ecotricity SMETS 2 Smart Meter Instructions

SMETS 2 Smart Meter
Instructions

What is a smart meter?

Smart meters are energy meters for the 21st century. They can help you keep better track of the energy you use and give you all the information you need to reduce your energy
usage and save money on your bills.
With smart meters, you can manage your energy use better, only pay for the energy you actually used, and you won’t have to give us a meter reading again either.
You also get an In-Home Display (IHD), which lets you do lots of useful things like see how much energy you have used, and set up alerts.
What they look like

How to use your In-Home Display

Overview of the monitor and the Home screen

If you only have a gas smart meter, then the electricity dial is not shown, and vice versa.
Useful things on your In-Home Display
The ‘Energy now’ screen

The Energy now the screen is divided in two, with the left side showing current electricity consumption now and the right displaying gas consumption.
This is the default screen shown when the monitor has started up, when the home button has been pressed or when the monitor has not been used for a period of time.
Pressing the O button will change the values from being shown in cost as £/hr to power as kW.
Electricity
The dial on the left shows the current rate of electricity use for your home.
The dial is divided into three zones – green, amber, and red. As the dial moves between the zones, the color of the LED at the bottom of the display will change to match.
The current rate of consumption can be shown in cost as £/ hr (default) or energy as kW.
Gas
The gas flame indicates the recent consumption rate of gas for your home. The usage readings are taken every half an hour.
As more gas is consumed, the blue flame will increase in size.
Because there are readings being taken every half hour, the flame shows recent gas consumption and may not show when gas is no longer being used.
The ‘Energy today’ screen
The Energy today screen shows the total consumption so far that day for electricity and gas.

If you have set a budget for each fuel type (see Settings), then the monitor will predict (based on previous consumption for the same day of the week) if the total consumption today will be within budget.
As energy is consumed, the small yellow dot (for electricity) and blue dot (for gas) will orbit around the budget prediction to show how much of the daily budget has been consumed so far that day – starting and ending at the bottom. The total cost shown includes any daily standing charges that form part of your tariff.
The budget prediction is green if you’re predicted to be under budget. This turns amber if you’re expected to be over budget and red if the budget has already been exceeded.
Press the O button to change between the total cost and how much energy you’ve used.
The budget can be set within the Settings > Budgets menu.
The ‘System status’ screen

This screen can be accessed via the Menu.
Use the < > buttons to select any of the icons and then O to view more information on the different parts of the smart metering system.
Status of the electricity meter
Status of the gas meter
The signal status between the IHD and the smart meters – is also shown in the top left of the screen
This monitor (IHD)
Standard IHDs are installed without wifi modules, however, if you have been made aware that your IHD had wifi module fitted, then the following will also be shown”
Signal status to the local wifi network – this is also shown in the top left of the screen
Connection status to the cloud service

Messages

Inbox

We may send you messages via your smart meter(s). These will be shown in the Inbox.
When a new message is received you will also receive a notification on the screen and a sound. The notifications can be changed under Settings > Sound & Alerts.
If a message has not yet been read, it will be shown in bold and have a marker to the left.
Use the < > buttons to select a message. Press the O button to view the message in full.
Reading a message

Select Open from the options menu to read a message.
If the message is longer than the space available, use the < > buttons to view the rest of the message.
Some messages require confirmation or acceptance – use the < > buttons to switch between options and the O button to select.
Deleting messages
You can delete a message by selecting Delete from the options menu.
The delete option will appear greyed out if the message requires confirmation or acceptance.
History screens
Electricity history

By selecting Electricity usage from the Menu screen, you can see your recent usage.
‘Day’ tab
The screen initially shows the current usage for today in energy (kWh), divided into the 24 hours of the day.
Each bar represents a one-hour period and is shown in green. The lightest green bar shows the highest hourly period for today and the darkest green bar shows the current
hour or incomplete period.
The highest hourly period (lighter green) will always display the usage for that hour. The figure is shown to the right of the bar (0.8kWh in the example shown above).
Pressing the ‘w’ button will change the values from being shown in cost as £/hr to energy as kW.
The total for today includes any daily standing charge. This means at midnight the total may be greater than £0.00, even if no electricity has been used. The bars exclude any daily standing charge.
‘Week’ tab

The ‘Week’ tab shows the electricity usage for the previous eight days.
If a budget has been set (see Settings > Budget), then when in cost view (£) the days when the budget was exceeded are shown with the extra cost highlighted in red.
‘Month’ tab
This shows the previous weeks in the same way as the ‘Week’ tab.
‘Year’ tab

The final view is the ‘Year’ tab, which shows the previous 13 months of usage. As with the ‘Week’ and ‘Month’ tabs, you can see months that were above and below your budget.
Gas history
The same historical views are available for gas consumption.

