Around 7% of smart meters in homes are working in traditional mode, according to government data in November 2022. However, sadly, a fewmonths after I wrote the article above the pair of them stopped working again. How smart is that? The security requirements are impressive and hard to meet, comparable to banks and such But its not surprising since the meters themselves are managing money, especially in prepay mode! Note: Apparently in some countries e.g. had chat session to BG, this time they hadnt clue what I was talking about But eventually agreed to send an Engineer to fit a new TRIO smart meter Which is where I started 2 weeks ago !!! And of course its also incomplete since there are other security measures that you wouldnt know about! First-generation meters use mobile phone networks so may have trouble sending readings to your supplier automatically. They are covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling regulations (WEEE), which mean that energy suppliers should collect, recondition and reuse in-home displays as much as they can. Theyre connected to the central wireless network that all energy suppliers should be able to use. 25/10/14 - 12:19 #1. Most smart meters have a button to illuminate the digital display so you can read the numbers. Just checked my WIFI its perfect, cloud connection and GEO App connects OK no problems there I have been testing a pre-production Zigbee SEP 1.1 gateway that purports to solve this problem, ie to give you access to your data. In fact, this access would give consumers confidence in their suppliers being transparent and open. For the benefit of those unaware the following is how access to Smart meters works in the UK. Hi John, This I later found out was not going to be as easy as I thought. I dont mind discussing some of it with you (privately through emails maybe), but as im sure you understand, I cant tell you much more about our product that isnt publicly available or standardized What I really do not understand is the likes ofhttp://stopsmartmeters.org.uk/claiming that utility companies (and the Government) are going to start using smart meters to spy on us and, even more extreme, that smart meters are frying our brains with radio waves. everyone has a right to their own opinion! I was with them around the end of 2018 previously and I had smart meters fitted and everything worked wonderfully with them. But over time I hope that more features and benefits may be unveiled. If you are affected, your smart meter should become smart again in future. Can I also ask how you figured out all these API endpoints? The "Advanced Settings - Pairing" option requests an Installer PIN. Its 2017 and I have been doing a lot of reading into Smart Meters, but am still not clear on who can enable pairing. They help by making you more aware of the energy youre using around your home. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. But you don't need to send it on or before the 30th September. But check your tenancy agreement first. Out of interest, which facts in this post are erroneous relating to the security of the Trilliants hub? The data I want is probably available at the Trio II so I just need to find the port and try to work out how to get the data. 2. British Gas customers have been left spitting feathers after some of the company's smart meters appeared to show people using hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of energy every hour. However one in 10 people in our survey of Which? Seeing how the energy suppliers (such as British Gas) are eager to offer this capability to their customer, you can expect Over-The-Air firmware upgrades in a few years that will enable this functionality! Youre not alone. Weve heard from members with solar panels who have been refused a smart meter, and from others who have had a smart meter installed that doesn't work with their solar panels. Your energy supplier must give you seven days notice before it switches your smart meter to prepayment mode. I cant get the Glitch app to work - Im not sure what to put in the token variable - Does your python script pull from the API or SmartThings. via the mobile phone network (the installation engineer said it contained up to 4 mobile SIM cards, one for each of the 4 main UK mobile providers but I am not 100% sure this is true as I thought British Gas only used Vodafone [4]). . They may be able to do this in future. The IHD can't connect properly to the network in your home. If they want to encourage us to use less energy then they need to work with others in the technology industry to make it happen. He got it sorted after about 20 minutes but it make you wonder if there is some sort of inherent problem with the G370's. This should reset the connection and you will see the message: "your smart meter is now paired" on . If youre planning to switch, check with your new supplier if this will happen to your meters. If your smart meter has stopped working (for example, if you switched energy supplier and it can't connect to your new provider) this can affect your in-home display too. Why did I bother getting a Smart Meter..? Of course it will be better to have a wireless interface with the smart meters but I think a lot of people are underestimating the challenges of opening this interface in a truly secure way that can stand the test of time. But youll have to send meter readings to your energy firm again they'll stop being sent automatically. Note: As mentioned earlier your smart meter uploads data via the DCC to your energy provider. The evidence to date suggests that exposure to radio waves produced by smart meters does not pose a risk to health. I am curious what would happen if I plug the P450 into my computer? Really hindering the usefulness of this. If it is I just need to POST my username and password to /usersservice/v2/login right? This does allow me to hook a light sensor up to it to count pulses and therefore calculate Electricity usage but this, to me, seems a bit backwards when I have the state of the art Smart Meter with Zigbee! Hello James, thanks for sharing your blog post and sorry that I must have missed it the first time! There are two types of smart meter: first and second generation. Start