We switched supplier 18 months ago and they insisted that we had a smart meter fitted. The engineer arrived, looked where the meter was fitted, next to the other six meters, and said this will never work, there is not a signal in the supply room. I replied I know that, we don't have a mobile signal in the village! He fitted it anyway because that was what he was told to do and left. The electricity company have replaced it twice since as "we are having trouble getting a reading from your meter". I keep telling them that we don't have a mobile signal in the village, but the "help desk" don't seem to understand that parts of the UK don't have a mobile signal.
@@stevendavidson5808 that's true, but because of the location of the meter cupboard inside an 18th century concerted mill the engineers have said the signals cannot penetrate the stone walls. They don't even reach the little home hub units so we cannot see our energy use at any given time.
As you're in the north, your smart meter will use the Arqiva transmitters rather than the phone network. We had the same issues and I fixed it by installing a pair of passive antennas linked by coax. Arqiva transmitters are usually located on tv transmitter masts, so point one antenna at the tv mast and put the other near the meter. I used a basic dipole, but slimjim antennas have more gain, buut are more directional. Installed the antennas, then rang octopus remote comissioning to get the to resend the start up command to the meter and was working shortly after. The guys at octopus were helpful but didnt seem to have come across the concept of using a pair of passive antenna to propogate the signal But, yeah - its a system designed to be silly complex in terms of the umber of organisations involved
Neat! I've not heard of anyone else doing that before. I used a pair of 2.4GHz passive antennas to join together my gas meter and electricity meter. The house has super thick stone walls and the meters are about 15m apart. Works perfectly and we get 30 minute readings of gas relayed to our energy supplier.
@katmarmalade9846 Absolutely correct. They also own other towers but the more rural the area the more true this will be. Octopus DO know this is an option. It was built into the original smart metering specifications but your average customer service agent won't necessarily know this.
Thanks for taking the time and effort in raising this issue. Sadly we've had a very different experience with Octopus support. It came to light a few months back that they've been charging us for 30-40% more electricity than we've actually been using for well over a year. We've handed over all the information and have had one response in the last three months. The issue could be smart meter related - who knows. Another Octopus team member did respond to a message I left on one of their videos which started off promising, saying they'll raise the issue - then heard nothing since.
It sounds very similar to my experience with Octopus. I suggest you lodge an official complaint. They then have 8 weeks to put it right. If they fail to sort it, you can take it to the Ombudsman. It's very easy to do, FREE and all online. That's what I did and suddenly Octopus managed to fix the problem. Up until then their "customer service" was very friendly and polite and absolutely useless.
We are in the same position with them as they miss configured our smart meter. They admit they have done it but won’t re bill or acknowledge any impact on the bill. Lots of promises of sorting it in days then nothing. Went to ombudsman who were next to useless as could only rule on the poor customer service £60. Doing a sar and then county court sadly. Apparently engineer has seen miss configured meters before and the CS say the new meters cannot be set to do split eco7 correctly. Maybe 1000,s affected.
@@Dibblah1900 When I switched they managed to get the low and normal meter reading mixed up. When I saw what had happened, I contacted CS via email. Had a reply the next day. Sorted within a week although it didn't stop them taking a huge amount of money out of the bank account. I use very little day time but charge the batteries up overnight. Yes, that got corrected very quickly with compensation paid out for the mix up. I now have real time billing via variable Direct Debit. No large amounts of money sitting idle in Octopus's account. I pay for what I have used each month.
Smart meters do seem to be pitiful in the UK! In France we all have the same type of smart meter (Linky), made by a variety of companies but functionally and visually identical. They deliver 10 minute readings without fail using ‘power line carrier’ to send the data over the power network itself back to a concentrator at the sub-station. It works on underground and overhead delivery. Been installed for a decade, no problems!
Wow. That’s so obvious. Use the electricity network. 😂 In this country though, a bunch of crooks got together to work out how to make the maximum amount of cash out of the roll-out process, for as long as possible. They knew 2G and 3G were not going to last forever; they chose it deliberately so they could make even more cash replacing equipment. The UK really sucks nowadays..
Yet again; Conclusive proof that French technology stands vastly superior to British equivalents in every way. Just like the TGV (200km/h faster than anything we British had at the time) and Minitel (Which bought France into the Internet Age 15 years in advance, while we neanderthals were still flicking through telephone directories). 🚄🇫🇷💯 To be honest about the whole situation: The only authentically *Smart* meter the UK has ever had is the sort that's 100cm long. That was also invented by the French. 📏🇫🇷❤ I rest my case... 😇👍
Powerline was briefly fashionable for home LANs before wifi took over but you can still buy the adapters. The fact that you need to upgrade the substations will be what's stopping the UK from doing it.
@@spankeyfish Yes in the mid 1990s it was tried, but data rates are only suitable for telemetry in today’s world! The substation doesn’t really need upgrading - just add a hub that is tapped in to the low voltage side and connects home via fibre, xDSL or even 4G/5G depending on what’s available. At least this way there’s only one point per neighbourhood to upgrade when 4G gets turned off or whatever…
@@spankeyfish I think anybody who looks at the UKs approach - A networked device (With its own IMEI) at every home in the country - And compares it to the French (One UK setup per substation) will immediately see the French way of doing it is far more cost-efficient. 👍 The reason why the UK wanted a mesh-capable cellular endpoint on *every* meter is to try and make the system or any endpoint impossible to disconnect or otherwise „Hide away“ from HMGs -carefully selected slavemasters- _Centralised monitoring system_ ... 🤔
Exactly this! & the same meters would carry on working fine for several decades! They have now made a clunky system that is far more complex than it needs to be!
We attempted to get a smart meter installed some years ago. At the time British Gas were pushing them big time. The installer came to our house, took one look at our meter installations ( electric one side of the garage, gas on the other side ) and said he couldn’t fit a smart meter! So now I do my own meter readings once a month, more often if there’s a rate change occurring, and I haven’t seen a meter reader for years 😂
I switched to smart meter in Feb, no problem at all I have to say and export is just key for me as I have solar panels. Hower I am in a very good signal area nd still waiting for my home mini !
I moved into a new build house seven years ago and brought my old supplier with me and soon found out that my supplier couldn’t connect to the installed “smart meters” as they were set up for British Gas, to which I replied “these meters aren’t that smart then, are they?” This meant that I had to send readings on a regular basis. Not too long ago I had a message from my supplier to say that they had managed to get a connection to my meters so I didn’t have to send readings anymore. Again, recently I had another message to say that the meters had stopped communicating again and they couldn’t fix the problem this time. What they did say was that the meters could be changed but they couldn’t guarantee that the new ones would work anyway, so I said don’t bother then and I am now back to sending readings in again. What a joke, how much has been wasted on these things, I wonder? Almost Seven years with no smart meters working.
@@JonathanPorterfield it takes a few seconds a month to read a standard digital meter . I don''t want to sit and watch my electricity usage every few seconds . Cut the temperature of your appliances , fit led lights and any other common sense power reduction strategies . A Smart meter does none of these things .
Octopus are great, I'm with them as well. I won't be having a smart meter in the house though. The current system works so there's no need to replace it. If smart meters work through the mobile network then they won't work here, there's no mobile signal.
they will force us part of the adgenda to kill the masses and thats millions of us, evil end times revalations all orthorities in on it ,see whats going on ,watch timoth alberino, l.a. marzuli.craig bong.janey duvall paul begley , dr vernon coleman, all orthorities bent water, nhs, run now by bill gates evil man gone a bit off track but its all true.trust no one bur the real jesus we are in end times pass it on god bless all . ps all supermarkets in on it food being poisand they running out of food thats why every one getting sick they then give drugs which gives another ilness or worse cut off limbs take out parts of the body all for big farma its a game we are the fodder here are two men who tell the truth, peter j. gliddon,nd and the hero dr joal wallach please look themm all up
A neighbour has a 1st gen smart meter from British Gas - it hasnt worked in around 4 years; but BG refuse point-blank to replace it; even after OFGEN ordered them to get it sorted OVER A YEAR AGO.
@@darthgardner Too true, they spent 10 years sending me a bill for 2p of gas; I'd had a new gas main and meter fitted, while my drive was dug up for new water and sewage pipes, but never actually USED it - and their system refused to accept 0 as a new meter reading. I was forced to enter 999999.9; which their system rounded up to 0 the next time it was read.
Under those circumstances, I think I'd just have it removed. If the supplier refuses to provide a safe and reliable metering device on the supply, then they arguably lose any right to have a meter on it at all... 🧑⚖
@@dieseldragon6756 My neighbour has had enough, and has been trying to switch provider - but BG is blocking all attempts because they cannot generate a final bill - and they cant generate a final bill because the fucking meter is broken !! They really are utter wank stains, and OFGEM are being useless about it.