Seasonal adjustment

The budgets may be adjusted to take into account higher energy use during the winter months and lower energy use during the summer.
This can be disabled under Settings > Budget.
Settings
The Settings menu can be reached from the Main Menu.

Use the < > buttons to change the setting selection and press O to view the selected setting.
Budget
Your In-Home Display has been designed to help you track your energy usage and meet the budgets you set.
Display

Use this screen to change the display settings for your InHome Display. You can change the brightness, backlight, backlight timer, and color theme from here.
Sounds & Alerts
This menu option allows you to control the volume of any alerts you receive – for instance if you are approaching your daily budget. You can also turn them off completely.

Your smart meter display

Moving home?

Please leave your In-Home Display behind as this is linked to your meters. You can let us know you’re moving by giving us a call at 0345 555 7 500 or on our website at  cotricity.co.uk/customer-service/moving- home.

Smart meter FAQs

Will a smart meter save me money?****

– It’s not the meter that saves you money, it’s how you use the information you’ll get from the meter that will help you make savings. By using a smart meter to get control of what you’re using, you can learn how to save energy – and potentially cut down your bills.
– You’ll get a clearer insight into how much energy different appliances use, and you can change your behavior to make savings.
– It’s the small and easy changes that will see you save energy – things like only boiling a mug’s worth of hot water if that’s all you need. You might also turn off appliances overnight. And if you always use sunny days to line-dry your laundry, you’ll see energy savings adding up.

My energy has disconnected – what should I do?****

– Should your energy disconnect your meters will automatically be put into a state called “armed mode”?
– This is a safety feature to avoid any damage to appliances and makes sure there is no gas on. You will need to do a couple of things – make sure that you have switched off any gas devices, like gas ovens or gas fireplaces, before you reconnect. You will also need to confirm the reconnection on your In-Home Display or on your meter by following the prompts.

What should I do if I’ve lost my gas supply?****

– If you’ve got gas fires, a gas oven, or a gas cooker as well as a gas boiler, check whether they’re all off supply or just the boiler. If it’s just the boiler, check that the mains electricity switch is on and the pilot light is lit. If all your appliances are definitely off supply, please check your emergency control valve (ECV).
– If the lever is in line with the pipe, it’s ‘open’ and allows gas to flow through. However, if it’s at a right angle to the pipe, it’s ‘shut’ and stopping gas from coming through. If so, you need to turn it on until it’s open. If your ECV is open and all your appliances are still off supply, please call us at 0345 555 7400 and we’ll look into what’s happened.
– If just a few of your appliances are affected, the problem isn’t in the smart meter, so you’ll need to contact a gas safe engineer. You can find a list of registered gas-safe engineers at gassaferegister.co.uk.

How often will a meter reading be taken?****

– We’ll be able to view reads daily from the meter which will improve the accuracy of your bills. – If you’d prefer us to view your meter readings monthly instead, please contact us.

What if I have a poor mobile phone signal in my area?****

– Smart meters use mobile phone signals to communicate. They’re able to operate even with low signals and use multiple networks, so they can usually still work even if you get a poor mobile phone signal in your home. However, as the signal varies your meter may sometimes struggle to communicate. This means we may not always receive the automated meter reading from your meter, or your PAYG top-ups might not always be added to your meter straight away. You can help by not storing metal objects such as ironing boards in front of your meter, as this can block the signal. If you are experiencing long-term signal issues we’ll be in touch to let you know, as we may need you to give us a meter read if your meter can’t.

What happens if I move house?****

– It’s important that you tell us that you’re moving. Please leave your In- Home Display for the next occupier to use. It’s paired to your meter so wouldn’t work in your new home.

