EDMI Mk7B SMETS 1 meter upgrade

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shire-dweller
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Post by shire-dweller »

Anyone else out there blessed with an EDMI Mk7B SMETS 1 smart meter? If so, was your supplier (via DCC) successful in upgrading the firmware of this particular meter model to communicate with the national network of SMETS 2 meters?

I am getting an ID.3 by Christmas (I own a reliable lucky charm fridge magnet, hence the confidence) but I am stuck with a SMETS 1 smart-so-they-say meter operating in dumb mode, which does not permit the use of an EV Tariff with cheap overnight rates.

Neither Bulb nor British Gas (current and previous suppliers) are/were able to confirm whether this particular meter model (EDMI Mk7B) will ever be successfully upgraded. They just say that an attempt will eventually be made and, if and when the attempt is made, they would let me know. Until such time they cannot, they say, replace the meter with a SMETS 2 model.

I also do not know who the supplier was at the time when the meter was fitted by a previous house owner, or when it was fitted (must have been between 2015 and 2020 though, given the manufacturing year printed on the meter). When I moved into this house, the supplier was British Gas, who stated they did not fit this meter. It has been dumb as long as I have known it.

I am aware of the excellent https://www.smartme.co.uk/ website. Section "SMETS1 Meter Models for adoption by DCC" lists the EDMI Mk7B, but section "When will SMETS1 meters be connected to DCC?" is currently silent about EDMI. Earlier this year, a previous version of that website read:
When will SMETS1 meters be connected to DCC?
...
  • Final Operating Capability (FOC)
    • 26 July 2020 Q3 2021 - Landis + Gyr (L+G) meters currently operated by either BG SMSO (Smart Meter System Operator), DXC or CGI Instant Energy (IE).
    • TBA - if directed by Government, the EDMI meter group.
That key line, "TBA - if directed by Government, the EDMI meter group", was then deleted in an update to the website. I searched for such an announcement "by Government" but did not find any useful result.

I am also aware of https://smartmetercheck.citizensadvice.org.uk/ , which states that my meter is not currently connected to the DCC network. What a revelation that was -- not!

And I am also aware of the Mk7B factsheet and the hardware manual, but I stopped short of plugging into the serial port to reverse engineer the assembly code and rewrite the firmware myself, tempting as though that was.

Patiently waiting and hopeful I have been and remain, yet if I was to hear from someone else who successfully had their EDMI Mk7B de-dumbed, the reassurance would be comforting. Even the definitive knowledge that this model is beyond hope would be preferable, whether as ammunition in the conversation with suppliers, or simply for closure. (The former, really. I won't be giving up so easily!)
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Post by Deleted User 192 »

This is the reason I refused a smart meter til SMETS2 became available.

I hope you’re able to get this resolved.
Scratch
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Post by Scratch »

Good luck. We can't have a SMETS2 as there isn't the WAN communication network in our area.
Our SMETS1 was fitted by British Gas in 2018, in a brand new house.
Somebody on here previously said that the rollout of the software upgrades for SMETS1 meters had been halted, I think. Or it just doesn't work.
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Post by jhg »

shire-dweller wrote: Wed Oct 27, 2021 11:49 pm
Neither Bulb nor British Gas (current and previous suppliers) are/were able to confirm whether this particular meter model (EDMI Mk7B) will ever be successfully upgraded. They just say that an attempt will eventually be made and, if and when the attempt is made, they would let me know. Until such time they cannot, they say, replace the meter with a SMETS 2 model.
I had a SMETS1 meter (Landis Gyr E470) installed by British Gas a few years ago. I'm now with Octopus Energy and had assumed they would not be prepared to replace this with a SMETS2 meter. However, I inquired in April because I wanted to move onto the Octopus Go tariff after purchasing an ID.3. It turned out Octopus were happy to do so and they swapped it out for a SMETS2 meter within a week.
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Leccy
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Post by Leccy »

Similar experience to @jhg, we had a smets1 (via Ovo) that Octopus swapped out for a smets2 a couple of years ago in our previous house. Moved to the one we're in now in March this year bringing Octopus with us, who again installed smets2, although the meters in this house weren't smart, not even smets1. You may not want to change supplier if you got a fixed tariff before wholesale prices took off, but if that isn't the case, no harm in contacting Octopus and see if you can switch to Octopus Go which has to have a smart meter to work, in which case they would need to install a Smets2.
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Post by Indyfras »

Good luck! We don't have a smart meter and have been told by the company who deals with the smart WAN that we don't have a signal and that they have no plans to upgrade the network so that we can get a signal. :( One suggestion I could make is to contact your MP and see if they will contact the appropriate minister. Not that I hold out much hope of that having a huge affect - but if enough people do it, and its a big enough pain for them....... I live in hope ;)
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Utumno
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Post by Utumno »

Agree that switching to one of Octopus's smart tariff is generally a magic bullet for getting a SMETS2 meter installed (assuming there's any DCCWAN coverage available at all)
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Post by smuj »