BG blocked me for nearly a decade; claiming I owed them 2p....... On a gas meter I didnt actually ever use. The neighbour involved in my original post is also in the same situation as your neighbour - a broken smart meter means they cant generate a final bill, so wont let her leave; she has been trying all this year to get them to sort it out.
Sorry are you expecting these to magically change your life?? They are there to encourage consumers to start realising the cost of energy they use.. Oh and to introduce 30min billing 🤣🤣
Here on the Isle of Skye my smart meter has never worked. I've heavily invested in renewable technology to be let down by the WAN network, costing me a fortune. They say there is a 'new development proposal' to allow the smart meters to use the internet or mobile network for those without WAN signal, but goodness knows how long that will take to be designed, approved and operational
I live in a part of the UK that still has very reliable 2G signal - I know this as I'm still using a 2G-only mobile phone, and get excellent signal because mine's the only _non_ smartmeter device using it - And even with this, most smartmeters around here are about as much use as Nigel Farage at a Pride march... 😋
Thanks Here too in Richmond, Wayne County, INDIANA my Smart Meter functioned properly for a bit over a year then was found defective & Replaced Then Replaced a 2nd time THEN finally REPLACED with a Digital NON- SMART-Meter Now an employee pulls into my 700' Driveway once a month & Manually "reads" & records my ELECTRIC USAGE for the Month COOP the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA - USA ...
Interesting to hear that Octopus are allowing you to stay on Go without having a reliable DCC feed of half-hourly meter readings. How do they determine your peak and off-peak usage to bill you?
Fixed hours are easier. I could do a manual reading on my last smart meter that stopped communicating. It split into peak and off-peak usage. Bulb (as was) weren't happy and changed it out after about 6 months.
There'll be a mark on his account at Octopus, that he's an 'influencer' and needs to be treated differently! 20 years ago I was a rep for a holiday firm abroad and there were markers against certain customers who were the original influencers (journalists) so we could treat them extra specially!
Having the same problems for the past 3 years. My most recent communication with Octopus they said that the meter holds the readings locally so when they do manage to get readings that they can access the half hourly readings from the meter to calculate the usage.
@@MattEMaddock That makes sense - I wondered whether they did that, as it would seem to be the only workable way of doing it. I wonder how long the buffer is.
Couldn’t agree more Jonathon. I’ve had teething issues with signal at times and that caused billing corrections but I always get someone to remedy this and swiftly. Even had remuneration for the inconvenience without asking. Great company and ethos and would stay with them whatever the cost, albeit I’ve save many ££££’s with their amazing tariffs. 💚🐙👍
We switched 2 weeks ago to octopus, everything worked instantly. Including the smart meters that were fitted 5 years ago by SSE, they never worked as soon as OVO took over SSE & we expected they would need to be replaced. There is a degree of if the energy provider is actually bothered about their customers. Octopus seem to want to keep them & are helpful.
Octopus bear some responsibility here. They are encouraging and promoting the fitting of devices which it is well known are not performing correctly in various scenarios. Personally, I don't have a smart meter, but around 2 years ago, my then 97 year-old grandfather was being bombarded by OVO, and had one fitted. It has never worked correctly, of which OVO are fully aware, but have done nothing. The meter was pushed on the basis of helping the consumer, but there is minimal interest when they fail to do that.
UK made the wrong choice to use mobile phone network, most sensible countries used the power lines themselves to carry signals too and from meters.... Like those 'power line' internet adapters that work so well. The signal will not pass through a transformer though, but it is easy to bypass transformers if they need to.
Service personnel might be ok, it's a pretty low bar though. They have made a total mess of my billing. Random amounts taken and deposited every month into my account making it very difficult to track. I now submit monthly and pay for everything used. They can't be trusted with a normal meter reading, there is no way I'm getting a smart meter where an unknown demonstrably untrustworthy entity can change the software at any point.
My smart meter stopped working on 1st November last year. Octopus took MONTHS to send someone out and they finally arrived 28th June, reset meter, still no connection. Now i've got to wait another 6 weeks + for the meters to be replaced. This is a new build built at the end of 2019 so meters aren't that old really
Same here. I had an issue with going to octopus intelligent with a smart meter not playing game. Sadly got it fixed and replaced and £1000 added to my bill eeek.
I'm with octopus and have a Smart meter. And I get a bill every month that is paid off via a variable Direct debit. i.e. I pay only for what I have used each month. Works flawlessly. But bad signal areas have always existed. Nowt new!
I live in south Devon, and apparently there is no WAN at my property so I can’t get a smart meter. My previous electricity provider, E.On Next, basically just said “computer says no” when I periodically asked for an update. I’ve recently moved to Octopus, who indicated that they could get a surveyor round to check, but now that I’ve signed up they’re now saying they have “no appointments available in the area just now”, so they’re almost as bad so far. It’s quite frustrating, as a lot of energy tariffs require a Smart meter, and although I export quite a lot of PV power I just have to give it away for free.
Hi Jon my I have solar and was on the fixed export tariff but change to the Fuze tariff a few months ago. The smart meter has worked successfully but has stopped working twice most recently in May and its still not working.
I'm on Agile Octopus and I see half-hour readings on my octopus account. I'm pretty stunned that the smart meter works because it's installed in a solid metal box with a metal door. (It used to be where the (really) old style fuses were.) I've often wondered how any EM signal gets out at all.
I had similar with Octopus. They didn't take any payments for about 7 months. Was eventually sorted. No Comms issues with smart meter, just presumably something with the Bulb takeover. (I used to be on Bulb) Been fine last few months. In North of England and Scotland SMETS2 Comms use old analogue TV frequencies rather than mobile signals and it was an absolute nightmare for a start. Am on my third smart meter so far. They're not the most resilient. Mine is in the middle of the house and old TV signal needed a massive aerial on a pole and masthead amplifier to get a picture. I wonder what the issue is with a box near ground level inside without an aerial. 😁
@@EverydayLife621 my IHD doesn't work (never did). Everything else is working so I'm leaving well alone, otherwise I'd be on my 4th smart meter. Was always able to see live data via the app (Bulb, then Octopus) so wasn't worried it had lost connection with DCC like my first SMETS2 meter did. I was able to get onto Intelligent Go even before the billing issue was resolved.
Same area location as you, am also on my 3rd smets2 meter after the first 2 stopped for no identifying reason. One happened when I changed suppliers when the new supplier said cannot see your smets 2 meter although it was sending data to the previous supplier, when I queried this was told oh they must have set it up incorrectly so no other supplier can see it, do you believe that story!!! Can we ask a potential new supplier if they can communicate with our existing meter BEFORE you commit to change over , if not why not!
I want to change to Octopus due to the fact I fitted my own solar panels and Octopus give you the option of sending in your wiring diagram and paying for any energy feedback. At the minute they get it for free but I do save as much energy as I can sending any spare energy to the hot water tank.
I had a similar problem not getting an electric bill over winter, all sorted now. Then the battery failed on my gas smart meter so I couldn't even submit a manual meter reading, took 3 months to get a new meter fitted. Still overall happy with Octopus.
Also dont be so sure that meter problems are not the fault of Octopus either (highly unlikely in this instance). They mis-configured my replacement meter which meant readings weren't coming through as DCC was showing 2 active meters on the MPAN, which of course it doesnt like. Octopus actually couldn't work out the issue, and it took the CTO of Bulb to spot the issue and send me what they needed to correct. But I do agree it's a mess, and clearly too easy for anyone involved to mess things up!
Had issues with them regarding refunds which was like going to hell and back but with the right person it was sorted 90 percent are good staff but there are some who definitely need training more
The BIG snag with ( SMART ? ) meters is they contain a bistable relay , this means a person in a remote office block can turn your electricity OFF ( or maybe a malign foreign hacker ? ) ..... with a simple certified digital energy meter ( cost £20 ) , you do NOT get this problem and you do NOT have to spend hours on the phone , trying to get the company to reset it ... but you DO have to submit a monthly reading ( takes 45 seconds ! ! ) ... ( tried - n - tested ) .... DAVE™🛑
The „encryption“ on these meters - 128-bit synchronous - Is so weak a _skript kiddie_ can break it with five minutes of Googling. So in my mind, the only genuinely „Smart“ meter the UK has ever had is the 100cm long one that was invented by the French. 📏🇫🇷👍
My octopus smart meter install went without a problem as did my home mini. So had no problems with going on Go and then intelligent Go and 2 years later its been reliable on data and meter readings.
I had months and months of problems with Utilita, joined Octopus they been great so far but I got the pink Octopus to connect to my phone via bluetooth and the app but it won't pair. Tried and tried comes on blue flashing but no connection even though it shows up on my phone in available devices. Some old folk don't even have a mobile phone or a smart phone or PC, what do they do?
