The import readings on my Secure Liberty S1 meter don't match the energy purchased figure on my Solar PV and Home Energy Inverter - Which figure is correct?

Hi Jess and thanks for the reply.

My issue still remains based on total usage.  Surely my total usage for the last year should be pretty much on point?  The start read from the import reading till the month end should be the same as the total of my historical data.  As I have only just passed 12 months with Avro.

I would also expect my inverter readings to match but it seems to me like I am being charged for the energy my panels are generating.

I appreciate the help from you all, even though I am not yet an OVO customer.

We’re always happy to help out OVO members and potential OVO members alike, @Mbu1982 

I’d say this might not always be the case. It would of course depend on when the smart meters were installed and what the install reading was, as this may not necessarily be 00000 depending on whether a brand new meter or a refurbed meter was used (I know - it surprised me to learn this too!)

 I’m going to have to confess, inverter readings aren’t my area of expertise! ( @Transparent is our community expert on all things Home storage) Whilst I know incorrectly wired Solar panels may cause a meter to clock backwards, I’ve not heard of the opposite happening before, although it might be worth checking in with the Solar panel installers if you are concerned this might be the issue.

Hoping this information helps in some way - do pop back to keep us updated - it’ll be really helpful to others who might be facing similar issues when setting up their own micro-generation and Home storage system. 

Let’s pick off just one point and try to make sense of it. We can then come back to the wider issue.

@Mbu1982  wrote:

I would also expect my inverter readings to match but it seems to me like I am being charged for the energy my panels are generating.

There may seem to be a resemblance between those figures but I don’t see how it can possibly be the case.

You have both a PV Inverter and a Storage Battery. These are two devices which will have received G99 approval from your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) and should have separate metering. How could the export to the Grid from the PV Inverter be ‘known’ to your SMETS1 Meter?

Your Energy Supplier can only ‘see’ data retrieved from your Smart Meter. They have no way to view export data from your Inverter, and nor does the Meter.

Here’s the physical arrangement at my own house for comparison.

The Growatt Inverter has inbuilt metering and has therefore not been installed with a separate Export Meter.

The PowerVault Storage Battery has no ‘live metering’ display and therefore connects to my Consumer Unit via the OB Export Meter to the left.

Both the Growatt and the OB Export Meter have terminals to allow data to be retrieved. However these remain unconnected. My Smart Meter only ‘knows’ the combined effect of both devices.

Are you happy with this explanation?

Or do you believe that Avro have visibility of your PV export by some means?

Aside: I am working on a project to install my own data monitoring for my Growatt and the OB Export Meter. But OVO could still not retrieve this. Further information will appear later on the topic about Energy Monitoring.

Thanks for the reply.  The reason I asked about my inverter is that it seems to read my energy that I purchased.  Essentially my solar system is my main feed for energy and if I need more it comes from my battery and finally the grid.  My inverter displays this as my yearly energy purchased: 

Why would this be wrong?

I dont expect my Smets1 meter to know my export, but I do expect my import readings to be very similar to my inverter.  I have called Solis customer care directly and they do not understand why there would be a difference?

Thanks,

Joe 

The reason I asked about my inverter is that it seems to read my energy that I purchased.

It may be able to achieve this.

Has it got a current sensor connected to it?

I dont expect my Smets1 meter to know my export, but I do expect my import readings to be very similar to my inverter.

Your SMETS1 Meter should ‘know’ both your import and export from the house. But it won’t know how much you’ve stored or used within the home.

Why do you expect the readings from the Inverter to be similar to any registered by the Meter? (and I think you’ve transposed ‘import’ and ‘export’ in the sentence I’ve just quoted)

Everything you’re writing is reasonable. Just keep telling us the facts and we’ll try to understand what’s happening.

There isn’t really any such concept as a customer who’s mistaken about energy usage. The proper description for that issue is “a failure of the installer and documentation to adequately describe the system!”

Thanks for responding,  I am trying to get this clear in my head. 

Correct me if I am wrong, I am now taking my inverter as the first point of call for organising my usage.  If my solar system does not generate enough energy for me to use, that extra is then purchased from the grid?  The inverter  and system seems to tell me exactly what is currently being generated and what is being used? See below: 

Why would the energy purchased be different to my SMETS1?  As I believe the inverter is the gatekeeper as to how my system operates…...

I think we’re all trying to get this clear in our heads @Mbu1982 

How is the data in that chart obtained?

Does the manufacturer of your Storage Battery and your PV Inverter collect that data and display it online (or in an App)?

Where do they get the Energy Purchase figures from?

It may not be a current-clamp. There are alternative methods.

The data is taken\stored directly on the inverter.  I can then access the information online/app.

The energy purchased figures are taken from the inverter, as it shows what I am generating, what my consumption is and what I need from the grid to make up the difference.  Example below:

I have even reached out to Solis and they say the information should be accurate as the inverter is the gate keeper to my system.  It knows what is being generated, battery level and what my home use.  I dont know why everything does not match up?

This is getting somewhat tricky to answer without knowing the hardware you’ve had installed.

I’ve looked through the (Chinese) website for Solis and worked out that you probably have a RHI-3.6k-48ES Inverter. The ‘3.6’ may be a different number, but the operation will be the same.

Does it look like this?

If so, then it should have a separate Lithium-Ion battery pack and a wall-mounted meter.

The meter connects to the Inverter with a data cable and should also have another cable to a current-clamp on your mains incomer to the house. Here’s the connection diagram from the Solis Installation Manual

Can you confirm that this is the equipment you have and that there is a current-clamp connecting to the terminals at bottom-left of the meter?

I can’t say 100% but this is my setup: