PE Solutions Smart Meters & Meter Problems

Yes.

PE publishes smart meter installation information for its business customers.

PE currently says customers can book a smart meter installation by contacting its Customer Care Team on:

0333 370 9900

PE says installations are arranged in advance so customers can prepare for disruption to normal business operations.

If you already have a smart meter and the problem is estimated billing, missing readings or incorrect consumption, you probably need to investigate the existing meter before asking for another one.

Start with your PE bill.

PE's current bill guide says the Meter Details section identifies the Meter Type.

PE lists four possible descriptions:

Smart meter

Non-smart meter

AMR

Prepaid

Do not assume a remotely read business meter is necessarily labelled Smart.

PE distinguishes Smart and AMR meters.

Both can involve readings or consumption information being obtained remotely.

But PE does not describe them as the same meter type.

Its current bill guidance says:

A Smart meter is capable of remote communication and conforms to the Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specification.

An AMR meter has a device attached that makes it capable of remotely providing consumption and diagnostic information.

For a customer, the important thing is not to guess.

Check what PE actually shows as the Meter Type on the bill.

PE currently tells customers to contact its Customer Care Team:

0333 370 9900

Before calling, have:

• PE account number
• Business name
• Supply address
• Contact details
• Electricity or gas
• Meter serial number if available
• A recent bill

Tell PE you want to discuss a smart meter installation for the business supply.

Do not assume every meter can be exchanged immediately.

PE can confirm the position for the individual supply.

Think about what will happen if the electricity is temporarily switched off.

PE currently says that, to safely exchange the meter, there will be no power for approximately 1 to 2 hours.

Before the appointment, think about:

• Computers
• Servers
• Card machines
• EPOS systems
• Alarms
• CCTV
• Machinery
• Refrigeration
• Freezers
• Pumps
• Access-control systems
• Telephones
• Internet equipment
• Production equipment
• Other equipment that should be shut down correctly

Do not simply let somebody pull the power on equipment that requires a controlled shutdown.

Work out what needs to happen before the engineer arrives.

PE says there will be no power for approximately 1 to 2 hours while an electricity meter is safely exchanged.

That can be insignificant for one business and a major problem for another.

For example:

• A small office may be able to work around it.
• A restaurant may need to protect refrigeration and food operations.
• A factory may need machinery shut down correctly.
• A business with servers may need an IT shutdown plan.
• A farm may have pumps, refrigeration or other equipment that cannot simply be interrupted without planning.

Arrange the appointment around the business, not just the diary.

PE's current published guidance says installations normally take about one hour for the gas meter.

The actual appointment can depend on the individual premises and work required.

Do not schedule something critical immediately around the published estimate.

Allow sensible time for the appointment and any checks required.

PE says it uses third parties to carry out meter:

Repairs

Readings

Installations

So the company name on the engineer's ID may not say PE or Pozitive Energy.

PE says engineers should introduce themselves and provide:

Which company they are from

Proof of identity

Their name

Their ID number

PE says the ID should show:

The engineer's organisation

A colour photograph

The engineer's name

If you are unsure whether somebody attending the premises genuinely represents Pozitive Energy, PE says to call:

0333 370 9900

and ask them to help verify the person.

Having a smart meter does not mean you should stop checking your bills.

A smart meter may be capable of communicating remotely.

That does not prove that PE successfully received and used an actual reading for every bill.

Look at the bill.

PE's current bill guide says its Meter Readings section shows whether the reading or consumption is:

Actual (A)

or

Estimated (E)

If your PE bill says E, treat it as an estimated bill even if the physical meter is smart.

Start at the physical meter.

• Take a current reading.
• Photograph the reading.
• Photograph the meter serial number.
• Record the date.
• Compare the serial number with the PE bill.
• Compare the actual reading with PE's estimated reading.

Then contact PE and provide the evidence.

If estimated billing continues, ask:

Is PE receiving readings from this meter?

When was the last successful remote reading?

Is the meter showing as communicating?

Does PE have the correct meter serial number?

Does PE need anything from me?

Keep the response.

PE's current bill guide says the Meter Details section shows the Meter Serial Number, also known as the MSN.

The serial number identifies the physical meter.

You should also be able to find a serial number on the meter itself.

Compare them.

Do not compare only the reading.

Take this seriously.

Do not immediately assume the meter is faulty.

You may have a records problem.

Photograph:

• The physical meter
• The meter serial number
• The reading

Then check:

Supply address

MPAN or MPRN

PE account number

Meter serial number on the bill

If the physical meter and PE bill show different serial numbers, ask PE to investigate which meter is registered to the supply.

This is particularly important where:

Several meters are close together

The premises has several units

A meter has previously been exchanged

There are landlord and tenant supplies

Several businesses share a meter room

It is possible for meter records to need investigation.

Do not conclude this from one unusual bill.

