[Struth]

Hi,
We live in London N12, we're told, repeatedly, by E-on that there is no connectivity, for fitting a Smart Meter, for our electricity usage. We have a Smart Meter installed in 2022, by British Gas, for our gas usage.
We don't believe E-on, when they say they can't fit a Smart Meter for Electricity.
Advice please!
Struth

[meldrewreborn]

@Struth
@retrotecchie will have the information to assist. Be patient and he’ll drop in when he can.

[retrotecchie]

@meldrewreborn

Thank you for paging me 👍
@Struth

This is a bit of a tricky one. 'Connectivity' as such shouldn't be an issue. I'm assuming your British Gas meter is indeed working and sending back smart readings without any problems. I'm also assuming BG provided you with an IHD in order for you to monitor your meter and your consumption.

The 'default' for most customers is a smart electricity meter. If a customer has gas with the same supplier, then a smart gas meter is a simple proposition. However, very few, if any, smart gas meters are 'standalone'. In order to talk to the meter, some kind of communications hub will need to be installed, and almost all hubs have to be fitted to and powered from the electricity meter and communicate wirelessly with the gas meter.

So..it is rather difficult to have an electricity meter upgraded to 'smart' if there is already a provision for powering someone else's (BG) setup. Two separate hubs, two separate HANs (impossible to pair a single IHD to two different hubs simultaneously) and two separate IHDs isn't really an option.

Unless someone from E.On Next can offer any alternative options, I see the only real way forward as having both fuels with the same supplier, and getting that supplier to install electric 'smarts' and then repairing the existing gas meter to the new infrastructure. Or replacing the gas meter with a new one at the same time.

In any event, not impossible but a heck of a lot of faffing about and, trust me, any advantage that smart metering could bring to the party will be very much negated by the hassle and pain involved in getting it sorted.

[Struth]

@retrotecchie Thanks for your reply; on reflection, I think, maybe, E-on said that there was insufficient signal strength in our area for a Smart Meter, which belies the fact that we have a Smart Meter installed by British Gas. I'm sorry if I've led you down a wrong track. Have you any advice based on this different scenario?

[despairingcustomer]

Based on my limited understanding I thought smart gas meters relayed their readings back to the DCC via the smart electricity meter? If so then how does the smart gas meter operate without the smart gas meter? If not so then how does the smart gas meter talk to the DCC?

[retrotecchie]

@despairingcustomer

A gas meter only smart install will have it's own communications hub, independent of the electricity meter. If the meters are co-located within a foot or so of each other, then installing an electricity meter and using the same hub and repairing the gas meter to the electricity hub is not a problem...assuming both fuels are with the same supplier. If the gas is with a different supplier, who are responsible for their own meter, then it's not something that can be done by a different supplier for the electricity.

Hence my suggestion of moving both fuels to the same supplier (British Gas as they already have first dibs on the 'smarts') and getting them to sort it all out. The OP can then change supplier if desired later on once it's all sorted.

[Lee_EONNext]

@Struth Hey

Any chance you can pop me a DM with your details please? I just want to double check there is no confusion here and hopefully I should be able to clarify for you.

Thanks

[Struth]

@Lee_EONNext
Hi Lee,
Thanks for your message; we buy our gas from British Gas and our Electricity From E-on.
British Gas fitted a Smart Meter sometime in 2022. E-on keep saying that they are not able to fit a Smart meter due to there being an weak signal in the area (London N12).
How can E-on be correct, maintaining this stance, when British Gas fitted a Smart Meter in our home and it works fine for the showing our consumption of Gas?
Look forward to hearing.
Regards, John

[Lee_EONNext]

@Struth Are you referring to an IHD or a physical smart meter?

Without access to your account, I'm not really in a position to comment, the same with your Gas Supplier, I would need to see your account to comment, however this is not possible.

The Meters are also on a different communications hub, this is why sometimes we see one meter stop communicating and the other, so the gas could be fine and the electric would be an issue and vice versa.

When it comes to book the visit, the teams check what we call our smart checker and if it say's no, it will explain why and unfortunately there is no way around that.

If you can pop me your account details I can have a look for you and clarify exactly what is going on.

[Struth]

@Lee_EONNext

Lee,
Thanks for your response; we have an IHD (in the kitchen) and physical smart meter (in under stairs cupboard), fitted by British Gas, in September 2022.
Regards,
John