My new SMETS 2 meters were installed in mid September. Since then, there has been no change in my account page. The last entry there was that my electricity and gas were to be supplied from 5 May.
My smart gas meter does not appear to be sending any data, I’m only getting a feed from the electricity meter.
I would like an idea of my usage, given the state of the fuel industry at the moment, I would at least like to have an idea if I will be in for some nasty surprises downstream.
Best answer by Jess_OVO
Updated on 19/08/25 by Chris_OVO:
Great to see you’ve already met our community volunteer and smart meter trouble-shooter, @Blastoise186.
Thanks for the question, this does sound a little strange and I would have expected your gas meter to have started sending in readings by now.
Just wanted to step in here just to clarify this point. As you mentioned your smart meters were installed in mid-September we’d generally advise that it can take up to 6 weeks from the install date for the meter details to be updated and your usage data to be populated both on your In-Home Display and on the usage pages of your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS).
There’s more info on this related topic, although I’m sure @Blastoise186 will be able to offer a slightly more technical explanation if you’re still noticing the same communication difficulties in a few weeks time.
Do keep us updated as we’re always happy to help and offer advice here where we can.
OVO member but haven't got a smart meter yet? - Book today!
Great to see you’ve already met our community volunteer and smart meter trouble-shooter, @Blastoise186.
Thanks for the question, this does sound a little strange and I would have expected your gas meter to have started sending in readings by now.
Just wanted to step in here just to clarify this point. As you mentioned your smart meters were installed in mid-September we’d generally advise that it can take up to 6 weeks from the install date for the meter details to be updated and your usage data to be populated both on your In-Home Display and on the usage pages of your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS).
There’s more info on this related topic, although I’m sure @Blastoise186 will be able to offer a slightly more technical explanation if you’re still noticing the same communication difficulties in a few weeks time.
Do keep us updated as we’re always happy to help and offer advice here where we can.
OVO member but haven't got a smart meter yet? - Book today!
Hey all. Just had my intermittently working SMETS 1 meters replaced for SMETS 2 (yesterday). The meter readings the installer took from the old meters before removing them haven't appeared in my account yet, and it's the end of my bill cycle on Monday. Should I submit those old ones manually, even though I now have new meters that were 0000 on install, or just wait for the ones he submitted get through on the system?
New meters not yet showing in my account so no readings yet.
Cheers @Blastoise186 It's never easy to tell when you need to do something and when you don't. Just hoping they start sending readings quite soon. The old ones were decommissioned off the DCC a few weeks ago, so in theory these new ones should register pretty quick. Think it took 48 hours when the original ones were installed to start getting readings. Although I don't know if the DCC was a thing then.
Not sure which version of IHD I've ended up with. Well, it's one of the Chameleon ones (without power button) but that's called an IHD 3 and the Ivie style ones are called IHD 6 but just cos the numbers are low/high doesn't necessarily follow that higher is newer. Bit surprised the Chameleon doesn't appear to add the standing charge to "daily usage". I do like knowing my total for the day rather than having to remember to add the SC myself in my head. Once the meters are back running I'll reconfigure my Ivie anyway I think.
HAN connection seems weak on this new meter/IHD combo I've found. One little bar of the WiFi symbol, sometimes 2, but drops off completely once or twice. And I can't really put the IHD closer to the electric meter without putting it on the stairs which seems a bit redundant.
Been 72 hours now since install. Gas meter is now sending readings to OVO but electric isn't yet. HAN still seems weak. Got the older IHD3 (did some checking and it is the older model) on the window ledge now, about 8ft from the meter in the outside wall. HAN 'wifi' indicator on the IHD is still barely registering at under 50% strength. My Ivie, about 4ft further away, is showing roughly the same. The old meters had 100% coverage in the same location.
Been able to connect both meters to the Ivie but, like the supplied IHD, it's not adding the gas standing charge to 'usage'. Electric standing charge is being added on both but had not for some reason.
Not getting any live usage data in the Ivie app from the electric meter which I thought it got from the IHD so shouldn't be reliant on DCC connection. But, that's an issue for other threads.
Hi @GrumpyTrucker , the adding of the standing charge should be automatic but in fact although mine does for electric, for gas it is often not added. That’s the same for the IHD6 and also my Hildebrand Glow IHD so I presume it comes from the meter. Your ivie bud should connect directly to the meters but I’m not sure if the app uses that feed. The gas info is linked via the electric comms hub so it may be that the sync phase of the electric meter isn’t yet complete
Hi @GrumpyTrucker , the adding of the standing charge should be automatic but in fact although mine does for electric, for gas it is often not added. That’s the same for the IHD6 and also my Hildebrand Glow IHD so I presume it comes from the meter. Your ivie bud should connect directly to the meters but I’m not sure if the app uses that feed. The gas info is linked via the electric comms hub so it may be that the sync phase of the electric meter isn’t yet complete
Well, as of this moment, both the Chameleon IHD3 AND my Ivie have lost connection to the meters. Been that way for an hour or more now. Just checked the meter and the HAN and WAN lights MIGHT be flashing but it's hard to tell. They're not very bright. Two teeny tiny little green LED pin pricks are flashing on/off every 2 seconds or so right at the bottom of the o shape cutouts for them.
