Well yes its happened – finally I have new functioning (I think) Electric and Gas smart meters. The Electric Meter is a SECURE Liberty 101, and the gas meter is a SECURE Liberty Gas 200 . The 4G comms hub is a WNC UBC-TN6. The comms hub has 4 of the 5 lights flashing green every 5 seconds, the MESH light is showing nothing – this I think means all is well in the South where the Mobile network is in operation.
The engineer came with a monitoring supervisor so I got a BOGOF!! They were just 30 minutes into the window advertised – although I got no update on the day – should I have got one?
After a bit of sucking of teeth (is this a trained skill for fitters /engineers? ) Harry got to work. Electricity went off first. It transpired that the cables from the meter to the fuse box were in vulcanised rubber, but instead of replacing them with something more modern, an isolation switch was installed. Whether this makes financial sense I’m not sure – it might make sense for Harry but not for Eon Next!!
Then the gas meter was changed. The previous meter had corrugated flexible stainless steel piping connection main supply to meter and meter to household piping, but this was replaced by Harry with soldered copper. (EDIT - the inlet is still in corrugated piping , the outlet in Copper - Don't know why!!) Then the gas appliances, hob, double oven, boiler and flueless gas fire had to be tested in turn to ensure air was purged from the pipes. All was well until we got to the oven, which wouldn’t light because the spark igniter didn’t come on. We had previously found that the oven clock was malfunctioning in that it would lose the set time, as though there had been a power cut. Everything else though would work. I could reset the time but it would go again in under a day. So we just got used to having it not there (how many clocks do we need in a kitchen?). But now there was nothing on the oven programmer clock and no ignition to the oven.
So the oven couldn’t be tested. Hours later on, the oven got back to showing 4 dashes instead of the time, the spark infighter works and we avoid lashing out for a new gas double over straight away. It will need to be replaced (its annoying that you can’t get parts for a 36 year old oven!) but not yet.
Then Harry explained the rudiments of the IHD, which was able to pick up data over the HAN but I’ve no idea when the WAN connection to allow data to pass between me and Eon Next will work. I’m not that fussed to find out. To be perfectly honest I’m not that fussed, as I really don’t expect to have much use for the IHD. It is amusing to see that a green LED goes out and an amber one comes on when the kettle is turned on. Whoever knew that boiling a kettle required electricity to be used?
Total job time 2.5 hours. Am I satisfied – so far so good.
Playing around on the IHD I did manage to set a budget yesterday (although I hadn’t worked one out), today I want to change it – I feel a winter gas consumption plus standing charge per day will come to £6.80 at my fixed rate tariff. Can I manage to get that in today? No way Jose. Still it’s a challenge and if I wish to comment I need to know for sure. And I’m thinking what is the point – my consumption will vary each day according to the weather. Some days it will under shoot others it will overshoot – probably a budget per month might do the trick.
Winter electricity is then the next challenge.
The engineer came with a monitoring supervisor so I got a BOGOF!! They were just 30 minutes into the window advertised – although I got no update on the day – should I have got one?
After a bit of sucking of teeth (is this a trained skill for fitters /engineers? ) Harry got to work. Electricity went off first. It transpired that the cables from the meter to the fuse box were in vulcanised rubber, but instead of replacing them with something more modern, an isolation switch was installed. Whether this makes financial sense I’m not sure – it might make sense for Harry but not for Eon Next!!
Then the gas meter was changed. The previous meter had corrugated flexible stainless steel piping connection main supply to meter and meter to household piping, but this was replaced by Harry with soldered copper. (EDIT - the inlet is still in corrugated piping , the outlet in Copper - Don't know why!!) Then the gas appliances, hob, double oven, boiler and flueless gas fire had to be tested in turn to ensure air was purged from the pipes. All was well until we got to the oven, which wouldn’t light because the spark igniter didn’t come on. We had previously found that the oven clock was malfunctioning in that it would lose the set time, as though there had been a power cut. Everything else though would work. I could reset the time but it would go again in under a day. So we just got used to having it not there (how many clocks do we need in a kitchen?). But now there was nothing on the oven programmer clock and no ignition to the oven.
So the oven couldn’t be tested. Hours later on, the oven got back to showing 4 dashes instead of the time, the spark infighter works and we avoid lashing out for a new gas double over straight away. It will need to be replaced (its annoying that you can’t get parts for a 36 year old oven!) but not yet.
Then Harry explained the rudiments of the IHD, which was able to pick up data over the HAN but I’ve no idea when the WAN connection to allow data to pass between me and Eon Next will work. I’m not that fussed to find out. To be perfectly honest I’m not that fussed, as I really don’t expect to have much use for the IHD. It is amusing to see that a green LED goes out and an amber one comes on when the kettle is turned on. Whoever knew that boiling a kettle required electricity to be used?
Total job time 2.5 hours. Am I satisfied – so far so good.
Playing around on the IHD I did manage to set a budget yesterday (although I hadn’t worked one out), today I want to change it – I feel a winter gas consumption plus standing charge per day will come to £6.80 at my fixed rate tariff. Can I manage to get that in today? No way Jose. Still it’s a challenge and if I wish to comment I need to know for sure. And I’m thinking what is the point – my consumption will vary each day according to the weather. Some days it will under shoot others it will overshoot – probably a budget per month might do the trick.
Winter electricity is then the next challenge.
Last edited by meldrewreborn; 2 Weeks Ago at 17:07.
Current Eon Next customer, ex EDF, Zog and Symbio. Don't think dual fuel saves money and don't like smart meters. Chronologically Gifted. If I offend let me know by private message, but I’ll continue to express my opinions nonetheless.
