Troubleshooting.

Your smart meter sends readings to us automatically. But sometimes, like when you first join OVO, you may need to take a manual reading and send it to us. These can be checked on both your electricity and gas meters, and your In-Home Display.

There are different models of SMETS2 smart meters and you can check which one you have by the logo on the front of the device. Find out how to read each one.

For SMETS1 electricity meters

• (Secure) If your meter has a keypad, press 6 on the keypad and “IMP R01” will appear on the screen. Wait a moment, then 8 numbers will appear followed by “kWh” towards the bottom right of the screen. Your reading is the first 7 numbers.
• (Aclara / GE0) If your meter has A and B buttons, press the A button. Keep on pressing this until you get to “TOTAL ACT IMPORT”. The number shown below this is your meter reading. 
• (Landis + Gyr) If your meter has a green A and a white B button, press and hold the green A button for at least 2 seconds. Press A again and again to cycle through the displays. The first row of numbers you'll see is your meter reading. 
• (Elster / Honeywell) If your meter has 3 unmarked buttons, press the middle button. The number shown below “IMP” is your meter reading. 
• (Itron) If your meter has an orange button and a blue button, press the orange button. You'll see a row of numbers followed by “KWH”, this is your reading. 
• (EDMI) If your meter has 2 buttons marked Reconnect and Display Select, press the “Display” or “Display Select” button. Keep pressing until it scrolls through a number followed by kWh, this is your reading.

For SMETS1 gas meters

• (Secure) If your meter has a keypad, press 9 on the keypad. The word “VOLUME” will show on screen. Your gas reading, in cubic meters (m3) will appear. Take the first 5 numbers of your reading.
• (Landis + Gyr) If your meter has A and B buttons only, press the A button. Keep on pressing this until you get to “METER INDEX”. The number shown below this is your meter reading.
• (Flonidan) If your meter has 3 square red buttons (they might be labelled A, B, and C), press the A (or left) button. You'll see a row of numbers followed by m3, this is your reading.
• (Elster / Honeywell) If your meter has a left arrow, a circle and a right arrow, press the middle “circle” button. The screen will show “current meter reading” at the top. You'll see a row of numbers followed by m3, this is your reading.
• (Itron) If your meter has orange and blue arrow buttons, press the orange button. You'll see a row of numbers followed by m3. This is your reading.

You’ll know your smart meter isn’t sending readings if:

• You get an alert on your account to say your meter hasn’t sent a reading recently

• You get an estimated bill rather than one based on your exact energy use

• You see your account balance isn’t updating as normal

There are several reasons it may not be sending them:

• Your smart meter is an older SMETS1 model which hasn’t been remotely upgraded onto the communication system that uses the same secure network as SMETS2, operated by the Data Communications Company (DCC) 
• It can take up to 8 weeks after installation for the meter details to be updated on your account. Until this happens, your account won’t show your smart meter readings.
• We may have lost connection with your meter – either via the Wide Area Network (WAN), the Home Area Network (HAN), or both
• The location of your meter could be preventing it from communicating, for example if it’s in a cupboard or cellar
• If you’re getting an estimated reading for your gas use, it means your gas meter isn’t connecting to the HAN. This can happen if the gas meter is too far apart from the communications hub above the electricity smart meter or separated by a thick wall.
• The meter serial number doesn’t match those on your account and bill. The serial number is unique for each of your electricity and gas meters and can be found on each meter near the barcode.

1. If you have a SMETS1 smart meter that hasn’t been upgraded yet, you may have to send manual readings until it is.

For SMETS1 electricity meters

• (Secure) If your meter has a keypad, press 6 on the keypad and “IMP R01” will appear on the screen. Wait a moment, then 8 numbers will appear followed by “kWh” towards the bottom right of the screen. Your reading is the first 7 numbers.
• (Aclara / GE0) If your meter has A and B buttons, press the A button. Keep on pressing this until you get to “TOTAL ACT IMPORT”. The number shown below this is your meter reading. 
• (Landis + Gyr) If your meter has a green A and a white B button, press and hold the green A button for at least 2 seconds. Press A again and again to cycle through the displays. The first row of numbers you'll see is your meter reading. 
• (Elster / Honeywell) If your meter has 3 unmarked buttons, press the middle button. The number shown below “IMP” is your meter reading. 
• (Itron) If your meter has an orange button and a blue button, press the orange button. You'll see a row of numbers followed by “KWH”, this is your reading. 
• (EDMI) If your meter has 2 buttons marked Reconnect and Display Select, press the “Display” or “Display Select” button. Keep pressing until it scrolls through a number followed by kWh, this is your reading.