I'll give it until Tuesday then I guess I'll be back in touch with OVO again. Paying more than we ever have for the energy and it's getting harder than ever to keep track of how much is being used.
@Blastoise186 Not like there's a lot of choice I guess. LOL. Was just saying that as of now I have zero info coming from the new meters. Both IHDs have lost connection for almost two hours now. The HAN and WAN might be flashing but it's hard to tell. Two teeny little pin points of light at the bottom of the o shaped cut outs but they're so faint it's hard to tell
Just realised as typing this that the first time round I used a different word after "pin" so that's what probably swept up the post.
And yeah, I think I figured out that word. In this context, I’d approve it if I was able to but I can see why it’d trip the filter. Me and BPLightlog are exempt from it on the basis of trust. Which is probably a good thing as otherwise we’d be constantly setting it off.
Still nothing on both IHDs - Chameleon and Ivie - and that means they've been disconnected from the meters for 10 hours now. I've even taken the supplied IHD and put the battery in and placed it in the wall cabinet right at the side of the meter, maybe 10 inches below the comms unit. Nothing. Still not connecting to the meter.
Both HAN and WAN lights are flashing, and now it's finally stopped raining I timed them properly and they're flashing at 5 second intervals, which apparently (allegedly more like hahaha) means it's operating normally.
Electric meter still hasn't updated on my account yet, which is still showing the old MPAN. Don't know if that's somehow related, but don't imagine it would be since both IHDs were displaying information until around 11am today.
Is it possible the comm unit had a software update that wiped out the connection and now I need to reset both IHDs?
Not sure @GrumpyTrucker but I have successfully reconnected both my IHD’s when they lost connection. Just be careful of the ivie bud as if you do a ‘full’ reset on that, it loses its profile for your meters. It’s more a re-start than a reset. With the Chameleon, I generally take power off (including batteries) for a few minutes.
Yeah the Ivie was fully reset under instruction from Ivie when the meters were changed. They said it needed doing to reconnect to new meters. And, as I say, for a day or so was displaying info from both meters even though the HAN connection icon was showing as weak.
The Chameleon has been powered down and restarted now about a dozen times and still refuses to reconnect depite, as with the Ivie, working ok for a day or so with a weak connection.
I'm going to give it until Thursday I think, which will be a week since install. If the HAN is still not working I'll get in touch with OVO customer support. I know it can take a while for a meter to register in the account but local connection over HAN should be immediate shouldn't it? It was last time anyway.
I know it can take a while for a meter to register in the account but local connection over HAN should be immediate shouldn't it? It was last time anyway.
Yes, the local connection should be fairly quick. I think ivie say within 48 hrs
I know it can take a while for a meter to register in the account but local connection over HAN should be immediate shouldn't it? It was last time anyway.
Yes, the local connection should be fairly quick. I think ivie say within 48 hrs
Starting to look like I may have had a faulty meter installed then I guess. Been without smart readings now since the beginning of June one way or another. Even if we ignore the HAN issue which was barely registering when it WAS working, it still strikes me as odd that since all Comms go via the electric meter that the gas registered on the DCC and started supplying readings within 2 days but now we're on day 5 and still nothing from the electric. I'd honestly have thought the electric would register before the gas 🤷🤷
Right. We have an update. After an almost 3 hour - yes, you read that right - chat with support today it transpired that the electric meter had not been registered with OVO even though it was connected to the DCC it seems. As of around 10pm today (Monday 31st) the electric meter is now fully connected to OVO and sending readings.
However, at the moment the IHD is still refusing to connect. Is there anything I need to do kick start it? It seems like it connected at first then, because the meter wasn't registered at OVO, something must have triggered an deauthorisation of the IHD. I'm assuming to prevent unauthorised access to the data. 🤷🤷
Yeah, neither meter is connecting. I don't think they need an update since they were connecting to the meters before it all went wrong with the registration. My guess now is they're no longer "associated" with the meters so probably need fully resetting (Ivie) or reconnecting by support (supplied one)
Well, after another hour on to chat I'm no better off. First of all they tried to tell me it may be a faulty IHD so they'll put me on the 6 month wait for a new one. That message changed once I pointed out I have an Ivie that lost connection at exactly the same time as the Chameleon, and the chances of two IHDs going faulty simultaneously are not high.
Now apparently I have to wait at least 6 weeks until they'll do anything since it can take that long. Seems odd an IHD connection would take 6 weeks. I'm starting to get a feeling that the comm unit is faulty. As I said somewhere above, the signal in the house was always weak from the day one, barely getting two lines of signal strength on either IHD, with the IHD3 dropping off and reconnecting every few hours. And now it's gone completely. Even though the unit is showing all is normal with the HAN I can't shake the feeling that the local network isn't broadcasting any more, just receiving from the gas meter.
Smart meters? And I thought smart motorways were bad 🙄🙄
My advice would be if you’re unhappy with the timeframe given by our Support Team there is always the option to raise a complaint, this may speed things up.
In the meantime if your meters are communicating you can view your usage online: