@agsteele Our smart meters will use the electricity meter to communicate readings so it sounds like the same problem may arise once your smart functionality is turned back on.
@TomJ It's our way of identifying the Bulb members that are most keen for a smart meter, so we are able to prioritise the delivery of smart meters to the most passionate group. We may use the list for trial runs before the mass release of smart meters, so adding your name to the list could enable you to receive a smart meter slightly earlier than you otherwise would.
Also eager to be considered for a smart meter. Does it matter what sort of meter(s) is/are already in place? We have a spinning disc type one for electricity and a squeaky gas one at the back of the property!
I thought every bulb customer was getting the smart meter 2 in early 2018? have I misunderstood something, why are people speaking about a trial and being added to a list? Surely the smart meter's were already trialled by companies who installed smart meter 1 and will now charge the tax payer again to install smart meter 2?
Hi. Can I be added to the SmartMeters trails too. Just switching over from npower because was waiting so long for a smart meter that we never got, so this would be great! Thanks
If, as you suggest, the difficulty in communicating between the gas meter and electricity meter will continue with 2nd generation SMETS equipment then I guess we will never be able to have smart metering for gas.
I can't believe our situation is all that unusual and there must be a technical solution to weak signals because of meter locations and wall thickness and construction.
How will suppliers comply with the obligation to provide a smart meter by 2020?
@James at Bulb, on the comment from @agsteele above, am I right in thinking that the two meters will communicate via the ZigBee IP standard? If so, would there be anything stopping an intermediate ZB router from acting as a booster in the middle of the house?
@agsteele, does anything say the provided Smart Meter actually has to work?
If we were to join the smartmeter list and get one installed, would you be able to move us to an E7 type tariff as well? I'm picking up an electric car next week and so will be using ~1500kWh more per year. What tariff options will there be with smartmeter?
@agsteele@mowcius The electricity meter will always have the main communication hub installed on top of it. It does mean that if the gas meter is far away from the electricity meter that there can be communication issues. This means that you will need to have some signal enhancing things installed for the gas meter to communicate with the hub.
@is2 Smart meters are able to be configured by us so that it can be made to be an E7 meter as per your request . I've added you to the list now as well.
Hi there, I'm on the list already as was added when I had just joined bulb a few months ago. I was wondering how the roll out is going and when my area is going to receive smart meters if that's how your doing it? If not how are you doing it? thanks!
Hi @SJ at Bulb, will Bulb be able to supply/advise of the required "signal enhancing things"? As @agsteele says, it's unlikely that they're the only person who's going to have this problem when you do your rollout.
@mowcius Bulb would install and supply an aerial or 'T3' aerial.
This enhances the signal at site to ensure both meters can communicate via the central system (managed by a company called the DCC). In order to actually install these, we'd need to attend separately, along with the comms service provider, which is Telefonica for South England and Arqiva for North England.
Hi @Sam_Bulb, thanks for the reply. Fitting a high gain cellular aerial makes sense for the communication hub if network signal is poor, but for the gas meter does it not communicate with that hub as mentioned above and not directly with the celular network? What is the solution to low signal across a large distance between the gas meter and communications hub?
Hi @mowcius, correct the gas meter will communicate with the hub first. In the event that there is a large distance between the gas meter and communications hub, such that one cannot communicate with the other, a smart meter can't be installed.
Hi @johnatbulb, thanks for the response. I have some more technical queries that hopefully someone can answer but I'll shift them to this thread to make things clearer.
As the range was traditionally about 15m max, with a gas meter at the back of the house and leccy meter at the front, even I might need some solution to get them to talk to one another more effectively.
@agsteele@mowcius The electricity meter will always have the main communication hub installed on top of it. It does mean that if the gas meter is far away from the electricity meter that there can be communication issues. This means that you will need to have some signal enhancing things installed for the gas meter to communicate with the hub.
Reading all the helpful contributions it seems likely that none of the houses in our street will work with smart meters in the future unless there is a signal enhancing process for the gas meter or the meter is moved. I'm truly surprised that there seems to be no recognition of this issue in the planning - or perhaps it is just not clear.
Reading all the helpful contributions it seems likely that none of the houses in our street will work with smart meters in the future unless there is a signal enhancing process for the gas meter or the meter is moved. I'm truly surprised that there seems to be no recognition of this issue in the planning - or perhaps it is just not clear.
I suspect at this time it's still just a lack of information and there will be solutions to all of these problems. We're still quite a way off any supplier actually rolling out SMETS2 meters to their customers en-masse.
Comments
Thanks.
Do you have a date for this trial.
Thanks:)
Will
The trial is for SMETS2 meters and being added to the list will just get you one before everyone else.
SMETS2 meters have so far undergone very limited customer testing (the first one has only just been installed in the UK) so they still need to be trialled in smaller rollouts before everyone has one fitted.
If, as you suggest, the difficulty in communicating between the gas meter and electricity meter will continue with 2nd generation SMETS equipment then I guess we will never be able to have smart metering for gas.
I can't believe our situation is all that unusual and there must be a technical solution to weak signals because of meter locations and wall thickness and construction.
How will suppliers comply with the obligation to provide a smart meter by 2020?
Andrew Steele
If so, would there be anything stopping an intermediate ZB router from acting as a booster in the middle of the house?
@agsteele, does anything say the provided Smart Meter actually has to work?
You've all been added to the trial list!
@agsteele @mowcius The electricity meter will always have the main communication hub installed on top of it. It does mean that if the gas meter is far away from the electricity meter that there can be communication issues. This means that you will need to have some signal enhancing things installed for the gas meter to communicate with the hub.
@is2 Smart meters are able to be configured by us so that it can be made to be an E7 meter as per your request
Thanks.
As @agsteele says, it's unlikely that they're the only person who's going to have this problem when you do your rollout.
@juliana2516, Bulb aren't looking to rollout their smart meters (trial or otherwise) until some time in 2018. The SMETS2 meters they want to install for all customers are pretty new so pretty much nobody from any supplier has one yet.
This enhances the signal at site to ensure both meters can communicate via the central system (managed by a company called the DCC). In order to actually install these, we'd need to attend separately, along with the comms service provider, which is Telefonica for South England and Arqiva for North England.
Fitting a high gain cellular aerial makes sense for the communication hub if network signal is poor, but for the gas meter does it not communicate with that hub as mentioned above and not directly with the celular network? What is the solution to low signal across a large distance between the gas meter and communications hub?
Interestingly, DCC think 10% are going to require an aerial which is a lot of installations!
As the range was traditionally about 15m max, with a gas meter at the back of the house and leccy meter at the front, even I might need some solution to get them to talk to one another more effectively.
Thanks.
Thanks!
Can I be added to the Smart Meter trial please?
Thanks!
Can you add me to the Smart meter trial?
Thanks