Will having a Smart Meter affect my Feed-in Tariff?****

– Smart Meters have the functionality to measure the amount of electricity you export back to the grid. This means your export tariff could change so you must contact your FIT provider to let them know about your new meter. You should also take generation and export readings on the date that your smart meter is installed – your FIT provider may need these to update your account.

Could I sign up for Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)?****

– If you have a micro-generation system that is not eligible for the Feed-in Tariff scheme, you may be eligible to sign up for our own Smart Export Tariff if you have an MCS accreditation certificate or similar. – -Ecotricity has opted not to become an SEG Licensee; this has no impact on our customer’s experience and means we can be more flexible with what we offer. Please call us at 0345 555 7600 or email us at [email protected] for further details.

In-Home Display FAQs
Where should I keep the in-home display (IHD)?****

You should keep the In-Home Display in a place that is convenient for you to see and use it. Many customers keep their IHD in the kitchen but make sure that the IHD maintains a signal with the meter in whichever location you choose. The internal battery allows you to carry the IHD around the house to investigate the effects of turning appliances on and off. This battery will last for approximately 1 hour before it needs to be reconnected to the power source.

My IHD is not working Getting your In-Home Display to show your usage****

– Your In-Home Display should show your current energy usage, as both kilowatt hours (kWh) and in pounds and pence. If it isn’t showing this data, the following steps should get your In-Home Display up and running.
– Make sure your IHD is 5 meters or less from your electricity meter and plugged in. If your IHD is too far from your electricity meter, it won’t be able to receive any data. Try moving it closer to your electricity smart meter, which will be fixed to the wall.
– Turn your IHD off and on again by using the flat round button at the back. Wait 10 seconds and then press the button again to switch it back on.
– If the screen is blank, the In-Home Display may have run out of power. Plug it back in to recharge it and press the flat round button on the back to restart it.
– If your IHD is displaying a white screen, restart your IHD then go into the display settings and turn off the backlight timer.
– If the IHD is beeping, go into the sound settings and turn off alert sounds

Is IHD still not working?****

Sometimes IHDs lose connection to the gas and electricity meters, this isn’t a big problem they just need to be remotely re-joined. If your IHD appears to have disconnected from the meters, please let us know by emailing [email protected] and we can get it reconnected for you.

My IHD isn’t showing me accurate gas data****

Electricity usage shows every 10 seconds to give near instantaneous usage info on your IHD display. Gas usage will only update your IHD display every 30 mins however – this is to preserve battery life in your gas meter (for safety reasons, there is no mains power supply to gas meters)

I have a smart meter and I have changed my tariff, but this has not been updated on my IHD (in-home Display)****

Electricity usage shows every 10 seconds to give near instantaneous usage info on your IHD display. Gas usage will only update your IHD display every 30 mins, however – this is to preserve battery life in your gas meter (for safety reasons, there is no mains power supply to gas meters)

My IHD (In-Home Display) is showing that I have used significantly more energy today than on other days, is this correct?****

Your new IHD is designed to provide you with real-time updates on your energy usage and also to show your consumption history. Most people’s consumption varies from day to day and may be different due to a number of factors. For example, having more people in the house normally leads to higher consumption or having set days for washing and drying clothes could mean you use more energy on certain days.
Helpful energy efficiency information is available on our website under our smart meter guides section.

Reading your Second Generation Smart (SMETS2) Meter

There are lots of different types of smart meters so the way you take a meter reading may vary depending on what type of meter you have installed. To find out how to read
your meter, identify what meter you have based on the descriptions below.
Reading an electricity Smart Meter
Meters with A and B buttons

• Press the A button until the meter display shows ‘TOTAL ACT IMPORT’
• The number on this screen will be your meter reading

Meters with an A button and a B button where the reading hasn’t automatically come up on the screen

• Press and hold the A button for a few seconds
• Then press the A button to cycle through the displays
• Look out for the first row of numbers, this should be your meter reading

Meters with three buttons

• Press the middle button
• This should bring up the meter read display
• You can find the read you need underneath ‘IMP’

Meters with an orange button and a blue button

• Press the orange button to bring up the meter read display
• The numbers are shown here followed by kWh your electricity meter reading

