of your Account Management Team here at OVO. I'm happy to help with this.

I'm sorry to hear your In-Home Display (IHD) isn’t working. Don’t worry, this won’t affect your smart meter or your energy supply at all.

1. I just need to check a few things with you and we’ll be able to work out what’s wrong with it. When you have a moment, do you mind replying to this email with the following:
2. When did your IHD stop working?
3. Have you tried replacing its batteries?
4. If you use a different plug, does that make any difference?
5. Do you know if there’s been any damage to it?
6. When it’s plugged in, what do you see on its screen?
7. In your own words, please describe the issue

It could show you a message or no info at all.

Sometimes the fix can be as simple as changing the batteries, whereas other times we’ll need to send you a brand new one.

If your IHD isn't back on its feet, we’ll send you a paid postage label so you can send your IHD to us for free. Remember to write your energy account number and name in the package. We’ll then get you a brand new IHD right away.

In the meantime, you can always check your energy use and so much more in your online account, or app.

Actually @supercitybity , you had a response from a human there.

The Account Management Team you’ve been assigned to are super-duper support, they’re way  beyond any first level support agent you’ll get elsewhere. The only thing they don’t see directly, is this thread unless you provide them the link to it.

@supercitybity. I can endorse what @Blastoise186 has said. It took me four months to get there (!!) but eventually in August I received several phone calls from Michelle in the Account Management Team and she was very helpful indeed. My case subsequently got escalated and raised to “formal complaint” status. I now have a Complaint Case number and a dedicated specialist from the Advance Resolution Team working on a resolution. So all this represents progress, albeit after many months! 🙂

To update this 9 months later. 

The gas history is now randomly working again!  Not sure when it resolved itself. 

Hey @supercitybity 

Welcome back!

Wow, it’s been a while since you were on this thread so it’s nice to see you pop back with an update on the IHD, and I’m glad it’s a positive update too!

Glad to see it’s working again. 😃