Smart meter failed installation from THTC

I believe they are changing from THTC to Smart E10 (possible another tariff)

So I woukd think if you can't  get a Smart Meter because is not going to work they will have to fit a non-smart E10 meter before the switch off.…

Buy I'm sure they will be trying to get to the bottom of why the Smart meter isn't working 

According to the Engineer there wasn't a signal, I have seen posts saying that happens in "rural areas" but I am in a large city, thanks for your reply though.  I will have to wait and see if OVO come up with a solution. 

When I was fitting them thus happened  all over 

Rightly the rural areas were prone but other areas /buildings were affected too

Areas did get better so where there was no signal one day maybe got a signal a few months later 

Many things can weaken or block signals.

Rural is more usual as you say, distance from the transmitter, or mountains/hills, even trees can get in the way and be a problem.

In the urban environment it can be a building that is in the way, especially a building made with girders. (Girders are good for making Irn-Bru, but somtimes also good for blocking radio signals).

I would imagine granite would cause some problems too if there is enough of it between the transmitter and receiver - when you think about it it's a mountain that has been moved to build a city.

Yeah forgot about those house made of concrete with the rebar 

They were  a nightmare 

A few areas in Dundee have houses made like this 

Thanks for your reply, probably right about the Angus transmitter also meter is located in cupboard under stairs.  For budgeting purposes pre payment suits me , the local shop does top up etc, being senior and at home most of the time economy 10 is also my best option. I don't know how long OVO will take to get back to me about this, the Engineer obviously sent the failed installation details to them. As far as I am aware none of my neighbours have smart meters so it could mean the whole street is out of signal range

E10 is what they are offering I believe  as a replacement to THTC

If the smart one can't be fitted then a non smart is what they will have to fit before the switch off 

With Smets 2 the more smart meters in the area or getting near the area the more chance the signal  works I was always yold by the powers above 

So maybe it will get to your street eventually 

Thanks, hopefully someone will contact me soon from OVO with some information 

Non-Smart Meters haven’t been manufactured in over a decade IIRC. No stocks remain.

Oh dear, looks like I am in Limbo, thanks for your reply 

No. OVO has considered that possibility - Smart Meters that are pre-configured with both E10 and E7 are currently being made available. These provide a temporary solution for cases where WAN is too weak to connect while it gets fixed.

I suppose I will have to wait until they contact me then and see if they offer me that alternative, thanks again 

Topping up is more difficult if there’s no WAN. Arguably, it may not be possible if the Meter can’t even be commissioned, but that’s also why safeguards exist such as defaulting to Credit Mode in those situations to keep the lights on as that’s more important.

I would like to note however, that I also believe PAYG may not be the right choice for you given your circumstances anyway. Please consider moving to Pay Monthly if possible.

I may consider that at a later date but I am old fashioned and like to pay for things as I use them and that way I can budget accordingly, technology is definitely not my strongest point and I have never read a meter in my life always had a professional meter reader come in to do it so I don't think I would be very competent at that either, things are looking bleak on the switch over

Cheers

Do these pre-configured ones chand rates without a signal ?

Yes. All of them change rates locally, whether pre-configured or not. Once the Meter has downloaded the ALCS Calendar configuration, the Meter follows it indefinitely even if WAN drops out. Unlike RTS, with Smart Meters there’s absolutely no reliance on remote control signals whatsoever.

RTS Meters supposedly have similar features as a failsafe, but it cannot be relied upon because:

• It’s 1980’s technology which is getting pretty old
• We can’t guarantee that all RTS setups actually have that failsafe
• There’s no way to reprogram or retrofit the failsafe - if an engineer was doing that, they may as well just fit a Smart Meter anyway
• The failsafe was designed to cover short-term outages, not a total permanent shutdown
• We have to make ABSOLUTELY ZERO promises that the failsafe will even work at all on any particular RTS Meter

Thank you 

Fitted thousands of Smart Meters and never knew they changed rates locally 

Thanks 

You learn something everyday 

I suppose that depends on what you mean by change rates. With OVO’s current arrangements,

• The tariff can’t be changed locally. This means that any costs displayed on the meter and on the IHD will only be anything like accurate if the tariff (unit rates and standing charge) loaded at installation remains valid. For anyone on a Standard Variable Tariff, this will fall apart on 1 January.
• The change from one meter register to another - from Rate 1 to Rate 2, for example - happens locally. The times it happens at (the ToU matrix) can’t be changed locally.
• The switched load switches off and on, from peak rate to offpeak rate, and back again according to the local ALCS calendar. The calendar can’t be changed locally. 

So, which of these were you referring to?

Octopus are starting trials with remote operation of the ALCS, so they can power up switched loads at greener times and conversely power them down when demand is high. I suppose the next step is the one many SM-deniers say they fear - increasing the unit price when demand is high, which is of course what their Agile plans do anyway. 

So OVO engineer came today to fit new smart meter. All arranged through the complex meter team.  First appointment before Christmas was cancelled on the morning of the appointment by OVO and they set up new appointment.

He had a look in the outside box then in the inside cupboard where the radio switch box sits beside all the consumer units. Then he says he can’t put the new meter in as it needs a wireless/remote controller to link to the meter as he can’t run a cable under the floor.  He then says but they haven’t invented it yet - WHAT??????  So I ask why my neighbours with the same set us as me  had their meter replaced in October??  He then left saying OVO will be in touch when they have designed the controllers needed.  He also said the deadline has been moved to September.  Surely the industry has known about this issue for years so why are we at this stage with 6 - 9 months to go and they still can’t do it, well at least not to every house in the same street with the same set up??

Hi ​@FClarke ,

I’m not quite sure what the engineer meant by that, so I’ll ask an OVO Engineer who I know well for his thoughts.

Might take a while because he gets busy sometimes, bear with me! While you wait, please post photos of your current setup - this helps us understand what you’ve got now.

Thanks!

I spotted your other comment.

I think you might be talking about the Dual-Mode Comms Hubs but it’s not clear from the OP in this thread. Those units are designed to run Arqiva WAN first via Long-Range Radio, and Cellular based Telefonica/Vodafone WAN as a fallback.

If it is about those, they’re in development and are likely being tested sooner or later. But I’ll ask my engineer friend for his thoughts anyway.

Hey ​@FClarke,

Unfortunately THTC meters/setups can be complicated and challenges during installations have surfaced. Our infrastructures teams are currently working on solutions for those still impacted by needing meter changes. We will have solutions for those affected but right now it’s still something that we’re working on. As ​@Blastoise186 has pointed out, we have similar threads of others who are in the same position as you and once we know more we’ll let you know!