No SMET2 Meter - no off peak charging
Discussion
Can someone offer me some advice on how to source or have fitted smets 2 electricity meter?
and following that access to a reasonable Electricity supplier / Off peak charging tarrif.
I know the haters hate, and state the Infrastructure is not there yet for EV, and I'll be honest setting up our house (rural) has been a right dick on.
Having joined the electric car club it is all about having a smart meter and charging at night time or off peak electricity https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=247&t=1979275
I have the car. I have the charger.
The problem is my current electricity meter is a SMETS1 but not useable as such because of where I live remotely apparently, it is not sending a signal to my electricity provider who is Scottish Power.
(adding to the frustration, Scottish Power are unable to provide me an EV tariff as they insist I have to have dual fuel billing or usage so I can have access to the EV tariff. WTF ?
I said I would be delighted if they would like to run a gas pipe to the village I many others would no doubt be dual fuel. So as you can guess I am on oil central heating.
The obvious electricity provider to go to is Octopus and their Octopus Go tariff (especially as my car and charger it is all sourced through Octopus as well)
However they have said I need this SMETS 2 or at worst case a working SMET1 but it needs to be operating.......
They can't arrange a meter they say and suggested Scottish Power are the best point of contact as I'm currently in contract with them.
Scottish Power tell me they are not taking jobs at the minute and it may be several months.
So I am in limbo like Tom Hanks in The Terminal.
I want to move to an electricity tariff that works for the car but I need a new meter and I must get that from my existing provider I am told. Who won't.
Unless you lot have better ideas how I can source or have upgraded my electricity metre by someone who is willing to offer me a good EV tariff...........
Help!!
and following that access to a reasonable Electricity supplier / Off peak charging tarrif.
I know the haters hate, and state the Infrastructure is not there yet for EV, and I'll be honest setting up our house (rural) has been a right dick on.
Having joined the electric car club it is all about having a smart meter and charging at night time or off peak electricity https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=247&t=1979275
I have the car. I have the charger.
The problem is my current electricity meter is a SMETS1 but not useable as such because of where I live remotely apparently, it is not sending a signal to my electricity provider who is Scottish Power.
(adding to the frustration, Scottish Power are unable to provide me an EV tariff as they insist I have to have dual fuel billing or usage so I can have access to the EV tariff. WTF ?
I said I would be delighted if they would like to run a gas pipe to the village I many others would no doubt be dual fuel. So as you can guess I am on oil central heating.
The obvious electricity provider to go to is Octopus and their Octopus Go tariff (especially as my car and charger it is all sourced through Octopus as well)
However they have said I need this SMETS 2 or at worst case a working SMET1 but it needs to be operating.......
They can't arrange a meter they say and suggested Scottish Power are the best point of contact as I'm currently in contract with them.
Scottish Power tell me they are not taking jobs at the minute and it may be several months.
So I am in limbo like Tom Hanks in The Terminal.
I want to move to an electricity tariff that works for the car but I need a new meter and I must get that from my existing provider I am told. Who won't.
Unless you lot have better ideas how I can source or have upgraded my electricity metre by someone who is willing to offer me a good EV tariff...........
Help!!
You need to move house, or wait an unknown period of time until the data communications company covering your region extends smart meter WAN coverage to include your home.
I've been through this. Switching suppliers won't help. They all use the same network, which uses proprietary standards not cellular. I had broad cellular coverage at my old house and couldn't get any smart meter or any indication of when it might become available.
New house, octopus have confirmed coverage and will install as soon as possible after taking over the supply later this week.
I've been through this. Switching suppliers won't help. They all use the same network, which uses proprietary standards not cellular. I had broad cellular coverage at my old house and couldn't get any smart meter or any indication of when it might become available.
New house, octopus have confirmed coverage and will install as soon as possible after taking over the supply later this week.
Edited by theboss on Monday 21st March 16:31
The smets1 meters piggy-backed off cellular networks with GPRS or 3G I believe. The smets2 ones need the proprietary WAN connection I was referring to.
Smets1 will only supply data to the company which installed it. The moment you transfer supplier that communications process breaks down.
Smets2 are universal and can be used by any of the providers.
