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:
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.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.
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!)