Build the evidence.

Check:

• MPAN or MPRN
• Supply address
• Meter serial number on bill
• Physical meter serial number
• Current physical reading
• Previous bill readings
• Any meter-exchange history

If the identifiers do not line up, raise that specific issue with PE.

Instead of:

“My bill is wrong.”

Say:

“The meter at our premises has serial number X, but PE invoice Y shows serial number Z. Please confirm which meter is registered to our supply and investigate the discrepancy.”

First check whether the bill reading is:

Actual

or

Estimated

Then check the reading date.

A bill reading from three weeks ago should not necessarily equal the meter today.

If the numbers still do not make sense:

• Photograph the meter
• Record the reading
• Record the date
• Check the serial number
• Check every register
• Compare with the bill

Do not send PE only a number typed into an email if you can also provide a clear photograph.

That can be completely normal.

PE's current bill guide says a meter may have one or more registers and the Meter Readings section displays information for every register.

Examples can include:

Day

Night

Evening and Weekend

or other register arrangements.

When photographing a multi-rate meter, capture every relevant register.

Do not send only the first number displayed.

For a useful meter investigation, take enough photographs to establish:

Which meter it is

What it reads

Where it is

Ideally capture:

• One wider photograph showing the complete meter
• A clear photograph of the meter serial number
• A clear photograph of the reading
• Every register on a multi-rate meter
• Any obvious labels identifying the unit or premises

Keep the original photographs.

Do not crop them so tightly that useful meter information disappears.

A meter exchange creates a point where the billing record needs to move from one meter to another.

If a problem starts around the exchange date, gather:

• Old meter serial number
• New meter serial number
• Final old-meter reading
• Opening new-meter reading
• Exchange date
• Photographs if available
• Engineer paperwork if available
• Bills before the exchange
• Bills after the exchange

Then check whether the billing history follows the exchange correctly.

Do not try to compare the new meter reading directly with the old meter's reading as though it is one continuous counter.

PE's current data-access guidance says Pozitive Energy customers can log into Enfiniti and raise a query asking for access to consumption data.

If the portal is not already configured to show it, PE says access can be enabled.

Consumption data can be extremely useful when investigating:

• High bills
• Overnight usage
• Unexpected spikes
• Weekend consumption
• Changes after new equipment
• Differences between sites

Do not decide which one is correct from the screen alone.

Record:

• Billing period
• Consumption shown on bill
• Consumption shown in Enfiniti
• Meter serial number
• Bill readings
• Physical meter reading

Then ask whether the difference could relate to:

Different date ranges

Estimated billing

Different registers

Meter exchange

Different meter

Data not covering the complete period

Or another account issue

Preserve the evidence before raising the query.

Do not start by assuming the meter is faulty.

Meters can develop faults, but unusual consumption can also have other causes.

Start by understanding the pattern.

Check:

• Historic consumption
• Recent consumption
• Opening hours
• Overnight usage
• New equipment
• Heating
• Cooling
• Refrigeration
• Pumps
• Machinery
• EV charging
• Seasonal activity

Then take physical meter readings over a known period.

For example:

Reading Monday morning

Reading Tuesday morning

What was operating during those 24 hours?

If consumption is still inexplicably high, you have better evidence for a meter investigation.

Do not interfere with the meter.

Instead, record it.

Example:

Monday 8:00am

Reading:

125,000 kWh

Tuesday 8:00am

Reading:

125,180 kWh

Difference:

180 kWh

Now ask:

Was 180 kWh realistic for what the business operated during those 24 hours?

Repeat the exercise if useful.

For a multi-rate meter, record each register separately.

This does not prove the meter is accurate or faulty.

It gives you evidence about what the meter is recording.

Do not shut down critical business equipment just to perform an informal meter test.

Some equipment may need to remain operating.

Examples include:

• Refrigeration
• Freezers
• Servers
• Security equipment
• Medical equipment
• Safety systems
• Pumps
• Production processes

If a controlled shutdown is appropriate for the business, plan it safely.

Do not interfere with, open or tamper with the meter.

Contact PE and explain why.

Provide evidence.

Useful evidence includes:

• Meter serial number
• Current reading
• Photographs
• Historic bills
• Consumption data
• Dates the problem began
• Details of any meter exchange
• A short reading log

Explain what you want investigated.

For example:

“We believe the electricity meter may be recording materially more consumption than the premises is using. We have attached seven days of meter readings and consumption information. Please confirm what checks are available and what the next step is.”

Do not promise that PE will replace or test the meter free of charge.

Do not invent PE's meter-testing process or charges.

If the bill continues to show estimated readings, ask PE whether the meter is communicating.

Have ready:

• PE account number
• Supply address
• MPAN or MPRN
• Meter serial number
• Current meter reading
• Photograph
• Recent bill

Ask PE:

Is the meter communicating?

