SMETS2 meters (problem solved)

[Chris S]

I recently switched my electricity supplier to Bulb (I don't have gas). They have just sent me an email saying that I must now have a SMETS2 smart meter fitted.

Has anyone had any problems with these or the fitting process? I live in a poor mobile broadband reception area and am concerned that the meter won't be able to send readings when required.

I also seem to remember news stories about smart meters starting fires because they weren't installed properly.

 

[DCBassman]

I recently switched my electricity supplier to Bulb (I don't have gas). They have just sent me an email saying that I must now have a SMETS2 smart meter fitted.

Has anyone had any problems with these or the fitting process? I live in a poor mobile broadband reception area and am concerned that the meter won't be able to send readings when required.

I also seem to remember news stories about smart meters starting fires because they weren't installed properly.

Also with Bulb, dual-fuel. This 2nd generation of Smart meters has had most of the bugs worked out now. As far as I understand it, the meters use your own wifi, certainly mine does. If you don't have broadband, and not much mobile, probably not going to work.

 

[ianrauk]

You don't have to agree to a smart meter.
I'm also with Bulb and theyve been asking for over two years for me to agree to a smart meter. I just ignore them.

 

[IaninSheffield]

I'm afraid I'm going to contradict DCB partially. Recently had SMETS2 metering installed - I'm with Good Energy - and connectivity, whatever your supplier, is throughthrough dedicated national network. Not through the standard mobile network, nor through your home wireless network, if you have one. This is confirmed by Bulb:

You don't need Wif-Fi or an internet connection to get a smart meter.
Smart meters send readings to suppliers via a dedicated smart network. It doesn't rely on your home Wi-Fi.

Information seems to be passed to my supplier adequately, although the connection between the smart meter and my "in-home display" (it's a small display panel they supply you with which also doesn't require a home wifi network) stopped working. I'm currently chasing this up.

 

[Chris S]

I've just checked their website and they can't install a smart meter because I've got storage heaters. You'd think they'd have known that as I was supplying them with day and nighttime readings.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I've just checked their website and they can't install a smart meter because I've got storage heaters. You'd think they'd have known that as I was supplying them with day and nighttime readings.

Eh what? Are there two meters - one for day and and one for night sort of thing? In which case why not two Smart meters?

 

[Chris S]

Eh what? Are there two meters - one for day and and one for night sort of thing? In which case why not two Smart meters?

My current meter gives day and night time readings. Presumably the smart meter isn't smart enough to do this yet.

 

[annedonnelly]

I had a smart meter installed a couple of weeks ago. The guy went away saying that it was done but wouldn't connect to the network. He said that someone elsewhere would sort that. I've no idea if they have but I got my usual monthly e-mail from the supplier asking me for a read.

I suspect they may have wasted their time doing the install....

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Presumably the smart meter isn't smart enough .

Pretty dumb meter really.

I'm still refusing to have one. Quite happy to be inputting readings once a month. Someone has to come out to read my FIT (solar panel) meter once a year anyway so they can check then too.

 

[JhnBssll]

I had a smart meter installed a couple of weeks ago. The guy went away saying that it was done but wouldn't connect to the network. He said that someone elsewhere would sort that. I've no idea if they have but I got my usual monthly e-mail from the supplier asking me for a read.

I suspect they may have wasted their time doing the install....

Similar experience here. Bulb installed a smart meter at our house about 6 weeks ago. The engineer left telling me it would connect sometime in the next 48 hours. It seems to have connected to the supplier as they have sent me a bill based on readings I didn't supply, but it won't connect to the in home display. I've been discussing with their support team and after going through the motions of resetting it and checking various things they admitted there are problems with some displays and I would have to wait for a firmware update to fix it. Apparently its being worked on but I won't know when it's released, just have to manually try and firmware update every few weeks. Not a big deal but a bit frustrating