Smart meters have one major issue and it applies to all of them. They rely on a mobile network to connect to your supplier, this is fine in an area with plenty of masts, but useless in rural areas. I keep receiving letters from Scottish Power to book an appointment Not a chance, i have to go outside to use my phone, so a smart meter indoors will never work.
Well luckily you weren’t with my now ex supplier Scottish Power (well they will be in 100mins) I was on a EV tariff since end of June 2024 until today and all this time many hundreds of KWh of off peak electricity usage was charged at the 30p per KWh unbelievable they wouldn’t accept as they are so rude and now I got a complaint about this issue was has cost more £200 extra electric charges over course of only 2 months!! NEVER EVER deal with Scottish Power ever please!!!
I've been in contact with the DCC as I get no signal at all. They are working on a project to get around the issues we face in Scotland with poor or no signal at all........hopefully, something will be available next year! It will involve wifi somehow. Fingers crossed
Yes, Octopus are very good. If your smart meter is not working then being on Go/intelligent will not work, which for an EV owner is essential. I suspect your problem is your location not the actual meter, it is of course essential that you have good communication, and the fitters should not install where there are problems.
We had antennas fitted to the 6 smart meters in out building. 3 worked, 3 didn't. Since Vodafone switched off the 3G signal at the start of the year none of the meters now work as the 4G signal is not strong enough to penetrate the 2 feet thick stone walls of the building to reach the meter cupboard.
These meters rely on mobile phone service to work properly. I live in a ground floor flat that was built in the late 1950's, in which they used Iron smelting slag under the concrete floor as a fill material, this is high in Iron and acts like a Faraday Shield that soaks up Mobile Signals, E.on have tried to install "Smart meters" three times which failed each time because the meter could not get a usable Mobile Signals, I'm staying on prepayment meters as long as I possibly can.
Ooooch, sounds like a reverse Horizon ... so how many are working the other way - overcharging and not found out. Can I even trust my standard electronic meter .. pity we had to get rid of the old multi clock meters - nothing wrong with them.
Smart meters ..they ignore the "back EMF" from motors (washing machines , fridge compressor etc) , old style meters dont , so they make the meter go backwards ... so save you money.
With British Gas, customer service just changed my meter, that the engineer said wasn5 the issue. They changed it anyway. Their problem is customer service is so disjointed being I. India and all the do is fob you off and say they will change the meter. Bring back UK service centres where they actually give a damn and they know you could get a face to face meet. Once I get my 8 months bill sorted I will be looking at Octopus, if they match EV charging at night cost and duration, then it would be a no brainier. Thanks for the advice.
I was chatting to a mobile phone expert the other day, He was telling me why my villages signals so bad now, Its the Cloud seeding operation they are doing over the UK, Its not just us, its everybody, all the networks are struggling everywhere the cloud seedings happening. These minis are a god send as the signal dont have to go far.
I have a very similar meter to yours on octopus and initially they couldn't wouldn't fit the gas meter. When they finally did it didn't integrate with the heads up display HUD. But it was sending data to octopus since it could be seen on the bright phone app as I was trying to get the gas reading to be uploaded to my home assistant via a 3rd party app. Anyway every so often they send a Morrison's data person around when we aren't home and so we end up having to enter the gas and electric meter reads onto a website anyway. Frustrating and meaning that the upgrade from digital dumb 2 rate meter to smart meter wasn't really much better.
Had a lot of grief with my smart meter, found out meter could have external aerial, got supplier to fit external aerial to improve signal strength reception, found T1 aerial solve the problems, there is a T2 aerial available for really bad reception
External aerials are not available for all types/ locations smets 2 meters and do not always help. Generally utility companies don't know what caused the failure and they just assume a replacement will solve the issue but that is not always successful
Thats a small zigbee hub they give you, Its a shame there is no local API for getting the data straight from the meter, given its got zigbee it should be able to connect to any coordinator just like any other zigbee device
So the mini box is using electricity and you have to charge your phone often due to the constant conection to the box. How much extra cost is that that over a year to run?
I don`t see exactly WHY anyone would need a `Smart Meter`...unless they really feel the need to be anal about a poxy leccy bill and cream over the phone more than they actually do checking every ten seconds how much leccy the kettle uses. I have no `smart` meters...never had a problem giving meter readings every month and roughly know what both my evergy bills are....without all the anality.
@enrobsorussell Good question. The answer is long and very complex... Again this is all in the original smart project documentation that is still on the Ofgem website. My wife says I can bore for England on the subject but the short version is that with IoT devices it allows various energy efficiency measures that are vital for the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables PLUS it lowers the cost of switching AND it allows suppliers to more accurately price. Happy to share more if you really want to know.
Funny when I and others with various suppliers admit “readings are estimated not factual, I know of customers who have been charged more than the meter say they owe because of the company’s claim as mentioned above
My Smart Meter stopped communicating electricity half-hourly readings on 14 July 2023. Octopus can still take spot readings for billing purposes. Octopus quoted me £400 to replace my SMETS1 meters, and offer that I did not accept. The Mini works perfectly, but Octopus can not use these readings. Octopus says that the nature of my problem cannot justify an engineering visit.
I want to know what happened to all of the previous generations of smart meters - The ones which *didn't* require any network connectivity and didn't rely on „encryption“ so weak a three year old could break it, and simply counted kWh consumed through ones supply like a meter is *supposed* to? 🤔 Too many back-handers to politicians in Westminster, I'd say... 💰🇬🇧😉
Mmmm sorry mate but 5-6 days between emails isn't good IMO ps any idea why my actual smart meter in our kitchen is still registering £0.00 since swapping to octopus whereas with Eon it was showing the correct tariffs? 😢 Cheers
Hi I own an apartment which I rent. OVO refitted a smart meter after a bad tenant.. but he said it may not work well as the silver 😊coating on the wall insulation is blocking the signal. The next tenant left paying an estimated bill . I took over for a short period. Then got a new tenant who shortly got an enormous bill which they corrected then I got a bill which is about £120 too expensive. I sent them photos to show it was wrong which they refused to. View . I now have a dept company after me which seem to be listening to., but OVO is slow with them Don’t use OVO . Do you know how I can get out of this nightmare
Ombudsman Service and it’s free that’s what they are there for but a complaint needs to be registered with the company and gives them 8weels to get it resolved before Ombudsman services can intervene
@@DTech101 I have a complaint filed with SSE .i will ask their money reclaim people if they have been forwarded them a copy. It must be 8months old. I think I want a early leave on the contract without penalties on the house I live in as compensation.. Thanks for your advise.
There does not seem to be a quick resolution to your issue. Are you not able to take your monthly reading and send this to your provider the old fashion way. I know this is going against why the smart meter is installed, but in your case would seem to be the simplest solution. Or does your provider not have this facility.
my understanding is that in the south UK it uses 2.5G, so can still use 2G, we live in a very weak mobile area, with thick house walls - took ages to get it set up (4 attempts - with different aerials), was only resolved as the 4th meter fitter was from the next village, so knew how to commision it - needed local knowlegde to mesh it to another meter which he know had a clear path to the mast. No issues in the last 18 months, but to start with it was a complete pain.
LoRaWAN solves all of this. These organizations need to start setting up mesh networks. All of the infrastructure is theirs and there is no third party to rely on.
LoRaWAN is what the north uses & was planned for the whole of the UK! As mentioned in the video not enough nodes mostly due to NIMBY & scared of change just like the 5G debacle! The slow take-up during SMETS1 prompted the south to use mobile data to overcome the lack of nodes but stupidly did not plan 6 years in the future. So much fuss about the digital switch over but a bit of planning & proper education would fix it this 20 years ago! I worked on testing different systems like alarms including personal alarms used by the elderly all have solutions! The problem is the government 20 years ago when this roadmap was laid out for UK services(electric, water & communications) buried its head with nothing being done by the following idiots also!!!! I remember being in meetings starting in 1998 about all this & now it is a right old mess!
Of course its the energy providers fault. As an example....You wouldnt buy cable TV if there isnt cables in your street.... 😂 I live in a highly populated area and my smart meter has been changed multiple times and still doesnt reliably connect to the network. !!
I’ve gone over to monthly billing , i don’t trust them . My last month (may) bill was actually £10.24 , then add the daily standing charge and a bit of vat the total was £32,80 .
Everyone knows these meters were badly thought out ( if thought was even involved) a standard meter with standard comms through the entire industry, but no christ I have electric and gas with the same company and the meters don't work together. The idea of off peak savings is a very unfunny joke. Worse the government (conservatives) made US pay for this horrific cockup
Massive con,at bill payers expense, that exist to save providers vast sums of money.No meter readers,no vans,no associated expenses,so huge cost savings,e.g. Greater profits.