When was the last successful remote reading?

Does PE have the correct meter serial number?

Is anything required at the premises?

What should I do with manual readings in the meantime?

Do not invent a technical reset procedure.

Do not tell customers to press random buttons or interfere with the meter.

Not by itself.

A smart meter measures and communicates energy information.

The meter does not make refrigeration use less electricity.

It does not make machinery more efficient.

And it does not change the contract rate simply by being installed.

What better consumption information can do is help you identify:

• Waste
• Unexpected overnight loads
• Consumption spikes
• Changes in usage
• Differences between sites
• Whether an energy-saving change actually worked

The saving comes from what you do with the information.

Do not treat the terms as interchangeable.

Business electricity metering can involve different meter types, settlement arrangements and consumption-data intervals.

If your supply is half-hourly, check the actual MPAN and meter information rather than assuming the word Smart tells you everything about the supply.

For a half-hourly business supply, detailed consumption data can be particularly useful when analysing:

• Daily profiles
• Night consumption
• Weekend usage
• Maximum demand
• Seasonal patterns

Do not invent a PE-specific half-hourly eligibility rule on this page.

Do not assume the answer from the size of the main switch or from a photograph alone.

Commercial metering arrangements can differ depending on the supply.

Contact PE with:

• MPAN
• Current meter details
• Meter serial number
• Photographs if useful
• And information about the existing supply

Ask PE to confirm what metering arrangement is suitable for that specific site.

Do not publish a blanket rule such as:

“Smart meters only work up to X amps”

unless independently verified for the specific meter and supply arrangement.

Not necessarily.

First identify the meter already at the premises.

Take:

• Opening reading
• Meter photograph
• Meter serial number

Then complete the Change of Tenancy process.

The existing meter may already be suitable.

Do not arrange a meter replacement simply because the previous occupier's name is still associated with the energy account.

Those are separate issues.

Compare:

• Opening reading when you moved in
• Reading PE used
• Reading date
• Meter serial number
• Date you became responsible

If PE has used an estimated opening reading and you have a dated meter photograph, keep that photograph.

The opening reading matters because it separates your consumption from the previous occupier's.

Current PE energy Customer Care:

0333 370 9900

[email protected]

For an installation request, PE currently tells customers to contact its Customer Care Team on:

0333 370 9900

For a meter problem, explain exactly what you need.

Examples:

• Smart meter installation
• Meter not communicating
• Estimated billing
• Wrong meter serial number
• Meter exchange problem
• Reading dispute
• Suspected meter fault

The more specific the question, the easier the investigation is to start.

If you have raised the meter or billing problem with PE and it remains unresolved, keep:

• The original query
• Reference number
• Meter photographs
• Readings
• Bills
• Consumption data
• Engineer information
• Dates
• PE responses

If necessary, escalate the underlying problem through PE's complaints process.

Send us:

• A recent PE bill
• A clear photograph of the meter
• A photograph showing the meter serial number
• The current reading
• Every register if it is a multi-rate meter
• Previous bills if the problem has been going on for a while
• Consumption data if available
• Any meter-exchange paperwork
• Relevant PE correspondence

Then tell us in one sentence what you think is wrong.

For example:

“PE keeps estimating the bill even though we have a smart meter.”

or:

“The meter serial number on our PE bill does not match the meter at the premises.”

or:

“Our electricity consumption doubled after the meter was changed.”

That gives us somewhere useful to start.

I always want a photograph of the meter.

Not just the reading typed into an email.

The photograph gives me the reading, but it can also give me the serial number and help me understand what meter we're actually dealing with.

Then I want the bill.

Does the serial number match?

Is PE using an actual reading or an estimate?

Is it a one-rate meter or are there several registers?

Has the meter been changed?

When did the problem start?

If somebody says:

“My meter is running too fast”

I don't immediately assume the meter is faulty.

I want to see the consumption.

What was the business doing?

What was running overnight?

Has anything changed?

If the usage still makes no sense after we've checked the obvious things, then we've got a much stronger reason to ask PE to investigate the meter.

One of the biggest mistakes people make with smart meters is assuming the word “smart” means the bill must be right.

It doesn't.

Look at the bill.

Is the reading actual or estimated?

Does the meter serial number match the meter on the wall?

If there are day and night readings, has PE got both?

I've dealt with plenty of meter problems over the years and the first thing we normally ask the customer for is a photograph.

Take one of the whole meter.

Take one of the serial number.

Take one of the reading.

If there are several readings, take them all.

And don't throw those photos away.

If we end up arguing about a bill six months later, a dated photograph of the meter can be incredibly useful.

The other thing is don't automatically blame the meter if consumption has gone up.

Sometimes the meter is doing exactly what it should and something at the business is using far more electricity than anybody realised.

We need to work out which one it is.

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