Sorry I interpreted it that you had been told there was no WAN coverage, which was the situation I faced in my old house, so might have misunderstood the situation.
Octopus are pretty good at communicating, Did you say you had switched to them or still on SP? It might be worth transferring as long as you're not on any beneficial fixed tariff from last year, and then getting the conversation going about replacing the existing meter with a smets2 one.
I can't wait to get off peak rates also.
Smets1 will only supply data to the company which installed it. The moment you transfer supplier that communications process breaks down.
Smets2 are universal and can be used by any of the providers.
Sorry I interpreted it that you had been told there was no WAN coverage, which was the situation I faced in my old house, so might have misunderstood the situation.
Octopus are pretty good at communicating, Did you say you had switched to them or still on SP? It might be worth transferring as long as you're not on any beneficial fixed tariff from last year, and then getting the conversation going about replacing the existing meter with a smets2 one.
I can't wait to get off peak rates also.
I was admittedly with Octopus already but I managed to get them to swap SMETS1 out for SMETS2.
After getting fed-up being stuck on SMETS 1 I spoke to another supplier (who has probably since gone bust) who said they would installed SMETS 2 if I moved to them, told Octopus and they relented and change my meters.
This did take 3 months from first asking to them saying yes, but certainly worth another phone call to them.
After getting fed-up being stuck on SMETS 1 I spoke to another supplier (who has probably since gone bust) who said they would installed SMETS 2 if I moved to them, told Octopus and they relented and change my meters.
This did take 3 months from first asking to them saying yes, but certainly worth another phone call to them.
They just helped me switch and were informative, transparent and responsive, unlike Scottish Power who only provided the online option of taking a 45p/kWh fix and make it practically impossible to take the ofgen capped standard tariff. You have to phone and then just get passed around and put on hold.
This is off the back of a house purchase so I had no choice. In 6 weeks I've given up trying to setup an account with SP and will simply pay their final bill after transferring.
This is off the back of a house purchase so I had no choice. In 6 weeks I've given up trying to setup an account with SP and will simply pay their final bill after transferring.
SMETS 2 is cellular in the central and south regions, proprietary radio in the north. The unit pictured above is not SMETS 2.
Find an energy supplier that offers the tariff you want and switch but get in quick - the problem at the moment is getting the new meters/hubs - the energy industry doesn't seem to realise that there is a global component supply shortage and the suppliers are in the queue behind the big buyers like HuaWei Apple, Samsung, LG, Bosch etc.
Find an energy supplier that offers the tariff you want and switch but get in quick - the problem at the moment is getting the new meters/hubs - the energy industry doesn't seem to realise that there is a global component supply shortage and the suppliers are in the queue behind the big buyers like HuaWei Apple, Samsung, LG, Bosch etc.
IJWS15 said:
SMETS 2 is cellular in the central and south regions, proprietary radio in the north. The unit pictured above is not SMETS 2.
Find an energy supplier that offers the tariff you want and switch but get in quick - the problem at the moment is getting the new meters/hubs - the energy industry doesn't seem to realise that there is a global component supply shortage and the suppliers are in the queue behind the big buyers like HuaWei Apple, Samsung, LG, Bosch etc.
Agreed - the above is a SMET1 (not signalling).Find an energy supplier that offers the tariff you want and switch but get in quick - the problem at the moment is getting the new meters/hubs - the energy industry doesn't seem to realise that there is a global component supply shortage and the suppliers are in the queue behind the big buyers like HuaWei Apple, Samsung, LG, Bosch etc.
So tell Octupus to take over, and to get a Meter request pronto from them is the answer ?
All if the SMETS1 meters are being converted by an OTA update before December 2022....apparently. so most suppliers I guess will ask you to wait until this happens with yours. They will then work with any supplier.
https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/our-smart-network/curre...
https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/our-smart-network/curre...
IJWS15 said:
Looks like it, if you have a big house you may also need a Dual Band hub or the Hub may not be able to connect to the IHD or other smart devices around the house (like the charger).
I am told / believe the Ohme Charger I have is a smart one with a data cable to link back to the Meter .... Road2Ruin said:
All if the SMETS1 meters are being converted by an OTA update before December 2022....apparently. so most suppliers I guess will ask you to wait until this happens with yours. They will then work with any supplier.
https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/our-smart-network/curre...