How can you find out if you are able to connect to the WAN? I’ve tried to have a smart meter installed but all I get is that I’m not eligible. I’m stuck on a British Gas tariff for another few months but then I’ll jump.
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Utumno
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Post by Utumno »

Good resource at https://www.smartme.co.uk/ for smart meter stuff, including interesting technicals.
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Post by smuj »

Utumno wrote: Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:31 pm Good resource at https://www.smartme.co.uk/ for smart meter stuff, including interesting technicals.
Many thanks for the link. I’ve tried there, and other sites, before but can’t find out if I can connect to the DCC. I know it’s Telefonica (O2) and I can get a good O2 signal at my meter box, I’m with Giffgaff which is on O2. But I don’t know if it’s as simple as that. All I get from BG is I’m not eligible due to technical issues but they won’t say what they are.
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Indyfras
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Post by Indyfras »

Try emailing the service centre at DCC.
Servicecentre@smartdcc.co.uk
They were extremely helpful when I emailed them.
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smuj
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Post by smuj »

Indyfras wrote: Thu Oct 28, 2021 7:56 pm Try emailing the service centre at DCC.
Servicecentre@smartdcc.co.uk
They were extremely helpful when I emailed them.
Many thanks, I’ll try tomorrow.
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shire-dweller
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Post by shire-dweller »

Thanks everyone for the comments 👍

I emailed Octopus with the details on their website: https://octopus.energy/joining-smart-tariff/
And now phoned them too.

The good news is that they confirmed, both by email and phone, that they would be prepared to replace a SMETS 1 meter with a SMETS 2 meter (unlike Bulb, EDF or British Gas) to ensure compatibility with an EV tariff with cheaper overnight rates, as @jhg, @Leccy, @Utumno and others said.

The bad news is that they are not willing to take new customers at the moment, and even on the phone they did not want to give me a quote. Currently, if you try to get a quote in Octopus's website, you get these messages:
You need to know this 👇
Right now, energy prices are at record highs, and most homes will be better off staying with their current energy supplier for the winter.
If your fixed term is coming to an end, don't choose a new tariff or switch supplier.
Instead, let your supplier automatically move you to their default tariff, so your prices are protected by the Government's Energy Price Cap.
I've read and understood the above, and I would still like a quote to switch to Octopus
Clicking the link at the bottom leads to another warning:
With global energy prices at record highs, you're unlikely to be better off by switching at this time.
If you think that's incorrect and would like a personalised quote, please call and speak to one of our experts on 08081693274 with your current energy prices to hand. Our lines are open 9am - 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am - 4pm on Friday.
I phoned that number and I was told: "We could go through a personalised quote now, but there is no point because you will be worse off" -- and he didn't even ask me what supplier I am with now, how much energy I use or what I currently pay!! Puzzled, I insisted: But what about the cheaper overnight rate for electric cars, isn't it worth it? How much is the overnight rate at the moment? His reply: "Phone back in January because prices will change. Right now is the worst time to be switching suppliers and we recommend that you stay with your current supplier." I thanked him and ended the call.

A supplier comparison (personalised switch quote) using the MoneySavingExpert.com Cheap Energy Club tool tells me that I would be about £400 worse off switching to Octopus's cheapest available tariff, although the comparison was not separately taking into account how much energy I use during the night and how much energy I use during the day.

Are there any whole-of-market, personal-quote comparison sites that allow you to enter separately how much electricity (KWh) you use overnight at cheaper rates, and during the day at higher rates, with a smart meter? Several comparison sites ask whether you have a dual-rate "Economy 7" meter, but that's not considered a smart meter and I understand that SMETS 1 meters cannot be replaced with old dumb-yet-smarter-than-smets1 meters. Otherwise, it is difficult to compare EV tariffs.

Comparison sites also needed to allow filtering by suppliers who are willing to replace SMETS 1 meters with SMETS 2 meters, as there is no point switching to a supplier with cheaper smart overnight rates if the supplier is not willing to replace the existing smart meter for compatibility -- like Bulb or EDF. By the way, during my searches, I found that Shell Energy has a similar stance to Octopus at the moment: they would be prepared to replace a SMETS 1 meter with a SMETS 2 meter for a customer to take advantage of an EV tariff with cheaper overnight rates, however Shell Energy are also not taking new customers (via supplier switch) at the moment.

I found this other website that lists EV tariffs (does not provide personalise quotes), but it is badly out of date, listing suppliers that have gone bust and tariffs that are no longer available to new customers: https://www.smarthomecharge.co.uk/guide ... -costs-low
MoneySavingExpert.com also have a useful related article: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utili ... y-tariffs/

Finally, if I do nothing and stay with Bulb, I may soon involuntarily end up with another supplier anyway (maybe even Octopus or Shell Energy), as Bulb has been in the news as the largest UK supplier to date likely to go bust in the next few days/weeks because of the interplay of Ofgem's price cap and wholesale energy costs.

What a mess...
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Post by Scratch »

The whole industry is in flux at present. What they told you is correct. Stay with your existing supplier. Who knows what's going to happen. If it all settles down, then maybe the comparison sites will get their act together, even though we may not need comparison sites again.
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