On a time of use tariff that lets me charge my car for 7.5p at times best for the grid. Wouldn't be possible without communications between the electricity company, the smart meter, and my charger.
Smart meters are essential for a smart grid, which is vital for combatting climate change, they also take hassle out of the meter reading process. To say they serve no purpose is simply wrong and just shows you do not understand their purpose. You should not confuse implementation problems caused by the lack of foresight in not realizing that Wi-Fi should be an option for difficult properties with a lack of usefulness of the concept.
@@MentalLentil-ev9jr"Implimention problems" after how many years and versions of meter? Pull the other one, it's been a total cock up of a project driven by bad engineering decisions and pressure from manufacturers and network service providers full of self interest. It has cost the public billions through handouts to the supply industry and increased energy costs. There are thousands of meters sitting in warehouses that will no doubt end up adding to landfill. It is a scandle equivalent to the PPE one.
octopus were shit with me, we had same issue i ended up having to get meters changed but had to goto energy ombudsman, they were useless,, now moved back last week to another compamy,,
agreed.. in CA USA. consumed power billed at 30-38 cents per KWH. pays 12 -15 per for back feed. connected to grid.. but battery solar DIY system takes me off grid 9 month of year, self consumption for me.! edison turns grid off if hot or windy.?. still 30 bucks a month "meter fee"
You have installed metal foil and I expect this is the issue. Getting an electrician to relocate the meters to an external cabinet on the other side of the wall will fix the issue with the signal.🎉 Just to point out that the Smart meter has a SIM in the top of Smart 2 meters which is owned by DCC.
Don’t you know that the meter belongs to the DNO? They will not permit any old electrician moving a meter. They will demand a huge sum for the privilege of allowing any changes with their meter (and wiring to the consumer panel).
Actually where Jonathan is, they will be using the Arqiva network which uses Long Range Radio, so no SIM card. But you are correct that the foil backed insulation wont be helping reception at all. One option is to make a 'passive repeater' but taking some good quality co-ax cable and making a dipole antenna at each end, one outside and the other by the meter. Sorted my reception issues as I'm in a marginal signal area.
@@barrieshepherd7694 it something like 420-430MHz. IIRC the full wavelength is 70cm, with a dipole leg length of ~16.5cm. I have a full wavelength dipole on the roof and quarter folded dipole by the meter (~4cm legs but doubled over). I ended up making the dipoles from some spare 2.5mm2 T&E cable and used coax to join the two with some choc blocks (as a test but its worked that well, they're still up!). Also with a bit of weatherproofing (PVC pipe round them)
@@oliver90owner My smart meter was requested from and installed by Octopus, my supplier. DNOs do not get their hands contaminated by touching smart meters. IIRC DNO responsibility stops after the Service Head/Main Fuse. So, all tails, main isolating switches are not their concern.
Not my experience of Octopus... upheld by the Ombusman who fined them the maximum allowable. Pity as the ethos was something that drew me to them... pity they caused me so much stress and anxiety... they are just not joined up behind the scenes... i was completely ignored by Greg Jackson.... quite frankly a disgrace.
My smart meter is useless gas meter at the front of the property and the electric meter at the rear of the property can't communicate with each other because they are too far apart
Why the crap do we need to know our minute by minute enrrgy use ? They want to install a smart meter (on the outside of my wall of course)1' away from my bed ! Nope nope nope. Freaking WiFi is not reliable.
"Peedie"? You're talking the lingo, you'll be accepted as a local in another 5 or 6.......................................... generations! 😉 Across the firth here in Caithness our smart meter has never worked. The lights on it say it's got a signal but Octopus, BG and Eon have all said we could have an EV tariff then backtracked stating they can't get a reliable communication with the meter, so we get put on a fixed tariff instead.
Have to disagree, not everyone at Octopus is stellar, had to take them to ombudsman to get the meter changed as the power cycled it 4 times and knowingly left it saying the back end comms team told him to leave it as it is they then changed me from go to standard tariff no one budged over two months ombudsman gets involved and it’s changed then comes the big bill for charging me to standard tariff then quotes of terms and conditions we need 30 min reads but the knowingly left the site in a none working state costing me a lot more a cynical person would think it was intentional. Bill came out 3 times normal would not look at any adjustment on the bill ombudsman has to look at this one now.
Best thing is don't get one installed like me and I can't afford to pay there foreign investors, the thing is where I stay no ones smart meter works I stay in Reay, the only bonus in having one installed is they don't have to go to court to get your door booted in to cut you off thing is where I am wee are sarounded with turbines and even more going up yet wee pay more than the hole UK
There is Nothing ‘Smart’ about ‘ Smart’ meters (unless you enjoy ongoing or recurrent Signal problematics!) If you’ Don’t’the smart thing to do is get your provider to install a Electromagnetic Watt meter, & either let them read the Meter from time to to time or send them your readings giving your Meters ID number written on the device!: NB 2 reading(s i)f you have Economy7 ,referring to Day: Nighttime consumption..This can be done by L/L Phone call ,maybe by cell phone :certainly via cell phone per Text L &/ or Email !-0r simply per Letter! Any Consumer Issues agency will have an ongoing&tiresome enormous case load &/ or log of Smart Meter problematics. Life is too short for such unneccessary hassle- which is NOT Smart at all for anyone…
@@JonathanPorterfield Steal data being transmitted over Bluetooth. Hackers can still capture data being sent over a Bluetooth connection, even if the data is encrypted. This could include passwords, credit card numbers, or sensitive data that can be used to steal your identity.
Not the government's finest hour. Large IT project with gradual, voluntary rollout and changing technical environment around it. For me the most confusing thing about smart meters is that they all come with a built in randomised offset; to avoid (e.g. economy 7 off peak) loads switching in a coordinated manner meters have a (positive) offset. The meter measures energy use in half hour buckets according to this offset and not wall-clock time.
@@oliver90owner Maybe? just moved from an EDF Tariff, which was 4.5p overnight (gone to 6.9p 00:00-07:00 with EoN), before I was paying over £1000-£2000+ for electric alone, today for everything its less than £500 (and that with a MG4 added)
We switched supplier 18 months ago and they insisted that we had a smart meter fitted. The engineer arrived, looked where the meter was fitted, next to the other six meters, and said this will never work, there is not a signal in the supply room. I replied I know that, we don't have a mobile signal in the village! He fitted it anyway because that was what he was told to do and left. The electricity company have replaced it twice since as "we are having trouble getting a reading from your meter". I keep telling them that we don't have a mobile signal in the village, but the "help desk" don't seem to understand that parts of the UK don't have a mobile signal.
they don't use mobile signal any more that was 1st gen. 2nd gen use radio I believe.
actually ,think it mind depend where you are in the country 😊
@@stevendavidson5808 that's true, but because of the location of the meter cupboard inside an 18th century concerted mill the engineers have said the signals cannot penetrate the stone walls. They don't even reach the little home hub units so we cannot see our energy use at any given time.
Every meter roughly north of Manchester uses wireless and every meter south of Manchester uses mobile phone signals.
We are in middle of large town but our road for some reason has very poor mobile signal.
As you're in the north, your smart meter will use the Arqiva transmitters rather than the phone network.
We had the same issues and I fixed it by installing a pair of passive antennas linked by coax. Arqiva transmitters are usually located on tv transmitter masts, so point one antenna at the tv mast and put the other near the meter.
I used a basic dipole, but slimjim antennas have more gain, buut are more directional.
Installed the antennas, then rang octopus remote comissioning to get the to resend the start up command to the meter and was working shortly after.
The guys at octopus were helpful but didnt seem to have come across the concept of using a pair of passive antenna to propogate the signal
But, yeah - its a system designed to be silly complex in terms of the umber of organisations involved
Neat! I've not heard of anyone else doing that before. I used a pair of 2.4GHz passive antennas to join together my gas meter and electricity meter. The house has super thick stone walls and the meters are about 15m apart. Works perfectly and we get 30 minute readings of gas relayed to our energy supplier.
@katmarmalade9846 Absolutely correct. They also own other towers but the more rural the area the more true this will be.
Octopus DO know this is an option. It was built into the original smart metering specifications but your average customer service agent won't necessarily know this.
Thanks for taking the time and effort in raising this issue. Sadly we've had a very different experience with Octopus support. It came to light a few months back that they've been charging us for 30-40% more electricity than we've actually been using for well over a year. We've handed over all the information and have had one response in the last three months. The issue could be smart meter related - who knows. Another Octopus team member did respond to a message I left on one of their videos which started off promising, saying they'll raise the issue - then heard nothing since.
It sounds very similar to my experience with Octopus. I suggest you lodge an official complaint. They then have 8 weeks to put it right. If they fail to sort it, you can take it to the Ombudsman. It's very easy to do, FREE and all online.
That's what I did and suddenly Octopus managed to fix the problem.
