The tariffs are wrong but sometimes they are correct but no way to alter them on the IHD unlike Bright which does. So what does my IHD bring to the table? It gives me usage now data (total of all the power draw of everything using electricity at that time). I also use a plug in to monitor individual appliances so it can tell me for example that a full wash + extra spin + tumble dry uses something like 1.4kWh which is actually more useful. The daily totals of gas and electricity kWh is what I have it set to show and more useful to me than an incorrect £ total used. I have long dispensed with the IHD as a budgeting tool. I use my own tool (a spreadsheet) and record data every morning (this is from the IHD but Bright will do just as well) and can monitor spending for the previous day, likely spend for the month and can even produce graphs within the spreadsheet. If I had no functioning IHD I'd still be able to do everything I currently do (via Bright or an energy monitoring plug) apart from physically checking the actual meter reads.
Just to clarify again: Is it the case that the E.ON Chameleon IHD (or a CAD, ivie Bud etc. - whatever the display device) receives a download from E.ON with specific customer tariff data?
The actual electricity and gas meters only broadcast regularly their actual readings? They do not receive any data ?
.
Q: how does the meter acquire the tariff data? Downloaded by E.ON presumably so why not keep this up to date?!
Yep - EOn as your energy supplier are responsible for uploading your tariff to your meter.
They don't seem to do it automatically, but you can email them to get it changed.
In my case I've requested this a number of times, but I'm on a dual-rate time of use (tou) tariff and they don't seem to be able to update my meter with this 🫤
[QUOTE=geoffers;43711] Yep - EOn as your energy supplier are responsible for uploading your tariff to your meter.
By 'meter' you mean the IHD or similar device? The actual meters connected to the supply only broadcast usage data? These meters do not hold any tariff or other data?
I think the E.ON IHD (chameleon) has limited use. I have been able to set a 'budget' figure on my IHD but this is only an average daily sum for gas / electricity - no seasonal adjustment so not really useful. As mentioned the basic tariff data is inaccurate. I contacted E.ON on this and they said:
"The tariff details should be updated by midnight on the day you changed your tariff."
Just to clarify again: Is it the case that the E.ON Chameleon IHD (or a CAD, ivie Bud etc. - whatever the display device) receives a download from E.ON with specific customer tariff data?
Re the tariff data, I believe that the DCC (Data Communications Company) are the intermediary between Eon Next and your meter but yes the tariff information originates with Eon Next (it has to).
The actual electricity and gas meters only broadcast regularly their actual readings? They do not receive any data ?
The meters have to receive data as mine shows tariff information (albeit incorrect £) and provider Eon Next (correct).
I have not bothered to pester Eon Next for a tariff update for my meters (and henceforth to my IHD) because that infornation is not important to me - I know what it is already.
@JoeSoap got into a bit of a pickle recently requesting an IHD tariff update so I refer you to his experience of it all. 👍
By 'meter' you mean the IHD or similar device? The actual meters connected to the supply only broadcast usage data? These meters do not hold any tariff or other data?
The meter holds everything - 13 months of usage data, tariffs, supplier name & number etc etc - the IHD is just a device which communicates with the meter, and displays the data it holds in a user friendly way.
If you can work out which buttons to press on the meter to navigate its menus you can see all the data which gets displayed on the IHD
I think the E.ON IHD (chameleon) has limited use. I have been able to set a 'budget' figure on my IHD but this is only an average daily sum for gas / electricity - no seasonal adjustment so not really useful. As mentioned the basic tariff data is inaccurate. I contacted E.ON on this and they said:
"The tariff details should be updated by midnight on the day you changed your tariff."
This does not appear to be the case
Time to maybe accept that the IHD is just another tool (and sometimes a very imperfect one) for energy monitoring that good old-fashioned 'pencil and paper' or better still 'spreadsheets' that are often (almost always) more accurate than a device (the IHD) than doesn't get updated when it should do! It (the IHD) is a equivalent to a crutch made out of pasta if you put too much weight on it and/or rely on it for accurate budgetary purposes. If you need to rely on the IHD just use it for kWh rather than £ usage 🤔 I know this sounds harsh but this is the reality of it all. 😕
I totally misunderstood the nature of the IHD (and other similar devices). I had assumed that these units contained a certain degree 'intelligence' to display and analyse the basic usage data obtained from the supply-side meter. I sort-of thought that it was the IHD that was in communication with the supplier (e.g. E.ON)and it received tariff data directly from E.ON.
So... I have now had a quick look at me electricity meter and by pressing button 'A' cycled-through the display. I note that the Tariff is displayed correctly. Previously when I checked my IHD I noted that the Tariff was incorrect (In fact from many years ago!). I thought this Tariff was updated automatically by E.ON. I now realise that only the supply meter is updated and the user needs to update the IHD. My misunderstanding!
As I say, I imagined that the IHD was a unit that could over time be developed to become a really useful device controlled and updated by the utility supplier. I mean why can't the Chameleon IHD receive tariff information from the meter? Why doesn't the IHD allow for seasonality? Past annual usage analysis? etc.
I haven't checked my gas meter (too cold and dark outside!) but presumably this operates in the same way?
@crickhollow - this is a good source of information on how it all hangs together
Your IHD receives data from the comms hub mounted on the top of your electricity meter more frequently. Electricity meter data is received every 10 seconds and the gas every 30 minutes. The gas meter is battery powered so the communications frequency is kept low to improve battery life.
Welcome to the community 😊 It looks like you've had some great advice here and I'm glad that you've now found use of some of the various apps that are available are you finding them helpful?
I still think that Eon should provide better analytical data on usage on the Accounts web site.
I would be interested to hear some feedback on what data you would like to see in the app, we are always looking to make things more user friendly so if you have some ideas let us know and we can pass these on to the techy team. The more feedback we get the better it gets for our customers 😊
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