Rules and Guidelines
Want to participate in the discussions? Please read our Community Rules and Guidelines. Need some help? Visit Support and Answers.

  • State Helpful Answer
  • Replies 14 replies
  • Subscribers 20 subscribers
  • Views 197 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
You may also be interested in

Understanding Smart Meter Screens

John R.

I have a Smart Meter installed.

Since it's out of radio range, it doesn't send readings to the Supplier and the supplier refuses to upgrade the comms module to a 4G one rather than the UHF one, although they have done this for some neighbours after months of complaints.

It's single tariff and there's no export.

It has screens including as follows

+A Value - cumulitive kWh used 

Current L1 - real time current (1.465A)

Voltage L1 - real time voltage (238.2V)

Active MD Import - (2.155kW)

Active MD Export  - (0kW)

Rising Demand - (0.283kW)

Cumulative MD - Maximum cumulative demand over 15 or 30 mins (not sure which) (31.371kW)

I've searched online and can't find out what Active MD Import is actually measuring.  It seems a bit low to be maximum demand since there's a 9.5kW shower in use.

Is there a specification somewhere that explains this?

Parents Reply
  • 0 in reply to John R.
    John R. said:
    Consumption here is typically 4 +/- 0.5 kWh /day.

    So a peak of 31.371 kW seems unlikely.

    Could it be recording the maximum demand over a certain period, say every hour, and then adding up all the hours over a day?

    I cannot see the benefit in a domestic setting, but in industry, there might be a penalty if a certain value is exceeded.

Children
  • 0 in reply to Chris Pearson

    Yes, I can understand the purpose of peak readings in the context of I&C customers where there may be a capacity charging element.

    Clearly 31kW is an implausible domestic load, so presumably it is a number of max demand values added up.  If the numbers were added over a day, I might have expected the value today to have changed.

    I think I need to keep an eye on these values and see if they do change.  Maybe MD is not even configured and these values are left over from meter testing?  Given that it has no comms, it can't remotely be updated or reset.

    I'm not quite sure why one can't have a Zigbee to WiFi interface gadget as a work-around where the supplier doesn't want to provide a working smart meter.  Presumably the reluctance to supply a working meter is only on grounds of cost - I can think of no other reason.  I pay the bills on time so I don't think they want me to leave for another supplier - although I would move to get a working meter since am restricted on tariffs without one.

  • 0 in reply to John R.
    John R. said:
    although I would move to get a working meter since am restricted on tariffs without one

    Please don't get me started on smart meters and moving, but I raised my problem in this thread.

    I tried scrolling through my smart meter today and did not find "cumulative MD". I have no idea what buttons A and B do, but years ago, it used to be button A for continue the call, and button B for money back.

    What I did find is the wrong supplier is in there.

    Have you sought the help of the Ombudsman?

Community Rules & Guidelines