Meter read estimate on bill even though I'm on a smart meter tarrif

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Wheelie Bin

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I'm with SSE and am charged "Smartsaver Standard" under the "tarrif description" on the bill. Is this a smart meter tarrif , which by its title should be and if so why are my bills based on estimated readings ?

Am I missing something here. I thought smart meters were remotely read and all bills would be based on exact readings taken remotely?

Thanks in advance for any advice on this .
 
I don't think it matters what plan your on or whether you've activated the meter or not, it should all be done remotely
My understanding is the meter communicates over the mobile network by sending a text message of your usage to ESB
Do you by any chance live in an area that has bad mobile reception??
Have you checked with your neighbours to see if their having any issues with their Smart Meter readings??
How long is this going on and have you thought about contacting the ESB??
 
Wheelie Bin said:
I'm with SSE and am charged "Smartsaver Standard" under the "tarrif description" on the bill. Is this a smart meter tarrif , which by its title should be and if so why are my bills based on estimated readings ?

Am I missing something here. I thought smart meters were remotely read and all bills would be based on exact readings taken remotely?

Thanks in advance for any advice on this .
Click to expand...

 
ClubMan said:
m.independent.ie

Thousands warned over ‘malfunctioning’ smart meters leading to overcharging – ESB admits ‘connectivity issue’

Thousands of homeowners who have smart electricity meters have been warned the devices may be malfunctioning, leading to them being overcharged.
m.independent.ie m.independent.ie
Click to expand...
By the headline (exaggerated as usual), you'd think the meter itself is malfunctioning and causing too many units to be used/charged.

Its simply a connectivity issue which was always flagged, but maybe ESB Networks should have been more proactive about it as I'm sure their software can pinpoint smart meters that have been installed and not read by the system.

They use 2G technology that has issues if the meter is in a basement or a valley or similar. A simple note when it is installed to those that might be affected that manual reading may be required is all that it takes.
 
peemac said:
By the headline (exaggerated as usual), you'd think the meter itself is malfunctioning and causing too many units to be used/charged.
Click to expand...
I agree - but, ignoring the clickbait nature of the headline, it does outline one reason (poor mobile connectivity and inability to report readings back to base) why one may receive an estimated bill even on a smart meter - which is the subject of this thread.
 
If your smart meter isn't transmitting usage data due to connectivity problems, you won't be able to avail of some smart tariff plans such as EV charging at low rates between 2am and 6am (which is a great one from Energia).
The meter display only shows usage for three time periods (8am-11pm Day; 11pm-8am Night and 5pm-7pm peak)
Usage for other time periods are stored in the meter in half-hourly increments - but can't be accessed by the consumer (and therefore can't be submitted to your electricity supplier).
The Day, Night and Peak readings can be submitted by the consumer to ensure billing isn't based on estimates.
ESB Networks won't send a technician to download the half-hourly readings from smart meters.
Also, from my experiences, they don't advise if your meter has stopped transmitting and won't entertain any requests to check meters for fault-finding when you do eventually learn from your supplier that it's not functioning.
 
Other than after the fact when you receive an estimated bill, is there any way to check in real time that the smart meter is successfully reporting readings via its mobile connection? I can't see anything on the My Smart Data portal:


I haven't checked the meter itself to see if its display shows the status of the mobile connection or something like that...
 
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