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

  • State Not Answered
  • Locked Locked
  • Replies 35 replies
  • Subscribers 32 subscribers
  • Views 3307 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
You may also be interested in
This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

FAULTY SUPPLY COMPANY METER METER

John Peckham
I have power logged shed loads of supplies over the years to investigate if a supply company meter is faulty. I have never found a faulty meter. I have found a lot of waste, lack of understanding of what it costs to run various loads and supplies to other users from the complaints supply.


You will know from reading my posts that I had a new E& meter fitted in October and had to have a dumb meter fitted as the supply company does not provide Smart 5 hole meters. Since having the meter fitted the account bill has rocketed to something like 5 times the cost of the old meter readings.


So over the last couple of days I power logged the supply and low and behold the meter is over reading on rate 1(daytime) and under reading on rate 2 (night time).  


At first Scottish Power said I would have to pay for a check meter to be fitted and I said no I can send you my recorded readings. They have now agreed to fit a new meter in 3 weeks time and after 3 consecutive meter readings they would recalculate the bill.


So my new meter is very dumb in more ways than one.
  • 0
    It is common now for R1 = Day, R2 = Night. In another life R1 was always Night. Lots of ways to describe the rates, Night and Day, Low and Normal, 3 rates, 1,2,3, for pubs and small business, STOD, (seasonal time of day) Cant remember but 4/5 rates, Church tariff, (Sunday beneficial)  Farm tariff, (Grain dryer beneficial) 

    E7 ? many variations because of load on network ie 12-7am, 1-8am, then 15 min variations on these. Split E7, 2 hours late evening for those working anti social hours, 5 hours 2am-7am. Many many more, but lets stick with E7. On John Peckhams meter there will be unit costs aligning with the actual reading so he can match these up.So R1/R2 not needed as a term. Have a look at around 8am and the higher rate reading, say 15 PPU as opposed to 5PPU should be whizzing round denoting DAY.

    Regards, UKPNZap
  • 0
    The meter installer entered the day reading as R1 and the night as R2 in to my account. I assumed this was correct and followed on with my own readings as this arrangement is what I thought. I am having a new meter fitted at the end of the month and after 3 following readings Scottish Power  have said they will re-calculate my bill.
  • 0
    Hello John. A little bit of info that may be of some assistance.

    The R1 (Rate 1), R2 (Rate 2), apportionment to Day and Night consumption readings varies across the country. Add to this the fact that Meter Readers were asked to record R1 and R2, meaning Reading 1, and Reading 2, as presented when scrolling through the meter display, (which are not necessarily in the same order as Rate 1 and Rate 2), and you can see how confusing it can be. Transposed readings have been the cause of many billing errors.

    Incidentally, for Economy 7 in all its timing variances, standard practice in Eastern Electricity Distribution and Metering area was always: - R1 (Rate 1) = Night, R2 (Rate 2) = Day.

    Meters seldom record incorrectly, however some do, and your Logger seems to indicate as such. An official Meter Inspectorate check for accuracy is quite extensive covering the whole load range of the meter. However, as you are aware it’s not difficult to do some basic meter accuracy consumption checks to determine correct, or incorrect KWH recording.  

    In addition, not meaning to teach anyone to suck eggs, but basic E7 consumption and billing checks are:-

    -Check the meter serial number on the billing matches that on your meter.
    -Always in the first instance compare KWHs, not cost.
    -Check to see how Rate 1 and Rate 2 are apportioned on your meter. (Which is Day, and which is Night) and how this compares to the billing.
    -Check the timings when Rate 1 and Rate 2 are active. (A DP switch with Neon on the storage heater is a easy way of seeing when the Off Peak comes on/goes off)
    -Check your meter actual switches its recording rate when the Off Peak comes on.
    -Check the KWH readings/consumption on the billing matches that on the meter.
    -Make sure billing is based on actual readings not estimated.
     
    Kind regards Chris

  • 0
    IIRC in some  areas and some meter types there is a total register as well as registers for each time band.  In some cases there are also three registers (old E10 supplies) and a total.  It could be your bill has been set up on the total units against day and night against night.  This sort of error is far more common than you might think especially since the proliferation of meter types in the 20 years.  Are any other registers visible when you cycle through them?
  • 0

    It could be your bill has been set up on the total units against day and night against night. 



    Wouldn't explain John's numbers - his logger totals 129 kWh (113 off-peak+16), but the meter has only totalled 61kWh (3 off-peak+58).


    It's almost like the meter's running (at least) four different registers/time periods, two for night time and two for day, and we're only getting one of the night-time periods (mistaken as a day total) and one of the daytime ones (mistaken as the night).


      - Andy.

  • 0
    Thanks for all your feedback and useful advice. I will let you know how I get on after the new meter is fitted at the end of the month. On that point I am less than happy with supply companies fitting old meters in preference to new meters. 


    The "new" meter I had fitted in October showed a total of 67010 units at the time of installation. On the front it said "Property of Macquarie Leasing" below which was a bar code that had a line put through it. I wonder if Scottish Power get their meters from Ebay?



    I would much prefer to take my chances with a new meter straight from the factory which hopefully had passed a calibration check.
  • 0
    I have been told by a meter fitter that they have a lifespan of 15 years, or at least should be replaced at that stage. It may well have taken quite a few years to get to 67,000 units.
  • 0
    I have invested part of my retirement fund in Smart Metering Services, the share price has dropped back partly due to the extension of the period for completing the switch to smart meters, perhaps replacing JP’s meter again will give the business a boost ?
  • 0
    Macquarie    do meter management for British gas among others.

    I wonder why it was taken out of service, and if it was checked before re-issue. Perhaps it mis-reads....
  • 0

    Sparkingchip:

    I have invested part of my retirement fund in Smart Metering Services, the share price has dropped back partly due to the extension of the period for completing the switch to smart meters, perhaps replacing JP’s meter again will give the business a boost ?




    The SMS chart is not impressive as it is not rising at a steady rate, or showing a general rising trend. Profits are diminishing over the years. I would get out now. Dividends are unimpressive.

    https://www.hl.co.uk/shares/shares-search-results/s/smart-metering-system-plc-ordinary-1p


    Z.

Community Rules & Guidelines