Thanks for raising the matter of pre-payment meters @hugh-f

Let me point out here that the Smart Meter Specification allows for the same cost-saving measures to be used by pre-payment customers as it does for those with monthly accounts.
It is the choice of Energy Suppliers not to offer that functionality.

Not only do I find that ethically unacceptable, but it restricts the less well-off members of society from actively engaging in strategies to combat climate change.

Only those who pay by direct-debit can choose the energy-mix and ToU tariff systems which favour use of electricity from renewable sources.

@transparent We have a SMETS2 smart meter but sadly it isn't smart. After fitting we were told signal strength in our area (Northern) is too weak and we will have to wait for the DCC to improve this at some point in the future 🙁. We are waiting to fit solar but presumably without a functional smart meter we would have to use/store our electricity rather than selling it back to the grid?

Posted by: @dockray

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@transparent We have a SMETS2 smart meter but sadly it isn't smart. After fitting we were told signal strength in our area (Northern) is too weak and we will have to wait for the DCC to improve this at some point in the future 🙁. We are waiting to fit solar but presumably without a functional smart meter we would have to use/store our electricity rather than selling it back to the grid?

Personally I would not wait to install solar PV, since you should reap more financial benefit from the energy that you do not have to buy from the grid, than the energy that you can sell back to the grid. Solar PV will also help you reduce your energy consumption which can only be a good thing for our planet.

@derek-m absolutely agree. We fitted a 3.6kW 9 panel solar array alongside our ASHP. I then had a 6.5kW battery fitted. Together with Octopus Cosy these have been a game changer. Battery charges early hours AM & early hours PM each day on low tariff, that alone saves a straight 25% off our electricity costs. The solar has exceeded generation predictions, regularly generates beyond nameplate KWh rating and over 18kWh on a good day even in early Spring. It powers the ASHP in daylight hours, then any surplus to the battery, then any surplus to the I-Boost solar diverter. We utilise all we generate this time of year and seldom export more than 0.25kWh per day. In the summer when the heating is off we'll get free hot water every day then 15p/kWh from Octopus for exported energy, which helps offset the higher electricity usage Oct-Feb with ASHP.

Posted by: @dockray

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We have a SMETS2 smart meter but sadly it isn't smart. After fitting we were told signal strength in our area (Northern) is too weak and we will have to wait for the DCC to improve this at some point in the future

Background info for others to understand this point:

The Smart Meter Widea Network (SMWAN) in GB is divided into three territories for which licences have been issued.
The Northern territory licence is assigned to Arqiva, who have the rights to use the 400MHz frequency which was originally deployed for ITV1 analogue broadcasts.

That 400MHz allows very wide coverage from around 700 masts, which is ideal for the large rural expanses in Scotland.

Unlike the Communications Hubs designed for the South and Central Territories, those for the North don't have the connection to add external aerials, nor the optional mesh-network feature.
So either the signal from Arqiva is adequate, or it isn't. 😥 

Those, like @dockray, who are left without Smart Meter connectivity are unable to take advantage of the Time of Use tariffs from Octopus, and additional features which will be added in future.

The Energy Ombudsman needs to be kept aware of this failure, which means it's best to use the Complaints Procedure offered by your Energy Supplier.
Yes, it's not their problem... but that's the only route to the Ombudsman.

You also have the right to raise this with your MP of course.
It breaches the Government's adopted policy of Levelling Up and holds up the deployment of the Future Energy Scenarios, which is the bedrock on which the UK's Net Zero target is based.

@transparent I couldn't agree more... I won't go deeply into the reasons why my wife ended up on pre-payment at her property, but the short version of a long story is that it's related to the energy supplier wanting to raise her dual fuel DD to an unreasonable amount.

A result being that she has been on pre-payment for 9-10yrs now, and to be honest, it isn't all that bad. It's just the lack of tariff choice is a bit of a pain.

@derek-m @allyfish  Thank you for the reassurance. That's the conclusion we've been coming to - despite still feeling out of our depth learning the ins and outs of our ASHP. But every day is a school day and the amount of support and knowledge on here is a huge help.

We now need to find a contractor who will get back to us - everyone is busy, busy.

@dockray - over the past 9 weeks I've been 'decommissioning' the grid-tied solar export and associated 8kWh PowerVault storage battery.
The export payments aren't viable.

In their place I am extending hybrid off-grid battery storage to 42kWh, for which consent from the DNO is not required.
(Technically I believe that DNO approval should be sought, but the ENA haven't yet adopted such a policy. However, that's another story.)

Please elaborate on what sort of 'contractor' you believe is required.
Most off-grid storage in UK is being implemented on a DIY basis....

... better still, have a read through the topic on the Seplos Mason battery box, and put your coments/answers on that thread.
It's going off-topic here. You have no need of an operational Smart Meter to run your ASHP off-grid!

@transparent Thanks for the reply. 

Please elaborate on what sort of 'contractor' you believe is required

By 'contractor' I meant someone to help us with solar installation, we've only got an ASHP at the moment, solar is the next step. It is reassuring to see that the lack of smart meter technology wouldn't be too much of a hinderance. But I will write to the 'powers that be' you suggested.

(I've read the other thread on the Seplos Mason battery box and that is, currently, so so far above my level of comprehension but thank you for thinking I might understand it 😊. It has made me realise that I probably need to do a lot more learning before getting solar.)

@dockray if we're writing stuff here which is deeper than your understanding, then we rely on you to drag it back to an acceptable level!

Please start with the issue of solar-photovoltaic panels, as you suggest.
There's newish topic on PV advice and support which would be ideal for you to join.

I'd allowed myself to take it off-topic (mea culpa) and I've just pulled it back onto the original question.

I have photos and diagrams ready to post there once you've identified what you'd like to know.
And I'll happily comment on what does and doesn't require a suitably-qualified contractor.

Posted by: @dockray

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@transparent Thanks for the reply. 

Please elaborate on what sort of 'contractor' you believe is required

By 'contractor' I meant someone to help us with solar installation, we've only got an ASHP at the moment, solar is the next step. It is reassuring to see that the lack of smart meter technology wouldn't be too much of a hinderance. But I will write to the 'powers that be' you suggested.

(I've read the other thread on the Seplos Mason battery box and that is, currently, so so far above my level of comprehension but thank you for thinking I might understand it 😊. It has made me realise that I probably need to do a lot more learning before getting solar.)

Having a solar PV system installed should be a reasonably painless experience, and once installed requires virtually no further involvement other than monitoring, and deciding how best to utilise the free supply of energy.

It is also possible to have a battery storage system installed by a suitable installer, rather than considering the DIY route. I believe that it is still the case that if battery storage is installed at the same time as solar PV, then both qualify for zero VAT.

> Please share your experience of your smart metre and whether it was seamless or not, and whether you had an easy or tricky installation spot.

The replacement of our dumb gas and dumb electricity meter was straight forward, but I regret having the gas meter upgraded. The install by a Bulb appointed contractor (a while back) was easy, they turned up on time, replaced them both in about 45 minutes but it was made easier by both meters being in a large cupboard with plenty of space around them.

However, I've now ripped out the boiler and I'm moving to an ASHP, so I'm trying to get the gas meter removed so I don't have to continue to pay the standing charge. My current provider (Octopus energy) quoted more to have a smart gas meter removed (£150) than to have a dumb gas meter removed (£100, if I remember correctly). They are also going around the houses, trying to persuade me that Cadent, my local DNO, need to remove the gas pipes from my house to the mains before they can remove the meter, contrary to what their website and various of their customers tell me on twitter.  Hopefully I'll get there, but it seems it may take persistance!

Cheers,

cswd