Yes - I was sold this concept from SP when I looked in to this 4 months ago (ordering the Tesla) that they had to get round to us by the end of March 2022. I guess that was a Porkie Pie.https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/our-smart-network/curre...
Looks of shrugging all round of "We dont know"
I said to SP. " so I leave you to get a SMET2 ?" - she said she couldnt comment
Your problem is Scottish Power.
Switch to Octopus and you should get the chance to have a SMETS2 meter installed pretty quickly.
The installers are generally Providor (at least in this area).
Just moved a commercial premises from EDF, switch completed on 1st January... meter man there by 17th Jan to do the meter swap (small problem in that the DNO then needed to do some work - but that is another story).
2nd booking for a meter to be fitted had about 2 weeks lead time. All now done, all now works. Day/night rates separate.
I have had two residential properties done too, both from SP to Octopus - no issues. One now with a time-based tariff.
If you can get a mobile signal, your meter should work (2/3G via O2 in the South)
In the North, it is Long Range Radio by Arqiva.
Switch to Octopus and you should get the chance to have a SMETS2 meter installed pretty quickly.
The installers are generally Providor (at least in this area).
Just moved a commercial premises from EDF, switch completed on 1st January... meter man there by 17th Jan to do the meter swap (small problem in that the DNO then needed to do some work - but that is another story).
2nd booking for a meter to be fitted had about 2 weeks lead time. All now done, all now works. Day/night rates separate.
I have had two residential properties done too, both from SP to Octopus - no issues. One now with a time-based tariff.
If you can get a mobile signal, your meter should work (2/3G via O2 in the South)
In the North, it is Long Range Radio by Arqiva.
PushedDover said:
Thanks Gents, so Octopus seem to be the ones to lean on to get out of this?
No amount of pleading gets them / anyone closer to supplying sadly.
Like the person below I found them very helpful, and they got me up and running on an EV tariff with my Smets1 meter (not the same kind as yours admittedly)No amount of pleading gets them / anyone closer to supplying sadly.
Initially they couldn't communicate with it, but did something their end and got it working.
paradigital said:
I moved from British Gas to Octopus late last year, currently Octopus are refusing to install a SMETS2 meter and have unsuccessfully tried to connect the SMETS1 meter for over 3 months.
No amount of complaining seems to make a jot of difference.
Bugger.No amount of complaining seems to make a jot of difference.
They have asked for a photo of my SMET1 to see ‘if they can do something’ with it
It is a most peculiar system that nobody seems to have a grip on, we have smets1 and have changed supplier twice and it has communicated to all suppliers; however a neighbour had a smets1 with sp and moved to eon where it still worked, eon became eon next and they now can’t see it, go figure
Octopus managed to re-activate my old SMETS1 after being dormant following the demise of Rich Energy and being forcibly moved to Scottish Power, who sat on my credit balance for the best part of a year.
The moment they contacted me to inform that my old credit balance had now been applied to my account, I moved to Octopus.
Claims that SMETS1 are defunct after the demise of the energy company or you move to another are clearly and demonstrably WRONG.
Two days in, they (Octopus) contacted me to inform that my old SMETS1 was now active again and readings were no longer necessary. I replied with a request that I was moved onto Octopus Go, and was told that it would be active my midnight. And sure enough it was. Just to be clear, I had never requested this.
They appear to be an incredibly efficient energy company, something I've never said before, and Octopus Go, seems, to me at least to be the best tariff out there.
The moment they contacted me to inform that my old credit balance had now been applied to my account, I moved to Octopus.
Claims that SMETS1 are defunct after the demise of the energy company or you move to another are clearly and demonstrably WRONG.
Two days in, they (Octopus) contacted me to inform that my old SMETS1 was now active again and readings were no longer necessary. I replied with a request that I was moved onto Octopus Go, and was told that it would be active my midnight. And sure enough it was. Just to be clear, I had never requested this.
They appear to be an incredibly efficient energy company, something I've never said before, and Octopus Go, seems, to me at least to be the best tariff out there.
Edited by FeelingLucky on Tuesday 22 March 18:32
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