E.on thought we were fiddeling the meter !!!

[2ndBillericay]

I have just had a phone call from a guy at E.on as we submit a monthly consumption meter reading at the Scout Hall and the computer has pulled up a discrepancy. He was very nice and asked if i could check the meter reading as the last few were a bit lower than they expected.

02-09-10   12855
09-05-11   12689
Used        -   166

I said "thats becouse our meter is running backwards" - silence !!!
then i added "we installed a PV system just before august Bank Holiday last year" - his reply was "ummm, i wasnt expecting that answer !"

I then explained that we had contacted E.on in August to say we were installing a PV system and needed a new meter but the reply we received was that it would not be changed for another 2 years as it was only 13 years old !!!!

We use 550 KWH at the Scout hall a year and hope to generate 1680 KWH a year and have just crossed 1000 KWH over the weekend.

The E.on man is going away to have a think about this problem.

I expect i will have a new meter shortly - lets hope they can fit a combined gas/electric smart meter for me as both are with E.on.

More updates as they occur.

[firepete]

your be lucky 

they will be around soon to fit a meter that dont run backwards.

[2ndBillericay]

Ah Pete, i believe you are our nearest neighbour according to BDPV.

Lets see how long they take - i did suggest a joint Gas/Electric Smart Meter as well :-)

[firepete]

well scottish power came around within two weeks of registering mine. damm lol
and fitted a old electronic meter. not even a new one [tight gits]


yes not far from you  
 month of May looking good  above target already.  499kwh so far
its going to be a 25kwh day,  today.

[Ted]

Another thread here suggests that the SmartMeters that E.ON are fitting may not be compatible with on-site microgeneration. Double-check before one is fitted.

[SibertSolar]

I saw that thread Ted (about incompatible Smart meters etc) and I'm curious as to why/how the meters aren't compatible with microgeneration.  I'm looking into this and any feedback/info from on here would be appreciated. 

Ta

Andy

[Ted]

It seems that they are plain, but interrogatable, import meters and cannot register exports.  Possibly they are available in two flavours, where one does handle exports.

[SibertSolar]

Yes, that would make sense.  Strange though as nearly all Smart meters I have come across are preconfigured to register reverse energy too by default.....seems a bit daft of Eon not to choose a Smart meter that doesn't....

[Automan]

I was going to ask a similar question...

Does a standard digital electric meter subtract units if you are making more energy than you are using from your own small solar PV install?

My meter is just like this one http://www.btinternet.com/~jon00/electmon.shtml but single rate.

Also if it does not subtract units does that mean that during the day when you are out it could actually clock up more units billing you for the power you generate?

Automan.

[JohnS]

I guess if the electronics go wrong anything can happen.

All but the oldest meters are designed to clock up in one direction only.  Some of the old style mechanical ones would go backwards if they did not have a ratchet to prevent that happening.  I have heard of no instances of digital display/electronic meters either going backwards when exporting or, more worryingly, go forwards when both importing and exporting. 

I am sure that if any did this, it would be common knowledge by now.

[tony.]

My import meter goes backwards 

Its only 4 years old, i got it when i asked the hydro board to remove the redundant off peak meter.

I wont be teling them.

Tony

[Drawmer]

I was going to ask a similar question...

Does a standard digital electric meter subtract units if you are making more energy than you are using from your own small solar PV install?

My meter is just like this one http://www.btinternet.com/~jon00/electmon.shtml but single rate.

Also if it does not subtract units does that mean that during the day when you are out it could actually clock up more units billing you for the power you generate?

Automan.

Only the oldest type of analogue meters will subtract read when the feed is reversed, ie when you are feeding into the grid.
More modern analogue meters may look as if they are running backwards, but the reading doesn't actually decrement.
Digital meters not designed for reading export will ignore exported power, they don't add your export to your import reading.

The clamp on meters like Current Cost treat import and export both as import, but it's only a domestic indicator rather than a supply meter.

[JohnS]

My import meter goes backwards 

Its only 4 years old, i got it when i asked the hydro board to remove the redundant off peak meter.

I wont be teling them.

Tony

Is it a mechanical meter (numbers that clock round or dials) or a lcd/led display?

John

[tony.]

Its a mechanical meter, with a spinning disk, you can watch the disk slow and go i to reverse, with the digits coming off!

Tony

[Automan]

Thanks for the responses...

I have found some info on my meter at http://www.apexengineers.co.uk/manuals/ampy5196a.html

It says it has "Reverse Energy Register" whatever that is supposed to mean?

EDIT: It stores the reverse energy reading but you need a gadget to tell the meter to display it.

Looking at other meters they talk about an alarm LED coming on if more than a pre-set amount of reverse energy is detected.

I have also just found this http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/NETWORKS/ELECDIST/POLICY/DISTGEN/Documents1/5560-manufacturer_poll_response_summary.pdf

Which seems to indicate my make will ignore it and store it in another register not adding or subtracting data from the main display. LED will also be on solid rather than flash.

Automan.