Meters with an orange button and a blue button

• Press the Display button to scroll through the displays on the meter
• Look out for a display showing ‘IMP’ (01/02) at the top left corner with a number followed by kWh – that is the reading

Economy 7

If you are on an Economy 7 Tariff your meter will have two rates and you’ll need to take a meter reading for each rate.
Follow the above instructions based on the type of meter you have. The two- meter readings should appear one after the other on your meter and will often display 01 or 02.
Some meters will also show a third reading which is known as the ‘Totaliser’ (this shows the total of your 01 and 02 reads combined). We only need your 01 and 02 reads.
Your meter will show you your electricity meter reading in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Reading a gas Smart Meter
Meters with A and B buttons

• Press the ‘A’ button once to wake up the meter – as it spends most of its time on standby to conserve battery, scroll through the displays on the meter
• Look out for the ‘METER INDEX’ display
• The number shown below this is your meter read

Meters with three red buttons (A,B,C)

• Press the left (A) button
• This brings up your meter reading followed by m3

Meters with two arrow buttons and a circle button

• Press the circle button
• This brings up the ‘current meter reading’ screen
• The number followed by m3 is your meter read

Meters with orange and blue buttons

• Press the orange button
• This brings up your meter reading followed by m3

Smart meter data – a guide to your rights and choices

The key facts

• Smart meters are being offered to every household in Britain between now and 2024. Your energy supplier will tell you when they plan to install your smart meter between now and then.
• The government is overseeing the rollout of smart meters and has set out the rules for the management and use of data collected from your smart meters.
• Your energy supplier will continue to hold your consumption details on your account.
• Smart meters record more information than current gas and electricity meters. They will store the amount of energy you have used in each 30-minute period.
• Your energy supplier will collect meter readings remotely.
• You can choose how much of this information you share with your energy supplier.

You have several choices with a smart meter:

• How much data your energy supplier collects from your smart meter, e.g. monthly, daily or half-hourly meter reads?
• Whether your supplier shares details about your energy consumption with other organizations.
• Whether your supplier can use your meter reads for sales and marketing purposes.
• How you can access information about your energy use and get the most benefit from it.

Once you have made your choice on any of these, you can change your mind at any time.
If you do nothing, your supplier will continue to collect a daily meter reading.
For more details about this, or if you have any questions, please give us a call on 0345 555 7 100.
For independent advice about your rights and choices relating to your personal information contact The
Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or call the ICO Helpline on 0303 123 1113.

The Smart Metering Installation Code of Practice (SMICoP)

The Smart Metering Installation Code of Practice specifies the minimum standards for members to follow in relation to the customer-facing aspects of the installation of Smart
Metering Systems.
The code aims to ensure customers have a positive experience during their meter installation, including getting all the information they need and protecting the customer
during the installation process.
We hope you always receive great service from us, however, if you want to make a complaint we have experts in every team who handle any customer issue or complaint.
They have access to every department and every team member – at every level. If you have a problem they’ll be in touch straight away, often the same day. Their job is to get to the bottom of the issue, find out what went wrong and why – and resolve it promptly. They will give an impartial, factual account, and communicate openly and honestly to you and us.
To make a complaint you can email [email protected].
If you’re a Micro Business, please call us on 0345 230 6102 or email us at [email protected] so that we can ensure that you are being billed accurately.
If you smell gas:

• Switch the gas meter off by turning the emergency control valve vertically – if you’re unsure how to do this call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. They’re open 24 hours a day.
• Open all windows and doors and keep them open until the leak is repaired.
• Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
• Don’t smoke or use electrical switches, and make sure there are no lit matches or naked flames.
• Make sure someone is available to provide access to the property when the emergency engineer arrives.
• Call the Fire Service on 999 if fire breaks out.

0345 555 7100 |[email protected] 
www.ecotricity.co.uk
Lion House, Rowcroft, Stroud, GL5 3BY
Printed on recycled chlorine-free paper with vegetable-based inks.

Documents / Resources

| ecotricity SMETS 2 Smart Meter [pdf] Instructions
SMETS 2, Smart Meter, SMETS 2 Smart Meter, Meter
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References

• Gas Safe Register - The Official List of Gas Safe Registered Businesses - Gas Safe Register has replaced CORGI registration. Don't cut corners, only use a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
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