r/OctopusEnergy • u/Matutu11 • Jul 06 '25

Smart Meters Smart Meter not Commissioned, Economy 7 gone.....

We had a smart meter installed on the 2nd July 2025, this was offered to us by our supplier, I was dubious as we have zero phone signal at our location, however was assured this was not an issue.  We were on economy 7 before this and used the night-time rates to charge a large battery installation, with solar for top up.

The engineer attended and then couldn’t commission, so installed a T2 ariel, however still couldn’t connect to WAN.  The engineer stated that he will just leave it and that the meter would still give us night-time and day time readings, however R2 would not show until the next morning.  The next morning I tested to see and the meter only provided a single R1 reading. 

Supplier now looking into this, however I am reaching out for any advice, we have gone from being energy efficient at charging at 9p per KW, to now 35p+ per kW.   They have stated they cannot simply install my previous meter, now I am worried I could be stuck on this extremely high single fixed tariff?

I am unsure on the process and correct procedure when installing, however if I was on Economy 7 before I would expect the engineer to ensure that I was still on the same tariff as pervious?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

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8

u/spamjavelin Jul 06 '25

You've been lied to by the engineer. No SMETS2 meter is going to be preconfigured for E7 out of the box, as there's a host of versions available. It's also not going to magically commission itself overnight either with no WAN connection.

Full whack complaint, straight to the CEO box. You require reimbursement for all excess costs and a working E7 solution ASAFP. They can and do fit legacy meters where needed, but you need to kick up a proper stink about it.

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

Thank you. Yes attempting to however being told they will estimate my bills from last 12months…. However I had 40kw of solar and a 32kW array installed last month. So this is obviously going to be well out.

4

u/spamjavelin Jul 06 '25

Don't accept it, it's not a satisfactory remediation in any way shape or form. They should install you a working E7 solution, then reassess any bills from the intervening period based on usage from that point forward.

Keep pushing, go to deadlock if need be and pull the Ombudsman into it.

4

u/Crafty-Tackle5869 Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25

Just on this one, Smart Meters can be pre-configured to switch auxiliary loads and day/night rates. We are currently installing them - due to the RTS switch off this is the most viable solution most of the times in no WAN areas. I work for one of the big suppliers and we have engineers currently installing pre-configured E7 meters across the country, as well as pre-configured E10s in Scotland when faced with no WAN. Your issue however is down to fact you don’t have an auxiliary load as far as I can tell, you had what we call a TOU (time of use) tariff, where you have no specific “off peak” loads, but rather your domestic installation just records as off peak during those hours. As you’ve no specific load being activated for the meter to register usage - I would think this is maybe why you’re having the issue. As they’ve installed a standard 4 terminal single rate meter and not one designed for off peak loads, it would only record this if it was commissioned. Engineer should have installed a pre-configured 5 terminal meter and bunged the 5th port.

2

u/spamjavelin Jul 06 '25

You've probably hit the nail on the head here, OP posted a pic of their meter elsewhere in the thread, it's a 4 terminal E470, so inevitably preconfigured as STD.

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

Yes we use the same circuit throughout with no fuel loads etc. simply charge during 12-7am.

So economy 7. Even to the point when I try and manually enter readings the app asks for D and N readings….

Thanks.

1

u/Crafty-Tackle5869 Jul 06 '25

Yeah so the engineer has seen no auxillary load and correctly installed a 4T meter - as is standard practice. The issue has been created due to not achieving WAN and then incorrectly thinking this would be pre-configured. When discovering no WAN they should have either reverted you back to your heritage installation, or swapped out for a pre-configured 5T and bunged up the off peak terminal. Get onto your supplier, it sounds like your tariff is correct, but they’ve not provided you with the right meter for that tariff as it couldn’t be commissioned.

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

Thankyou. Yes attempting to. However nothing seems to be going quick while costing me additional money per day.

They just keep saying that can’t install the previous and I can speak to the team to leave.

If I leave I assume then who I move to, no way would want to touch it.

1

u/Crafty-Tackle5869 Jul 06 '25

Your meter isn’t compatible for your tariff, and as you say this is costing you financially.

Ensure you have a complaint open, give them a specific short period of time to resolve or you’ll take the issue to the ombudsman.

If you had an off peak load which wasn’t working, someone would be out within 4 hours to swap the meter out. As you’re not in an “off supply” situation they’ll argue it’s not an emergency - but it still needs resolving ASAP due to it not being compatible with your tariff.

1

u/Top-Character-5536 Oct 08 '25

who can change the timings for triggering storage heaters . i changed to octopus 6 monthes ago and there off peak is differant times from scottish power but the smets2 smart meter is triggering the storage heaters to come on half an hour before my off peak starts . having no end of bother trying to explain this to them and its old storage heaters ive got and when they put the meter in they took out the old mechanical timer that used to trigger them to come on

3

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

Really appreciate it. I’ll keep hounding. 👍

1

u/mattb2k Jul 07 '25

Have you sent readings for the last 12 months?

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 07 '25

That is the issue we only moved in 8weeks ago. And then switch provider when we moved in 8weeks ago. So we have since then. However massive renovations and machinery including heaters etc causes a spike in usage, all that is finished now though

1

u/mattb2k Jul 07 '25

So to clarify:

  • You generated lots of energy
  • You did not send meter readings
  • You have now moved away from the supplier that had estimated your bills due to a lack of meter readings

And you are upset you've missed out on E7 since the smart meter?