Up until then their "customer service" was very friendly and polite and absolutely useless.
We are in the same position with them as they miss configured our smart meter. They admit they have done it but won’t re bill or acknowledge any impact on the bill. Lots of promises of sorting it in days then nothing. Went to ombudsman who were next to useless as could only rule on the poor customer service £60. Doing a sar and then county court sadly. Apparently engineer has seen miss configured meters before and the CS say the new meters cannot be set to do split eco7 correctly. Maybe 1000,s affected.
Raise a formal complaint through Resolver. It took me 3 months of chasing, but they finally corrected the billing
@@Dibblah1900 When I switched they managed to get the low and normal meter reading mixed up. When I saw what had happened, I contacted CS via email. Had a reply the next day. Sorted within a week although it didn't stop them taking a huge amount of money out of the bank account. I use very little day time but charge the batteries up overnight. Yes, that got corrected very quickly with compensation paid out for the mix up. I now have real time billing via variable Direct Debit. No large amounts of money sitting idle in Octopus's account. I pay for what I have used each month.
Smart meters do seem to be pitiful in the UK! In France we all have the same type of smart meter (Linky), made by a variety of companies but functionally and visually identical. They deliver 10 minute readings without fail using ‘power line carrier’ to send the data over the power network itself back to a concentrator at the sub-station. It works on underground and overhead delivery. Been installed for a decade, no problems!
Wow. That’s so obvious. Use the electricity network. 😂
In this country though, a bunch of crooks got together to work out how to make the maximum amount of cash out of the roll-out process, for as long as possible. They knew 2G and 3G were not going to last forever; they chose it deliberately so they could make even more cash replacing equipment. The UK really sucks nowadays..
Yet again; Conclusive proof that French technology stands vastly superior to British equivalents in every way. Just like the TGV (200km/h faster than anything we British had at the time) and Minitel (Which bought France into the Internet Age 15 years in advance, while we neanderthals were still flicking through telephone directories). 🚄🇫🇷💯
To be honest about the whole situation: The only authentically *Smart* meter the UK has ever had is the sort that's 100cm long. That was also invented by the French. 📏🇫🇷❤
I rest my case... 😇👍
Powerline was briefly fashionable for home LANs before wifi took over but you can still buy the adapters. The fact that you need to upgrade the substations will be what's stopping the UK from doing it.
@@spankeyfish Yes in the mid 1990s it was tried, but data rates are only suitable for telemetry in today’s world! The substation doesn’t really need upgrading - just add a hub that is tapped in to the low voltage side and connects home via fibre, xDSL or even 4G/5G depending on what’s available. At least this way there’s only one point per neighbourhood to upgrade when 4G gets turned off or whatever…
@@spankeyfish I think anybody who looks at the UKs approach - A networked device (With its own IMEI) at every home in the country - And compares it to the French (One UK setup per substation) will immediately see the French way of doing it is far more cost-efficient. 👍
The reason why the UK wanted a mesh-capable cellular endpoint on *every* meter is to try and make the system or any endpoint impossible to disconnect or otherwise „Hide away“ from HMGs -carefully selected slavemasters- _Centralised monitoring system_ ... 🤔
Didn't get these problems when the meter reader used to come round!
Exactly this! & the same meters would carry on working fine for several decades! They have now made a clunky system that is far more complex than it needs to be!
Thankfully, in the states, we can opt out of smart meters, which are very invasive.
We attempted to get a smart meter installed some years ago. At the time British Gas were pushing them big time. The installer came to our house, took one look at our meter installations ( electric one side of the garage, gas on the other side ) and said he couldn’t fit a smart meter!
So now I do my own meter readings once a month, more often if there’s a rate change occurring, and I haven’t seen a meter reader for years 😂
Octopus Energy customer service is exemplary. Truly better than any other supplier I have had. I'm a very happy customer. Great vid again, thanks
I switched to smart meter in Feb, no problem at all I have to say and export is just key for me as I have solar panels. Hower I am in a very good signal area nd still waiting for my home mini !
Same here, been on a smart meter for the past 3 years because of solar export, no problems.
Couldn't agree more about Octopus, so good to talk to a real person who knows what is going on. Brilliant customer service and support.
Thanks for watching and your comments 🙂
I moved into a new build house seven years ago and brought my old supplier with me and soon found out that my supplier couldn’t connect to the installed “smart meters” as they were set up for British Gas, to which I replied “these meters aren’t that smart then, are they?” This meant that I had to send readings on a regular basis. Not too long ago I had a message from my supplier to say that they had managed to get a connection to my meters so I didn’t have to send readings anymore. Again, recently I had another message to say that the meters had stopped communicating again and they couldn’t fix the problem this time. What they did say was that the meters could be changed but they couldn’t guarantee that the new ones would work anyway, so I said don’t bother then and I am now back to sending readings in again. What a joke, how much has been wasted on these things, I wonder? Almost Seven years with no smart meters working.
Painfull Paul , shouldn't be happening in 2024 !
@@JonathanPorterfield it takes a few seconds a month to read a standard digital meter . I don''t want to sit and watch my electricity usage every few seconds . Cut the temperature of your appliances , fit led lights and any other common sense power reduction strategies . A Smart meter does none of these things .
Octopus are great, I'm with them as well. I won't be having a smart meter in the house though. The current system works so there's no need to replace it. If smart meters work through the mobile network then they won't work here, there's no mobile signal.
they will force us part of the adgenda to kill the masses and thats millions of us, evil end times revalations all orthorities in on it ,see whats going on ,watch timoth alberino, l.a. marzuli.craig bong.janey duvall paul begley , dr vernon coleman, all orthorities bent water, nhs, run now by bill gates evil man gone a bit off track but its all true.trust no one bur the real jesus we are in end times pass it on god bless all . ps all supermarkets in on it food being poisand they running out of food thats why every one getting sick they then give drugs which gives another ilness or worse cut off limbs take out parts of the body all for big farma its a game we are the fodder here are two men who tell the truth, peter j. gliddon,nd and the hero dr joal wallach please look themm all up
A neighbour has a 1st gen smart meter from British Gas - it hasnt worked in around 4 years; but BG refuse point-blank to replace it; even after OFGEN ordered them to get it sorted OVER A YEAR AGO.
Nothing about british gas works especially there billing system,and lack of humans to sort it.
@@darthgardner Too true, they spent 10 years sending me a bill for 2p of gas; I'd had a new gas main and meter fitted, while my drive was dug up for new water and sewage pipes, but never actually USED it - and their system refused to accept 0 as a new meter reading.
I was forced to enter 999999.9; which their system rounded up to 0 the next time it was read.
Under those circumstances, I think I'd just have it removed. If the supplier refuses to provide a safe and reliable metering device on the supply, then they arguably lose any right to have a meter on it at all... 🧑⚖
@@dieseldragon6756 My neighbour has had enough, and has been trying to switch provider - but BG is blocking all attempts because they cannot generate a final bill - and they cant generate a final bill because the fucking meter is broken !!
They really are utter wank stains, and OFGEM are being useless about it.
BG blocked me for nearly a decade; claiming I owed them 2p....... On a gas meter I didnt actually ever use.
The neighbour involved in my original post is also in the same situation as your neighbour - a broken smart meter means they cant generate a final bill, so wont let her leave; she has been trying all this year to get them to sort it out.
There are no useful benefits to having a (not so) SMART meter.
Sorry are you expecting these to magically change your life??
They are there to encourage consumers to start realising the cost of energy they use..
Oh and to introduce 30min billing 🤣🤣
Here on the Isle of Skye my smart meter has never worked. I've heavily invested in renewable technology to be let down by the WAN network, costing me a fortune. They say there is a 'new development proposal' to allow the smart meters to use the internet or mobile network for those without WAN signal, but goodness knows how long that will take to be designed, approved and operational
I live in a part of the UK that still has very reliable 2G signal - I know this as I'm still using a 2G-only mobile phone, and get excellent signal because mine's the only _non_ smartmeter device using it - And even with this, most smartmeters around here are about as much use as Nigel Farage at a Pride march... 😋
go back to old system you will live longer
@@dieseldragon6756 wise up then dont use any technolergy it kill you mobiles etc all done to kill humans read 571 god bless
So how many devices have you now got plugged in to use the device that is supposed to save you on electricity? 🤔
😂👌
Thanks
Here too in Richmond, Wayne County, INDIANA
my Smart Meter functioned properly for a bit over a year
then was found defective & Replaced
Then Replaced a 2nd time
THEN finally REPLACED with a Digital NON- SMART-Meter
Now an employee pulls into my 700' Driveway once a month
&
Manually "reads" & records my ELECTRIC USAGE for the Month
COOP
the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA - USA
...
Wow !
When you start getting charged on a sliding scale you might regret using a Smart meter. These devices aren't made for 'your' benefit.
