Octopus Energy Gas and Electricity Smart Meter Installation

[UK Sentinel]

So this week we had our Gas and Electric meters replaced to the new Smart meter technology that allows us to view via a Smart meter display our real time usage and associated costs.

The engineer replaced both meters in about an hour and so far finding it interesting how much the cost is using heating and cooking etc.

Interesting fact was that both the Gas and Electric Smart meters have an inbuilt (dedicated) battery that is supposed to last upto 15 years before replacement is needed.

Also, both the Electric and Gas smart meters have a dedicated 3G SIM card that allows in my case Octopus Energy to request a usage report via 3G and to also communicate with the Smart Energy Display

Gas Meter

 

Electric Meter

 

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[UK Sentinel]

Replacement Meters Readings:

For those interested in how the new meters will tie in with the old meters from a usage (bill) perspective, the Engineer took a photograph of the old meter readings to send to Octopus and when both the new Smart Gas and Electric meters where installed, they where set to zero (0) which I thought was interesting (I am a bit of a geek sometimes)

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In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom (J.G.Ballard).

[Grisu]

Are you sure its a 3G-SIM card?

Most of EU is shutting down 3G while 2G stays in some countries a bit longer maybe at the longest till end of decade.
Only what I know Czech Rep. made it vice versa and ended 2G while still supporting 3G.
And in Switzerland there is neither 2G nor 3G right now anymore.

I cant imagine that you will have 3G next 15 years, they probably bet on the the wrong horse.

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[UK Sentinel]

Good point, alas Engineer could have been mistaken but I do know that Gas / Electric and Water etc. is part of the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) , so they may have a special arrangement with cell towers and providers etc ?

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In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom (J.G.Ballard).

[kev2021]

Nice, had parents place done couple of years back when they started the SMETS2 smart meters, they have the small SSE meter. They did the same took meter readings, replaced and started from 0.

On your bill, it will likely have old meter number and reading & costs and then the new meter number with the readings and cost.

My place, i only got Elec switched to a smart meter, first SMETS1, then later got changed to SMETS2.  Haven’t bothered with my gas as my gas supplier is a small company and they not doing smart meters yet but gas meter box is outside the property so can be read any time easily.  Also i seen some SMETS2 gas meters look very small, not the size and depth of your one (which mine is like at the moment).  Its one of those small brown triangle type boxes so I’m a little dubious of which type they would replace with.  I believe the small ones the battery only lasts 5 years?  The gas meter also connects to the Elec meter I believe to send readings back.

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

Being a cynic – I am sure there are plans that when most of the UK has switched to Smart Meters, there will be an introduction of a two tariffs (much like Economy 7) where for electric they (?) will be trying to encourage the use of power – out of hours (overnight) at a reduced cost, basically to reduce electrical usage requirements / generation during the day .

 

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In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom (J.G.Ballard).

[Grisu]

for sure this will happen earlier than you think!

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[UK Sentinel]

Grisu wrote:

for sure this will happen earlier than you think!

Does this happen where you are from, different rates for different times of the days for Electricity etc ?

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In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom (J.G.Ballard).

[Grisu]

You can have it if you want to, but bit more monthly costs for dual-meter.

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[UK Sentinel]

Grisu wrote:

You can have it if you want to, but bit more monthly costs for dual-meter.

Are your gas and Electric meters using a data sim cards in Austria, or just certain main cities ?

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In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom (J.G.Ballard).

[Grisu]

Sorry I dont know, I dont even have any smart meter here in Vienna (they are late here and you can op-out), other regions (no difference cities or rural) already changed most electric meters.
What I have found they use GSM/GPRS-SIM.
Gas might be later, no infos about it (I use heat pump) or wether it is planed at all.

On last reading they told me water-meter will be changed next year(s) to SIM or whatever can be read from the street nearby.

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[UK Sentinel]

Great to know, thanks

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In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom (J.G.Ballard).

[Grisu]

Now got more clear infos:

Water-meter will use some NFC-like technique where they can drive through the streets once a year and read out the counters going or driving by.
They have a battery for many years inside. This technology might be used for gas as well I think.

Electrical-meters use PLC (dLAN/PowerLAN variant) over the line to send data from one meter to the next to their base station.
But this doesnt work very well and then they send over GSM or NB-IoT, maybe this will be changed to LTE CAT-M in future.

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[UK Sentinel]

Grisu wrote:

Water-meter will use some NFC-like technique where they can drive through the streets once a year and read out the counters going or driving by. They have a battery for many years inside. This technology might be used for gas as well I think.

This is interesting, I think I will get a job in Austria driving and reading these meters

UK I believe is more simple / basic in that water metered customer will get at least one bill a year based upon a meter readings only.

Where I live we are charged based on occupancy in house and how many showers / bathroom etc. (estimate)

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In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom (J.G.Ballard).

[Grisu]

Better manually read water-meter once a year (every 3 years they will come and between you can do it on your own and mail counter) and get fibre everywhere what is happening in UK.

Here we are far from that!
One of the best mobile coverage and networks worldwide but far behind related to FTTH.

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