We're in trouble

solarsavings · Jul 3, 2014

:rolleyes4: I'm on a barn roof in Diss yesterday and answer a call on the mobile "We're in trouble" the voice says. "The meter has been spinning backwards since you installed the pv system and you didn't tell Scottish Power! If I get a big bill you are going to have to pay it"

Rightly or wrongly I told him it was nothing to do with us. We install/register the system that's it. And in his case, we did the fit paperwork with GE.

He has been reading his meter and submitting them to SP, and I assume has had it read at some point since September 2012 so how come it hasn't been picked up before now?

Anyone else had this?

The Solar King · Jul 3, 2014

I've had this on a system I own in the Cairngorms National Park. It was the one I did for accreditation in 2011. I told SSE on several occasions the thing was running backward. The meter reading people started questioning the readings, so I told them the same. In the end I got a very helpful lady who sorted the whole thing out, estimated the bill and gave me a £350.00 credit!!!

This is down to the customer

Wording on current SP FITs application is as follows:

"Has your import meter started to move backwards since installation of the generating system?
Yes No I don’t know
If yes, you must immediately notify your electricity supplier.
If no, please check your meter is advancing and inform us at anytime should your meter start to move backwards and we will arrange a meter exchange."

An older version says the following:

"Has your import meter started to move backwards since installation of the generating system?
Yes No I don’t know
If yes we will contact you to arrange a meter exchange,
If no, please check your meter is advancing and inform us at anytime should your meter start to move backwards and we will arrange a meter exchange"

In either case, the customer has signed up to responsibilities as part of their FITs application.

If this is happening at commissioning, we always make a note in bold on the FITs application form (we help customers fill them out), or tell customers they must inform their supplier if it happens later. If it is a dial type analogue meter, we assume this will happen and advise accordingly.

Gavin A · Jul 3, 2014

they should only end up paying for the electricity they have used anyway, effectively the bill has just been deferred.

The concern is the way that it's estimated - my take on it being that they deem export as being 50% of generation when they pay the customers, therefore they should use that figure for determining the amount the system should have exported, and that needs repaying.

SolarCity · Jul 3, 2014

As far I can see, the meter is owned and maintained by others. The DNO is informed and the supplier is informed. If their meter goes backwards, that's up to them.

It may well be, of course, that the owner never sees the meter going backwards as their consumption is higher than produced energy whenever they look.

TedM · Jul 3, 2014

The DNO is obligated to inform the supplier once they have been notified of on-site generation. The supplier is obligated to ensure that the import metering on-site is recording correctly.

http://www.meteroperators.org.uk/assets/documents/Reverse running meters 20130820.pdf