by making a formal complaint to the provider itself, and if the issue isnt resolved after eight weeks, you can take your complaint to the energy ombudsman. As An Amazon Associate, We Earn Affiliate Commissions From Qualifying Purchases. It also found that smart meters expose people to fewer radio waves than mobile phones and wi-fi equipment. Hi 2019 and still not able to access the data. The gas meter in your pictures looks remarkably the same as the ones here. I spoke to British Gas, they would not supply a new TRIO to replace my old GEO. Whilst the wireless frequency used is currently the same as standard Zigbee it uses a different profile to normal Zigbee use. I was fortunate to be able to speak to one of the engineers in British Gass smart meter team and he explained some of the security restrictions to me: In absence of being able to collect stats via Zigbee, British Gas are apparently trialling a Virtual IHD, a smartphone app which will display energy usage echoing those on the ecoMeter. Can I ask if this is still working for you? Yes, this is precisely whats needed. If you have a British Gas Smart Meter Monitor, you can easily reset it by following these simple steps: First, find the reset button on the back of the monitor. Switch it off for a minute or 2, then switch it back on again. Press the O icon to switch between kWh and . Suddenly burglars could be going around looking for houses where the electricity consumption has been flat so they know where to strike. For anyone in the UK with solar panels, this is reason #2 for not jumping to get a smart meter. It has been proved already that most people with smart meters reduce their consumption. Luckily British Gas can remotely switch itoff so we can always go back to dumb meters if all hail breaks loose. Submitted by simonn194 (not verified) on Thu, 12/02/2015 - 15:07. Still Ill be able to take meter readings off the IHD saves going out in the cold ha ha. Two in five households with smart meters in our survey of Which? I had British Gas smart meters installed a few years ago. Weve heard from members whose energy firms arent yet replacing these semi-concealed meters. Thousands missing out on energy support: London, Scotland and South East have most unclaimed prepayment meter vouchers, One in five energy vouchers for November 2022 haven't been claimed, Revealed: the best energy companies for 2023, Smart Export Guarantee rates: the best and worst SEG tariffs for solar panel owners, Households are being paid to use less energy: here's how to take part, Energy firms must stop forcing energy customers onto prepayment meters, 29% of prepayment customers still haven't received energy support payments. 1) The In-Home Display can't connect to the network in your home. All Rights Reserved. If you are changing to a new supplier, ask them whether they will be able to get automatic meter readings from your smart meter. In other words, keep your fingers crossed for BG to one day provide a web portal allowing consumers to connect 3rd party appliances conforming to the ZigBee standard on the secured network you have at home! jeremfg Thanks, indeed it looks like it is simply a case of having to wait patiently for the right commercial pressures to happen. Just thought that this is a red herring for me. and so I would be interested to know which bit is incorrect for the future. You can also find your meter reading on your smart electricity meter and gas smart meter. It's easy to use. If your IHD is asking for a PIN code it could be that the device is having connection issues. British Gas has just released a New smaller version of its Smart Energy Monitor for late 2019 / 2020. The benefits of this are that in the event of a loss of Internet access it would still work, it potentially would provide faster response, and most importantly if the CAD maker stops providing their cloud service it would still work. Equally as a Pay Monthly member you won't need to enter a Vend code as this is designed for Pay-as-you-go customers to add top-ups to their meter balance . Its a shame that this cant be integrated into my existing home automation system as I would like to get accurate details on electricity and gas usage as well as what I output back to the grid from my solar cells. Unfortunately I dont think spoofing the MAC with a Xbee/Arduino will work because, like you say, you also need the encryption keys (not that I have tried it ;-)). Weve worked across the energy industry and with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)to develop an accessible in-home display for customers who are blind or partially sighted.To find out more about the accessible in-home display and check if we are able to offer you one, please chat to one of our agentshere. Apologiesthis is a bit late but are you still looking for trialists? Indeed the flashing LED is also an option, as it happens I have already written a very similar post to this some while back here: http://www.smartofthehome.com/2013/09/dumb-meters-arduino/. If your smart meter cannot be connected to the wireless network, your new provider may be willing to replace your existing smart meter with a more up-to-date one. If your smart meter cant be upgraded, it will need to be replaced with a second-generation meter. Unfortunately not! Believe me, Id like the same for myself and our own deployment of smart meters where I live! They wont stop your solar panels working and generating electricity and youll be able to tell your energy supplier exactly how many kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity youre sending to the grid. @James Saunders Hi James. The organisation which runs the smart meter wireless network (the DCC) says that almost all of the dormant meters it can identify and upgrade are now connected. By opening this up to 3rd parties, a whole industry of bespoke data crunchers could happen, leading the way to innovative answers to our power usage. Timing out. We'll send you an e-mail with instructions to reset your password. It is responsible for making sure your meter works properly. Indeed it did take a while (3 months in fact for me) to start seeing the meter readings from my Smart Meters to start appearing my account Online and iPhone App.