The only genuinely „Smart“ meter the UK has ever had is the 100cm long one that was invented by the French. 📏🇫🇷👍
Interesting to hear that Octopus are allowing you to stay on Go without having a reliable DCC feed of half-hourly meter readings. How do they determine your peak and off-peak usage to bill you?
Fixed hours are easier. I could do a manual reading on my last smart meter that stopped communicating. It split into peak and off-peak usage. Bulb (as was) weren't happy and changed it out after about 6 months.
There'll be a mark on his account at Octopus, that he's an 'influencer' and needs to be treated differently!
20 years ago I was a rep for a holiday firm abroad and there were markers against certain customers who were the original influencers (journalists) so we could treat them extra specially!
Having the same problems for the past 3 years. My most recent communication with Octopus they said that the meter holds the readings locally so when they do manage to get readings that they can access the half hourly readings from the meter to calculate the usage.
@@MattEMaddock That makes sense - I wondered whether they did that, as it would seem to be the only workable way of doing it. I wonder how long the buffer is.
@@steveknight878 Not sure, my last proper bill was 192 pages long!! 😂
Couldn’t agree more Jonathon. I’ve had teething issues with signal at times and that caused billing corrections but I always get someone to remedy this and swiftly. Even had remuneration for the inconvenience without asking. Great company and ethos and would stay with them whatever the cost, albeit I’ve save many ££££’s with their amazing tariffs. 💚🐙👍
We switched 2 weeks ago to octopus, everything worked instantly. Including the smart meters that were fitted 5 years ago by SSE, they never worked as soon as OVO took over SSE & we expected they would need to be replaced. There is a degree of if the energy provider is actually bothered about their customers. Octopus seem to want to keep them & are helpful.
I live in London and British Gas have twice tried to install a smart meter and failed. Signal issue!
British Gas couldn't find a signal on the railway... 🚥🛤😉
Octopus bear some responsibility here. They are encouraging and promoting the fitting of devices which it is well known are not performing correctly in various scenarios.
Personally, I don't have a smart meter, but around 2 years ago, my then 97 year-old grandfather was being bombarded by OVO, and had one fitted. It has never worked correctly, of which OVO are fully aware, but have done nothing. The meter was pushed on the basis of helping the consumer, but there is minimal interest when they fail to do that.
The issue with smart meters is no one bloody wants them but they're being forced upon us
I want one, mine is great and works well
@@hazmat5749 good for you but we all should have a choice rather than them being forced upon us
UK made the wrong choice to use mobile phone network, most sensible countries used the power lines themselves to carry signals too and from meters.... Like those 'power line' internet adapters that work so well. The signal will not pass through a transformer though, but it is easy to bypass transformers if they need to.
I agree with you about Octopus. Service personnel are excellent - and not just Ryan (who has been very helpful).
Service personnel might be ok, it's a pretty low bar though. They have made a total mess of my billing. Random amounts taken and deposited every month into my account making it very difficult to track. I now submit monthly and pay for everything used. They can't be trusted with a normal meter reading, there is no way I'm getting a smart meter where an unknown demonstrably untrustworthy entity can change the software at any point.
My smart meter stopped working on 1st November last year. Octopus took MONTHS to send someone out and they finally arrived 28th June, reset meter, still no connection. Now i've got to wait another 6 weeks + for the meters to be replaced. This is a new build built at the end of 2019 so meters aren't that old really
Same here.
I had an issue with going to octopus intelligent with a smart meter not playing game.
Sadly got it fixed and replaced and £1000 added to my bill eeek.
I'm with octopus and have a Smart meter. And I get a bill every month that is paid off via a variable Direct debit. i.e. I pay only for what I have used each month. Works flawlessly. But bad signal areas have always existed. Nowt new!
I’m in a poor signal area, I am about to retire and intend to do without internet ! I’m going back to basics and get the cheque book out again
Cheque book? I prefer cash, these new fangled ideas will never catch on...
I live in south Devon, and apparently there is no WAN at my property so I can’t get a smart meter. My previous electricity provider, E.On Next, basically just said “computer says no” when I periodically asked for an update. I’ve recently moved to Octopus, who indicated that they could get a surveyor round to check, but now that I’ve signed up they’re now saying they have “no appointments available in the area just now”, so they’re almost as bad so far. It’s quite frustrating, as a lot of energy tariffs require a Smart meter, and although I export quite a lot of PV power I just have to give it away for free.
Hi Jon my I have solar and was on the fixed export tariff but change to the Fuze tariff a few months ago. The smart meter has worked successfully but has stopped working twice most recently in May and its still not working.
Sounds familiar 😬
@@JonathanPorterfield I meant to say Flux tariff but being a plonker said Fuze
@BJ_MBA you can edit comments after you've left them, but i knew what you meant 😉
Secret
Military
Armament
Residential
Technology
Yea won’t have one on health grounds, they can not get health insurance against future claims.
I'm on Agile Octopus and I see half-hour readings on my octopus account. I'm pretty stunned that the smart meter works because it's installed in a solid metal box with a metal door. (It used to be where the (really) old style fuses were.) I've often wondered how any EM signal gets out at all.
I had similar with Octopus. They didn't take any payments for about 7 months. Was eventually sorted. No Comms issues with smart meter, just presumably something with the Bulb takeover. (I used to be on Bulb)
Been fine last few months.
In North of England and Scotland SMETS2 Comms use old analogue TV frequencies rather than mobile signals and it was an absolute nightmare for a start.
Am on my third smart meter so far. They're not the most resilient.
Mine is in the middle of the house and old TV signal needed a massive aerial on a pole and masthead amplifier to get a picture. I wonder what the issue is with a box near ground level inside without an aerial. 😁
Wow ! The signals used look like a real 'mish mash' of tec !
Your IHD will tell you whether your meter is working (under system status)
@@EverydayLife621 my IHD doesn't work (never did). Everything else is working so I'm leaving well alone, otherwise I'd be on my 4th smart meter. Was always able to see live data via the app (Bulb, then Octopus) so wasn't worried it had lost connection with DCC like my first SMETS2 meter did.
I was able to get onto Intelligent Go even before the billing issue was resolved.
Same area location as you, am also on my 3rd smets2 meter after the first 2 stopped for no identifying reason. One happened when I changed suppliers when the new supplier said cannot see your smets 2 meter although it was sending data to the previous supplier, when I queried this was told oh they must have set it up incorrectly so no other supplier can see it, do you believe that story!!! Can we ask a potential new supplier if they can communicate with our existing meter BEFORE you commit to change over , if not why not!
@keithw7777 The whole set up is a total shambles 😫
I want to change to Octopus due to the fact I fitted my own solar panels and Octopus give you the option of sending in your wiring diagram and paying for any energy feedback. At the minute they get it for free but I do save as much energy as I can sending any spare energy to the hot water tank.
Strange that they rely on some form of radio to communicate... why not send data over the electric wires instead BPL-style?
I had a similar problem not getting an electric bill over winter, all sorted now. Then the battery failed on my gas smart meter so I couldn't even submit a manual meter reading, took 3 months to get a new meter fitted. Still overall happy with Octopus.
Also dont be so sure that meter problems are not the fault of Octopus either (highly unlikely in this instance). They mis-configured my replacement meter which meant readings weren't coming through as DCC was showing 2 active meters on the MPAN, which of course it doesnt like. Octopus actually couldn't work out the issue, and it took the CTO of Bulb to spot the issue and send me what they needed to correct. But I do agree it's a mess, and clearly too easy for anyone involved to mess things up!
Had issues with them regarding refunds which was like going to hell and back but with the right person it was sorted 90 percent are good staff but there are some who definitely need training more
The BIG snag with ( SMART ? ) meters is they contain a bistable relay , this means a person in a remote office block can turn your electricity OFF ( or maybe a malign foreign hacker ? ) ..... with a simple certified digital energy meter ( cost £20 ) , you do NOT get this problem and you do NOT have to spend hours on the phone , trying to get the company to reset it ... but you DO have to submit a monthly reading ( takes 45 seconds ! ! ) ... ( tried - n - tested ) .... DAVE™🛑
The „encryption“ on these meters - 128-bit synchronous - Is so weak a _skript kiddie_ can break it with five minutes of Googling. So in my mind, the only genuinely „Smart“ meter the UK has ever had is the 100cm long one that was invented by the French. 📏🇫🇷👍
My octopus smart meter install went without a problem as did my home mini. So had no problems with going on Go and then intelligent Go and 2 years later its been reliable on data and meter readings.
I had months and months of problems with Utilita, joined Octopus they been great so far but I got the pink Octopus to connect to my phone via bluetooth and the app but it won't pair. Tried and tried comes on blue flashing but no connection even though it shows up on my phone in available devices. Some old folk don't even have a mobile phone or a smart phone or PC, what do they do?
