IHD's

  • pewe's Avatar
    Level 1
    We have this problem - but it turns out that the smart meter itself is faulty as it does not show any readings on it.
    This apparently started in June and the previous owners of the house reported it and were told Eon would sort it - but didn't. No gas readings have been recorded by Eon 's smart meter system or the meter itself since June.
    We moved in in August and have reported the problem 4 times on the phone - to be told it has been reported to the smart meter team and we are now in their hands (since August).
    So currently neither we, nor Eon, have any records of what if any gas we should be charged for, and as a result have not been charged for any gas since they credited back the amount they estimated 2 months ago because it could not be verified.
  • Daljit's Avatar
    Level 1
    I found this on a search in relation to In House Display problems at EONnext :
    ......, this is a known issue that the network company (DCC) are working on. We'll need to wait for this update and we’ve no current timescale for this issue to be resolved.

    It is to do with software being loaded onto the smart meters. It must be impacting hundreds of customers. But it was working fine before so why are they doing this ? In any case experience has shown if a new software upgrade doesn't work you go back to the previous version. Basically my smart meter has stopped sending out the IHD signal and this is probably the case for most of these IHDs losing synch.
  • neiliow's Avatar
    Level 1
    Update - it now seems to be working but I'm not sure why.

    I was Googling the model of IHD and saw there was an Android app ('Bright') to show the same info as displayed on the IHD on a phone. So I installed it and plugged the IHD in again and it all started working! Not sure whether it was just the extended period of being off which got it going but anyway, it seems ok now. Fingers crossed.

    Thanks for your help anyway.
  • Joannesenior's Avatar
    Level 1
    I am in the same situation Scottish Power fitted my 'smart' meters over 2 years ago and the IDH has never worked.
    I switched to EON nearly 1 year ago and the meterman couldn't get a reading from the gas meter; however, it worked for me to enable the switch over.
    Now, the gas meter won't give any readings at all. I was given a number to call to arrange an exchange; however, my call was just passed about as their system was coming up with errors. After 49 minutes I decided to call back but found the department closed at 5pm. I don't seem to be any further forward.
  • theunknowntech's Avatar
    Level 80
    Perfecto!

    Ahh yes, I think I can diagnose this issue then. My friend Blastoise186 saw this thread earlier and this is what he told me (I'm still learning from him!).

    It can take several weeks for your Smart Meters and IHD to transfer over and re-activate properly after you switch supplier. The process is hopefully going to get faster in the future, but at the moment it's still six weeks. And this is also six weeks from the date that the old supplier releases control, rather than the date your account is switched over. In the meantime, it's pretty common for devices to lose connection, as they have to be "reconfigured" for the new supplier, so to speak.

    And that's what he told me. As far as I can tell, everything sounds healthy. Strictly speaking, even an "internal" transfer like E.On -> E.On Next is treated the same as any other transfer when it comes to Smart Meters and it often still requires the same six-week transfer process. If it's been a lot longer than that, then I would personally consider that something's not right and needs to be investigated. You'll definitely want to flag this up in such cases.

    One of the ultimate fixes is to "Cold Reboot" the Comms Hub. However, this can only be done by DCC on request of a supplier and it's generally a last resort fix. There's other steps that can be attempted before that however. It's worth talking to customer service just in case.
    Just another guy passing by... The unknown tech way...
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  • theunknowntech's Avatar
    Level 80
    Ahh yes. That's a Chameleon IHD3 (tbh the Chameleon IHD6 is much more suitable for SMETS2 setups). There's been quite a lot of issues with that particular model recently across multiple suppliers. You might want to read that message though, it could provide a clue. Please could you tell me what it says?

    Your HAN seems healthy based on your descriptions, so it doesn't sound as if it's a HAN or Comms Hub issue.
  • theunknowntech's Avatar
    Level 80
    I have the same problem - it is something to do with Eonnext loading their software or config. onto the smart meter. They don't respond to the problem hoping it will go away. It is not the display unit.

    This is actually not the case. I'm not the kind of person to defend E.On (I'm actually supplied by OVO) but I will not hesitate to intervene in order to dispel misinformation or speculation.

    I've been seeing a lot of reports recently about the Chameleon IHD3 having trouble with getting data from meters. My friend Blastoise186 has also seen even more reports elsewhere. It's definitely not an issue specific to just one supplier, nor is it related to any config or software deployed as such. True, suppliers can run their own code to an extent... But there's limits to that capability for security reasons. Naturally, supplier specific configs are also a thing, but these are mostly related to things like encryption keys, tariff configs and a few other bits and pieces. Nothing particularly interesting or fancy, so to speak.

    The best I can suggest right now would be to flag this up with customer service, so that it can be investigated. I wish I had more advice, but as me and Blastoise are just forum volunteers and don't work for any energy suppliers, we're both limited to publicly available resources. SmartMe for example, being one of the really good ones if you'd like to know how it all actually works.
  • RichardHurst's Avatar
    Level 1
    Ahh yes. That's a Chameleon IHD3 (tbh the Chameleon IHD6 is much more suitable for SMETS2 setups). There's been quite a lot of issues with that particular model recently across multiple suppliers. You might want to read that message though, it could provide a clue. Please could you tell me what it says?

    Your HAN seems healthy based on your descriptions, so it doesn't sound as if it's a HAN or Comms Hub issue.

    I honestly think it’s something to do with being switched over to EON Next. It started when they told me my account was being switched
  • Daljit's Avatar
    Level 1
    It definitely IS the case that IHDs are losing signal as soon EONnext take over a smart meter previously working fine. On the Eonnext Help on IHD section they clearly state it is a known issue and they are working with DCC to try and resolve the issue. You may not have access to the Eonnext help section as this is on their customer web site not the community. It doesn't matter if the problem exists elsewhere - my supplier is EONnext and I have reported it to customer service with no progress. There is nothing wrong with my IHD itself.