For SMETS1 gas meters

• (Secure) If your meter has a keypad, press 9 on the keypad. The word “VOLUME” will show on screen. Your gas reading, in cubic meters (m3) will appear. Take the first 5 numbers of your reading.
• (Landis + Gyr) If your meter has A and B buttons only, press the A button. Keep on pressing this until you get to “METER INDEX”. The number shown below this is your meter reading.
• (Flonidan) If your meter has 3 square red buttons (they might be labelled A, B, and C), press the A (or left) button. You'll see a row of numbers followed by m3, this is your reading.
• (Elster / Honeywell) If your meter has a left arrow, a circle and a right arrow, press the middle “circle” button. The screen will show “current meter reading” at the top. You'll see a row of numbers followed by m3, this is your reading.
• (Itron) If your meter has orange and blue arrow buttons, press the orange button. You'll see a row of numbers followed by m3. This is your reading.

2. If you signed up for monthly readings, get in touch and let us know you’d like to switch to more frequent readings. You can choose from daily or half-hourly automatic readings. This’ll help you get more accurate bills and insightful information about your energy use.
3. Even the latest SMETS2 meters can sometimes stop sending readings. This usually fixes itself. As soon as your smart meter sends a reading, your account balance will update automatically.
4. If your smart meter has never sent us an automatic reading, please take a meter reading yourself and send it to us.
5. Get in touch with us and we can run through a meter health check. We might be able to reset your meter remotely, and diagnose and assess other issues.
6. Head to the OVO Forum for some handy DIY health check tutorials for both SMETS1 and SMETS2 meters. You may be able to diagnose and fix the problem yourself.

If your meter is sending us readings but you’re still seeing estimates, you might have signed up for monthly readings. You can choose to send us either half-hourly or daily readings to get more accurate bills. Just get in touch with our Support Team via our online chat and they’ll sort it for you.

If you had your smart meter installed before 2018, it’s likely to be a SMETS1 model. But to be 100% sure, contact the supplier that installed it. If we installed your smart meter, we’ll be happy to tell you which type you have. Just contact our Support Team via our online chat.

This message can mean there’s a connectivity issue between your IHD and smart meter.

First, make sure your IHD is near your electricity meter. If not, try moving it closer. Next try switching it off and on again. Often, that’s all it takes to sort a problem. 

Other common causes include:

• Home Area Network (HAN): your smart meter/s may not be on the HAN. This’ll stop devices from connecting

• Firmware: there may be a Firmware issue

Please contact our Support Team through our online chat so they can diagnose and fix the problem.

There are several reasons it may not be sending them:

• Your smart meter is an older SMETS1 model which hasn’t been remotely upgraded onto the communication system that uses the same secure network as SMETS2, operated by the Data Communications Company (DCC) 
• It can take up to 8 weeks after installation for the meter details to be updated on your account. Until this happens, your account won’t show your smart meter readings.
• We may have lost connection with your meter – either via the Wide Area Network (WAN), the Home Area Network (HAN), or both
• The location of your meter could be preventing it from communicating, for example if it’s in a cupboard or cellar
• If you’re getting an estimated reading for your gas use, it means your gas meter isn’t connecting to the HAN. This can happen if the gas meter is too far apart from the communications hub above the electricity smart meter or separated by a thick wall.
• The meter serial number doesn’t match those on your account and bill. The serial number is unique for each of your electricity and gas meters and can be found on each meter near the barcode.

Many IHD problems can be fixed simply by switching the device off and on again. If the screen has frozen completely and you’re unable to switch it off and on, leave it unplugged for a couple of minutes. Plug it back in and you should hopefully be back up and running without any more issues.

If your IHD is on but not showing any energy usage data on the display, it could be because:

• It’s not close enough to your electricity smart meter. Bring it within 15 metres (with no walls between), switch it off for a couple of minutes, then switch it back on.
• It can’t connect properly to the Home Area Network (HAN), and may be showing:
     - ‘Connection Lost’ or ‘Data Lost’
     - The energy usage data for only one or neither fuel
     - Cost and energy usage data displayed as dashes rather than kWh or £ and p
     - No information at all

If so, try bringing your IHD closer to your electricity smart meter. If that doesn't work, don’t worry as it can take around 24 hours to reconnect and start displaying the correct data again. If it still doesn’t work, try asking our helpful OVO Forum community or use our online chat.

If none of the above applies to your IHD, you may need an engineer visit. While you wait, your IHD will be blank. But remember, your home is still connected to its energy supply and your smart meter is still working. Contact our Support Team via our online chat to book an engineer.

If your IHD is faulty, we’ll replace it. You’ll need to send it to us first. Once we get it, we’ll send you a new one. If you’d like more assistance, please get in touch.

No problem. Even in areas with poor mobile reception, a SMETS2 smart meter should still work in your home.