My smart gas meter has not worked for 18 months, I was quoted £75 to change it, like I'm going to pay for a new meter to save the supplier money
Smart meters have one major issue and it applies to all of them.
They rely on a mobile network to connect to your supplier, this is fine
in an area with plenty of masts, but useless in rural areas.
I keep receiving letters from Scottish Power to book an appointment
Not a chance, i have to go outside to use my phone, so a smart meter
indoors will never work.
Well luckily you weren’t with my now ex supplier Scottish Power (well they will be in 100mins) I was on a EV tariff since end of June 2024 until today and all this time many hundreds of KWh of off peak electricity usage was charged at the 30p per KWh unbelievable they wouldn’t accept as they are so rude and now I got a complaint about this issue was has cost more £200 extra electric charges over course of only 2 months!! NEVER EVER deal with Scottish Power ever please!!!
I've been in contact with the DCC as I get no signal at all. They are working on a project to get around the issues we face in Scotland with poor or no signal at all........hopefully, something will be available next year! It will involve wifi somehow. Fingers crossed
Yes, Octopus are very good. If your smart meter is not working then being on Go/intelligent will not work, which for an EV owner is essential. I suspect your problem is your location not the actual meter, it is of course essential that you have good communication, and the fitters should not install where there are problems.
Can you fit an antenna upgrade to your meter?
We had antennas fitted to the 6 smart meters in out building. 3 worked, 3 didn't. Since Vodafone switched off the 3G signal at the start of the year none of the meters now work as the 4G signal is not strong enough to penetrate the 2 feet thick stone walls of the building to reach the meter cupboard.
I’m with octopus not had a meter reading for 6 weeks hope it doesn’t last that long
Does not connecting you hub to your WiFi can they not gather readings that way my hub is connected to my WiFi
You'd think they could 🤔 😏
These meters rely on mobile phone service to work properly. I live in a ground floor flat that was built in the late 1950's, in which they used Iron smelting slag under the concrete floor as a fill material, this is high in Iron and acts like a Faraday Shield that soaks up Mobile Signals, E.on have tried to install "Smart meters" three times which failed each time because the meter could not get a usable Mobile Signals, I'm staying on prepayment meters as long as I possibly can.
Ooooch, sounds like a reverse Horizon ... so how many are working the other way - overcharging and not found out. Can I even trust my standard electronic meter .. pity we had to get rid of the old multi clock meters - nothing wrong with them.
Smart meters ..they ignore the "back EMF" from motors (washing machines , fridge compressor etc) , old style meters dont , so they make the meter go backwards ... so save you money.
With British Gas, customer service just changed my meter, that the engineer said wasn5 the issue. They changed it anyway. Their problem is customer service is so disjointed being I. India and all the do is fob you off and say they will change the meter. Bring back UK service centres where they actually give a damn and they know you could get a face to face meet. Once I get my 8 months bill sorted I will be looking at Octopus, if they match EV charging at night cost and duration, then it would be a no brainier. Thanks for the advice.
I was chatting to a mobile phone expert the other day, He was telling me why my villages signals so bad now, Its the Cloud seeding operation they are doing over the UK, Its not just us, its everybody, all the networks are struggling everywhere the cloud seedings happening. These minis are a god send as the signal dont have to go far.
cloud seedings eh ? the earth is flat and the moon landings were faked , Elvis works in a chip shop and there is a Spitfire on the moon.
I have a very similar meter to yours on octopus and initially they couldn't wouldn't fit the gas meter. When they finally did it didn't integrate with the heads up display HUD. But it was sending data to octopus since it could be seen on the bright phone app as I was trying to get the gas reading to be uploaded to my home assistant via a 3rd party app. Anyway every so often they send a Morrison's data person around when we aren't home and so we end up having to enter the gas and electric meter reads onto a website anyway. Frustrating and meaning that the upgrade from digital dumb 2 rate meter to smart meter wasn't really much better.
Had a lot of grief with my smart meter, found out meter could have external aerial, got supplier to fit external aerial to improve signal strength reception, found T1 aerial solve the problems, there is a T2 aerial available for really bad reception
External aerials are not available for all types/ locations smets 2 meters and do not always help. Generally utility companies don't know what caused the failure and they just assume a replacement will solve the issue but that is not always successful
Thats a small zigbee hub they give you, Its a shame there is no local API for getting the data straight from the meter, given its got zigbee it should be able to connect to any coordinator just like any other zigbee device
So the mini box is using electricity and you have to charge your phone often due to the constant conection to the box. How much extra cost is that that over a year to run?
Pennies. It uses 5W at most.
I don`t see exactly WHY anyone would need a `Smart Meter`...unless they really feel the need to be anal about a poxy leccy bill and cream over the phone more than they actually do checking every ten seconds how much leccy the kettle uses.
I have no `smart` meters...never had a problem giving meter readings every month and roughly know what both my evergy bills are....without all the anality.
@enrobsorussell Good question. The answer is long and very complex...
Again this is all in the original smart project documentation that is still on the Ofgem website.
My wife says I can bore for England on the subject but the short version is that with IoT devices it allows various energy efficiency measures that are vital for the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables PLUS it lowers the cost of switching AND it allows suppliers to more accurately price.
Happy to share more if you really want to know.
Funny when I and others with various suppliers admit “readings are estimated not factual, I know of customers who have been charged more than the meter say they owe because of the company’s claim as mentioned above
My Smart Meter stopped communicating electricity half-hourly readings on 14 July 2023. Octopus can still take spot readings for billing purposes. Octopus quoted me £400 to replace my SMETS1 meters, and offer that I did not accept. The Mini works perfectly, but Octopus can not use these readings. Octopus says that the nature of my problem cannot justify an engineering visit.
I want to know what happened to all of the previous generations of smart meters - The ones which *didn't* require any network connectivity and didn't rely on „encryption“ so weak a three year old could break it, and simply counted kWh consumed through ones supply like a meter is *supposed* to? 🤔
Too many back-handers to politicians in Westminster, I'd say... 💰🇬🇧😉
I wouldn't be surprised if octopus are using the data from the mini to validate the data at the DCC and prove how bad it is.
Mmmm sorry mate but 5-6 days between emails isn't good IMO ps any idea why my actual smart meter in our kitchen is still registering £0.00 since swapping to octopus whereas with Eon it was showing the correct tariffs? 😢 Cheers
my home mini works great, so much better than before
No offence . I'm american but the house we bought in London still had the keyfob. Nope not getting a smart meter.
Hi I own an apartment which I rent. OVO refitted a smart meter after a bad tenant.. but he said it may not work well as the silver 😊coating on the wall insulation is blocking the signal.
The next tenant left paying an estimated bill . I took over for a short period. Then got a new tenant who shortly got an enormous bill which they corrected then I got a bill which is about £120 too expensive. I sent them photos to show it was wrong which they refused to. View .
I now have a dept company after me which seem to be listening to., but OVO is slow with them
Don’t use OVO . Do you know how I can get out of this nightmare
Ombudsman Service and it’s free that’s what they are there for but a complaint needs to be registered with the company and gives them 8weels to get it resolved before Ombudsman services can intervene
@@DTech101 I have a complaint filed with SSE .i will ask their money reclaim people if they have been forwarded them a copy. It must be 8months old.
I think I want a early leave on the contract without penalties on the house I live in as compensation..
Thanks for your advise.
@@richardgreen8694 doesn’t matter you can do it via the ombudsman and give them the original date of when you complained
There does not seem to be a quick resolution to your issue. Are you not able to take your monthly reading and send this to your provider the old fashion way. I know this is going against why the smart meter is installed, but in your case would seem to be the simplest solution. Or does your provider not have this facility.
You can send data over the electricity connection its called homeplug
2G won't be switched off anytime soon . But 3G has gone except o2
my understanding is that in the south UK it uses 2.5G, so can still use 2G, we live in a very weak mobile area, with thick house walls - took ages to get it set up (4 attempts - with different aerials), was only resolved as the 4th meter fitter was from the next village, so knew how to commision it - needed local knowlegde to mesh it to another meter which he know had a clear path to the mast. No issues in the last 18 months, but to start with it was a complete pain.
O2 3G is still live because of the smart meters. 2G+(E) has best signal coverage but pretty terrible data speed
LoRaWAN solves all of this. These organizations need to start setting up mesh networks. All of the infrastructure is theirs and there is no third party to rely on.
LoRaWAN is what the north uses & was planned for the whole of the UK!
As mentioned in the video not enough nodes mostly due to NIMBY & scared of change just like the 5G debacle!
The slow take-up during SMETS1 prompted the south to use mobile data to overcome the lack of nodes but stupidly did not plan 6 years in the future.