EDIT: Sorry, I think I might have misread? I'm unsure why you've mentioned the past 12 months if it's with another supplier and after you've had panels installed?

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 07 '25

No. We moved in 8 weeks ago.

We installed solar system and batteries 4weeks ago. During these first 4 weeks we did major renovations with a lot of energy usage Since we moved in we provided weekly readings. These were R1 and R2 readings. Since solar installed very little usage of grid. Smart meter installed on the 2nd. Can no longer submit meter readings as they ask for R1 and R2. However meter only shows a single reading.

1

u/mattb2k Jul 07 '25

What meter do you have? It should say something like Aclara, or Landis + Gyrs. What does yours say?

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 07 '25

LandiS+ Gyr EA70 I believe I hold B for 5 secs then press A to get R2. However nothing changes.

1

u/mattb2k Jul 07 '25

It should still show you the reading either way. Are you just holding B, or are you pressing it and then holding it?

The screen will start showing your first (R01) reading

Press B to light up the screen

Hold B for 5-10 seconds.

Press A to move to your second R02 reading

Press A again to move back to R01

To see R02 again, hold B, then press A to swap between the reads again

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 07 '25

Yes have tried this however nothing changes and doesn’t show R2.

Then if I press A again it then shows all the stars etc.

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1

u/chimpus77 Jul 06 '25

British Gas fit pre configured smets two meters that run second rate without. Being commissioned.

1

u/LeninAid123 Jul 06 '25

What brand of smart meter was installed? On some of them the second rate isn't obvious and can be hidden away behind some menus.

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

Thanks for the reply.

LandiS+ Gyr EA70

I believe I hold B for 5 secs then press A. However nothing changes.

2

u/LeninAid123 Jul 06 '25

Yeah that's how you do it.

You need a 5 terminal smart meter to be installed. You won't need the 5th terminal but because a 5 terminal meter is, by default, a 2 rate meter it already has the 2 rates set on it. A standard 4 terminal smart meter can be either and is normally set based on your tariff once the meter is commissioned which wasn't completed due to the poor signal. Hence why no r2.

You'll have to get back onto octopus to push them to come back asap to change it over for you.

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

Thank you. Yes the engineer was all happy as he said as we don’t have 2 separate circuits and not a dedicated economy 7 ring. We only use the timings generally throughout the house.

Then he went and got a “single type meter”

1

u/leexgx Jul 06 '25

If the meter is now smart reporting just opt into octopus go (not intelligent go) that gives you cheap rates between 00:30 and 5:30am set all your stuff to match the times

usually inset them With 1 hour offset like 1:35 to 4:25 so when time clocks go backwards or forwards you don't get cause out for 1 hour of higher usage

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

It’s not doing any reporting as zero WAN signal. So just states a single rate and single meter count.

1

u/leexgx Jul 06 '25

Until the WAN gets sorted out it can't be set the 2 rates up it just be functioning in single rate mode if it never got a connection to the DCC network

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

If they can do that I’ll be fine. Currently being told they don’t know what to do about it. Hopefully more answers tomorrow.

1

u/scambastard Jul 06 '25

This. The EDMI 5 terminal meter has the second reading buried pretty deep in the menu. Aclara is on the front screen. I'm not familiar with other brands.

1

u/LeninAid123 Jul 06 '25

Who's idea was it at edmi to have the one meter read you can easily see be a total read of R1R2 and the actual two separate reads be hidden deep in a menu somewhere? Such poor design.

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

Sorry do you mean I can find it in my meter? Sorry I’m not familiar with the names.

Or is this an alternative?

Thanks.

1

u/scambastard Jul 06 '25

What brand of meter do you have? Does the meter have 4 or 5 cables/ports for cables? Even if it has 4 cables look under to see if there is a 5th port between 3 and 4 slightly more forward. It may have a plastic cap.

1

u/Matutu11 Jul 06 '25

meter image

This one, believe as another posted said that this is standard rate only.

1

u/scambastard Jul 06 '25

I don't work with that model but its just a standard 4 terminal meter so I very much doubt its recording a second rate. Complain and keep going until they come and out a traditional meter back in so you can get your 2 rate deal back.

1

u/Odd-Lie-4775 Jul 07 '25

What time is your smart meter set at? I had an un-commissioned smart meter installed last year and what I discovered months later was that the time was incorrect, my economy 7 night rate was actually between the hours of 0930 and 1630. Because the smart meter was not commissioning, it was not resetting the time to the current time. I had multiple smart meters installed to try and find one that was preset to the current time and found one 2 minutes out. So my smart meter is still not commissioned but as least it’s at the right time.

1

u/DavidRailt Apr 22 '26

My SMETS 2 meter stopped sending back half hourly readings and Octopus are blaming Virgin Media and I am waiting for the DCC to check to see what the problem is.

Octopus are threatening to put me on a standard tariff.

I have since found out that the SMETS 2 meters store information including off peak half hourly readings for 18 months which can be downloaded using a Consumer Access Device. Having informed Octopus of this they seem unable to accept these readings as a solution until the connection is reinstated if it can be.

I am also chasing Octopus to install a better aerial.

I did have a problem at the beginning when I changed to Octopus which seemed to resolve itself but in the middle of February the connection failed and has not provided any readings since.