It communicates via a separate, secure national Wide Area Network (WAN) using mobile-phone or radio masts, depending on your location. If you live in northern areas of the UK, your smart meter uses long-range radio technology, while in central and southern areas, it uses cellular and wireless mesh technology.

It may mean you chose to send us readings monthly. If that’s the case, we may have generated your bill before your smart meter has sent us a reading. Your balance will update accurately with your next smart meter reading. 

You can also choose to send us either half-hourly or daily readings to get more accurate bills. 

If you can only see estimated readings on your bills, it may mean your smart meter has stopped communicating with us. Check that the meter serial number matches those on your account and bill. The serial number is unique for each of your electricity and gas meters and can be found on each meter near the barcode. Please get in touch so we can look into it.

Simply having a smart meter installed won’t cause an increase in your usage. There are no hidden costs, and your tariff won't change unless you choose to. The only difference between a smart meter and a traditional meter is that it can send your readings to us automatically. 

This doesn’t affect your home’s energy use at all. But it’s worth noting that your first bill after installation may be higher than usual because it could take up to 8 weeks to issue, rather than the usual 4. 

Also, your bills will now be based on the automatic readings from your smart meter rather than estimated ones, so you'll only ever pay for the energy you've used.

A smart meter can give you more control over your home’s energy use. The In-Home Display and OVO app let you track your costs and understand where you’re using the most energy. That could help you to make changes which could lower your bills.

If you’re struggling to pay your energy bill, we’re here to help. You can find ways to get financial support in our guide, or you can contact us.  And if you’re on our Priority Service Register, check our handy Help Centre guide.

Some appliances use energy even when you’re not actively using them. Your fridge, for example. It’s also worth noting that leaving appliances like your TV, laptop or games console plugged in can drain energy. Even on standby. It’s always best to switch off and unplug when you’re not using them. There’s also the standing charge, a fixed daily charge that’s applied no matter how much energy you use. You can see all these costs on your IHD.   

Also, depending on how often you’ve set up your readings to be sent to us, your reading could be slow to update. Setting half-hourly readings will help you get the most accurate readings.

First, try resetting the IHD to see if that fixes the problem. You can do that by pressing the On/Off button and leaving it unplugged for a couple of minutes. Then, plug it back in and hold the On/Off button down for a few seconds. After a minute or two, this should reconnect the IHD with both meters. If not, contact us via our online chat.

Some noise from your meter is normal. And often, noises will stop by themselves. So, it’s worth waiting a few days to see if it disappears on its own.

If not, it’s a good idea to record the sound/s if you can. Then get in touch via our online chat and we’ll do our best to get to the bottom of it.

First, turn off all gas appliances. Then turn the isolation valve 90 degrees from the ‘On’ position to the ‘Off’ position. The isolation valve is usually located next to your gas appliance (like a gas hob or fire). Do this very slowly, so the turn takes at least 30 seconds.

Wait for one or two minutes, then press AAB on the meter. Again, slowly (taking at least 30 seconds more) turn the isolation valve back into the ‘On’ position. The supply should come back on and the ‘Overload’ message should have disappeared.

If you smell gas or think you have a gas leak, call the 24-hour National Gas Emergency service on 0800 111 999.

If you’ve lost your electricity supply:

• Check that the isolation switch (if you have one) next to your electricity smart meter is positioned ‘On’. It’s a single switch – usually red – that’s clearly marked ‘On’ and ‘Off’. If it’s ‘Off’, please switch it on.

• Try switching the lights on in different rooms. If the lights are still working in some rooms, it’s not a problem with the meter. Check the fuse box, and make sure all fuses are in the ‘On’ position. If any aren’t, switch them to ‘On’.

• If no lights on appliances are switching on, there could’ve been a power cut in your area. Take a look at your smart meter display panel. If it’s completely blank, try waking it up by pressing a button on the keypad. If the display stays blank, call the National Helpline on 105. They’ll put you through to your local network operator, who can give you help and advice to get your power back on.

If your smart meter display is working, the isolation switch is on and all the fuses are on, but you’re still without power, call us on 0330 303 5063. Or use our online chat. We’ll look into what’s happened.

If you’ve lost your gas supply:

• If you’ve got a gas boiler, along with a gas fire, gas oven or gas cooker, check if they’re all without power

• If it’s just the boiler that has no power, check that the mains electricity switch is on, and the pilot light is lit

• If all your appliances are without power, please check your Emergency Control Valve (ECV). It’s usually attached to your gas pipe, just before your gas meter. If the lever is in line with the pipe, that means the valve is open and allowing gas to flow through. But if it’s at right angles to the pipe, it’s closed and will be stopping gas from coming through. If this is the case, you need to turn it until it’s open.

• If your ECV is open and all your appliances are still without power, please call us on 0330 303 5063. Or use our online chat. We’ll look into what’s happened.