So much fuss about the digital switch over but a bit of planning & proper education would fix it this 20 years ago!
I worked on testing different systems like alarms including personal alarms used by the elderly all have solutions!
The problem is the government 20 years ago when this roadmap was laid out for UK services(electric, water & communications) buried its head with nothing being done by the following idiots also!!!!
I remember being in meetings starting in 1998 about all this & now it is a right old mess!
Of course its the energy providers fault.
As an example....You wouldnt buy cable TV if there isnt cables in your street.... 😂
I live in a highly populated area and my smart meter has been changed multiple times and still doesnt reliably connect to the network. !!
I’ve gone over to monthly billing , i don’t trust them . My last month (may) bill was actually £10.24 , then add the daily standing charge and a bit of vat the total was £32,80 .
Everyone knows these meters were badly thought out ( if thought was even involved) a standard meter with standard comms through the entire industry, but no christ I have electric and gas with the same company and the meters don't work together. The idea of off peak savings is a very unfunny joke. Worse the government (conservatives) made US pay for this horrific cockup
Smart meters are the biggest waste of time and money, and they serve no purpose.
Massive con,at bill payers expense, that exist to save providers vast sums of money.No meter readers,no vans,no associated expenses,so huge cost savings,e.g. Greater profits.
On a time of use tariff that lets me charge my car for 7.5p at times best for the grid. Wouldn't be possible without communications between the electricity company, the smart meter, and my charger.
Smart meters are essential for a smart grid, which is vital for combatting climate change, they also take hassle out of the meter reading process. To say they serve no purpose is simply wrong and just shows you do not understand their purpose.
You should not confuse implementation problems caused by the lack of foresight in not realizing that Wi-Fi should be an option for difficult properties with a lack of usefulness of the concept.
@@MentalLentil-ev9jr"Implimention problems" after how many years and versions of meter? Pull the other one, it's been a total cock up of a project driven by bad engineering decisions and pressure from manufacturers and network service providers full of self interest. It has cost the public billions through handouts to the supply industry and increased energy costs. There are thousands of meters sitting in warehouses that will no doubt end up adding to landfill. It is a scandle equivalent to the PPE one.
@@MentalLentil-ev9jr How do you "Combat " a natural process that has occurred for millions of years. I think that you are brainwashed.
octopus were shit with me, we had same issue i ended up having to get meters changed but had to goto energy ombudsman, they were useless,, now moved back last week to another compamy,,
Ah yes, a "weird box thing" (also known as a QR code).
I know, it's me im old !
I’ve got the same issues
If you’re not being billed for your usage put the cash in a savings account and earn 5% interest until such time as they ask for it 😂
Those background wires would not pass dutch regulations.😆
I live in the uk !
@@JonathanPorterfield America almost as bad. They don't allow ring cirquits.
Why wouldn't they be using LoRa?
agreed.. in CA USA. consumed power billed at 30-38 cents per KWH. pays 12 -15 per for back feed. connected to grid.. but battery solar DIY system takes me off grid 9 month of year, self consumption for me.! edison turns grid off if hot or windy.?. still 30 bucks a month "meter fee"
You have installed metal foil and I expect this is the issue. Getting an electrician to relocate the meters to an external cabinet on the other side of the wall will fix the issue with the signal.🎉 Just to point out that the Smart meter has a SIM in the top of Smart 2 meters which is owned by DCC.
Don’t you know that the meter belongs to the DNO? They will not permit any old electrician moving a meter. They will demand a huge sum for the privilege of allowing any changes with their meter (and wiring to the consumer panel).
Actually where Jonathan is, they will be using the Arqiva network which uses Long Range Radio, so no SIM card. But you are correct that the foil backed insulation wont be helping reception at all. One option is to make a 'passive repeater' but taking some good quality co-ax cable and making a dipole antenna at each end, one outside and the other by the meter. Sorted my reception issues as I'm in a marginal signal area.
@@cingramukWhat frequency should I cut the dipoles to.
@@barrieshepherd7694 it something like 420-430MHz. IIRC the full wavelength is 70cm, with a dipole leg length of ~16.5cm. I have a full wavelength dipole on the roof and quarter folded dipole by the meter (~4cm legs but doubled over). I ended up making the dipoles from some spare 2.5mm2 T&E cable and used coax to join the two with some choc blocks (as a test but its worked that well, they're still up!). Also with a bit of weatherproofing (PVC pipe round them)
@@oliver90owner My smart meter was requested from and installed by Octopus, my supplier. DNOs do not get their hands contaminated by touching smart meters. IIRC DNO responsibility stops after the Service Head/Main Fuse. So, all tails, main isolating switches are not their concern.
Not my experience of Octopus... upheld by the Ombusman who fined them the maximum allowable. Pity as the ethos was something that drew me to them... pity they caused me so much stress and anxiety... they are just not joined up behind the scenes... i was completely ignored by Greg Jackson.... quite frankly a disgrace.
My smart meter is useless gas meter at the front of the property and the electric meter at the rear of the property can't communicate with each other because they are too far apart
Why the crap do we need to know our minute by minute enrrgy use ? They want to install a smart meter (on the outside of my wall of course)1' away from my bed ! Nope nope nope. Freaking WiFi is not reliable.
"Peedie"? You're talking the lingo, you'll be accepted as a local in another 5 or 6.......................................... generations! 😉
Across the firth here in Caithness our smart meter has never worked. The lights on it say it's got a signal but Octopus, BG and Eon have all said we could have an EV tariff then backtracked stating they can't get a reliable communication with the meter, so we get put on a fixed tariff instead.
Have to disagree, not everyone at Octopus is stellar, had to take them to ombudsman to get the meter changed as the power cycled it 4 times and knowingly left it saying the back end comms team told him to leave it as it is they then changed me from go to standard tariff no one budged over two months ombudsman gets involved and it’s changed then comes the big bill for charging me to standard tariff then quotes of terms and conditions we need 30 min reads but the knowingly left the site in a none working state costing me a lot more a cynical person would think it was intentional. Bill came out 3 times normal would not look at any adjustment on the bill ombudsman has to look at this one now.
Best thing is don't get one installed like me and I can't afford to pay there foreign investors, the thing is where I stay no ones smart meter works I stay in Reay, the only bonus in having one installed is they don't have to go to court to get your door booted in to cut you off thing is where I am wee are sarounded with turbines and even more going up yet wee pay more than the hole UK
There is Nothing ‘Smart’ about ‘ Smart’ meters (unless you enjoy ongoing or recurrent Signal problematics!) If you’ Don’t’the smart thing to do is get your provider to install a Electromagnetic Watt meter, & either let them read the Meter from time to to time or send them your readings giving your Meters ID number written on the device!: NB 2 reading(s i)f you have Economy7 ,referring to Day: Nighttime consumption..This can be done by L/L Phone call ,maybe by cell phone :certainly via cell phone per Text L &/ or Email !-0r simply per Letter! Any Consumer Issues agency will have an ongoing&tiresome enormous case load &/ or log of
Smart Meter problematics. Life is too short for such unneccessary hassle- which is NOT Smart at all for anyone…
Maybe a problem with octopus in reality.
Blimey, your headset mic is awful!
Yes , it is , i looked at seeing why it was peaking , but couldn't see any adjustment on my edit software , i think i need a new headset !
If you allow blue tooth on you phone anyone can connect to it
And why is this an isuue ? anyone can see my usage if they want too 🤣👍
@@JonathanPorterfield Steal data being transmitted over Bluetooth. Hackers can still capture data being sent over a Bluetooth connection, even if the data is encrypted. This could include passwords, credit card numbers, or sensitive data that can be used to steal your identity.
You obviously have very low standards for what to expect from a customer service department.
Not the government's finest hour. Large IT project with gradual, voluntary rollout and changing technical environment around it.
For me the most confusing thing about smart meters is that they all come with a built in randomised offset; to avoid (e.g. economy 7 off peak) loads switching in a coordinated manner meters have a (positive) offset. The meter measures energy use in half hour buckets according to this offset and not wall-clock time.
Ryan could still be an Ai they can imitate us very well
Scottish Power are desperate that I take a smart meter by offering me a £100 Amazon voucher…err no thanks!
Just accept the voucher but refuse the meter.
Don't advertise e'h
More fool for having one installed in the first place.
If you want a huge range of tariffs to choose from you must have a smart meter.
I was once like this, but you cant access the peak / off peak tarrifs if you dont.
@@EverydayLife621 You can, but only the E7 options.
We need more people with this attitude to keep overpaying so the more switched on can benefit from new tariffs.
@@oliver90owner Maybe? just moved from an EDF Tariff, which was 4.5p overnight (gone to 6.9p 00:00-07:00 with EoN), before I was paying over £1000-£2000+ for electric alone, today for everything its less than £500 (and that with a MG4 added)