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You are not stealing electricity. You are supplying them with electricity. Simple. That's what the Feed-in part of FIT means!

Is it a Ferraris disc meter or an electronic one?  If you really want to check whether your meter is installed correctly, and a pound to a penny it is, wait until dark (or isolate your PV infeed) and then check with your immersion heater or some other reasonable-sized load that your meter is registering consumption.

The bad news is you get paid less for exported energy than you pay for imported energy, so the next job is to build and install a Mk2 controller for you immersion heater that will hopefully ensure that the best use is made of your electricity before you give it back to Scottish Power.

If you've told Scottish Power you are generating and they haven't changed your meter, in my book it's their problem and you've done nothing wrong, especially as you have proof you've told them. You worry if your FIT cheque doesn't arrive.

I have a friend in Ayrshire who is in exactly the same position. He's not worried.

Now would probably be a good time to tell them, because they will need to replace the meter, and then try and estimate how much power you have used since April. The most popular way this is done, is to record meter readings (with the new meter!) over a period of time - in my case 2 weeks, and then use that as a baseline to determine what your usage would have been over the 4 months. Of course at the moment, your daily usage will be minimal - as you will be using a lot of PV energy, hence you come out of it pretty well.  (I did exceptionally well!)

They may suggest however that they use last years figures April - July, but don't accept that as of course you now have a  PV system, so last years usage figures would be grossly innacurate.

As for the FIT, no idea as I've got renta roof, but would have thought that there won't be a problem as they will use the export meter readings.

Paul

Thanks for the comments.

The meter is an old one with a disc. It's quite easy to see it spinning in the opposite direction to the arrow. The meter does work correctly, it's just that when exporting, it spins backwards.

I've been in this house less than a year, so predicting my consumption based on last year isn't possible.

I can't save the surplus, I have to export it. There's no storage tanks in this house, so no immersion.

I'll try and speak to someone at Scottish Power tomorrow and let them know what's happening, then they can't accuse me of keeping quiet about it.

Speak to them and back that up with a letter or e-mail with a read request. State that you informed them that you didn't know whether or not the meter was going backwards when you sent your FIT form (on such and such date) and that you are surprised that they haven't got back to you to check it. You can then say that you now belive it is going backwards. don't mention that you have meter readings, what has been happening is instead of them paying you at the feed in tariff rate you are "un using" electricity at the normal domestic rate, as it's impossible for them to accurately calculate what power you have drawn from the mains you will probably be pleasantly surprised to find they wont charge you or if they estimate a charge you will be able to contest that as being inaccurate.

As they have been informed you have PV installed it is entirely up to them sort the meter out, if they delay doing so its their problem not yours.

I know this as I was in the same situation, I informed the supply company and they took three months to change the meter, I was charged for a pitifully small usage around £5 I think.

You can also insist that they sort out your FIT payments as its your money they are holding onto, and it is backdated to the day you informed them of the PV, all companies will try to delay the payment so as to get the interest on your cash some are better than others, your trump card is to threaten to move your energy account, and you will find that its "another department" that deals with FIT payments.

Power companies are the new estate agents!

If you are interested in the Mk2 diverter send me a PM.

OK. Well, I went online @ ScottishPower  and could not find any help concerning meters running backwards. So I asked Katie with the phrase "Meter Faulty". That got me the phone number 0800 332233. Sat hanging on there for 48 minutes. They gave me another number 0845 2701414 and they took my details and said someone will be in touch within 10 days about making an appointment to come and change the meter.

We'll see what happens.

Reading this thread back it's not obvious that Scottish Power supply me with power. I thought it simplest if I did my feed back with them too. Don't know if that was best, but that's what I did.

SSE have the best reputation regarding FIT payments, I was with them as my supplier till EDF became cheeper so I switched supplier but kept my FIT with SSE. Some companies allow this some don't. Martin Lewis's money saving expert site has some good info. I guess it would be better to stick as you are and keep hassling them to get the FIT sorted then look into changing.

If your meter runs backwards then you are stealing Electricity. 

Ultimately it is your responsibility however under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme the PV-SSEG Installer is also guilty of not ensuring your FIT application form was filled in correctly and that the metering department was not informed immediately to swop out your meter.

The PV-SSEG Installer has a duty of care to monitor your Installation to ensure it performs correctly.

Having said all that, it is unlikely that Scottish Power would pursue any action and will almost certainly come to an arrangement on what they consider you owe them. 

If your meter runs backwards then you are stealing Electricity.

Please justify that statement. On the face of it, and on the basis of what nothing clever has already told us, it is totally untrue. I think you need to read the whole thread and then reconsider.

An import meter goes forwards to read the number of KWhrs an installation has used.
The owner of the import meter will be charged by the Electricity Supply Company for the number of KWhrs used.

If an old analogue meter is installed exported electricity will cause the reading to be decremented.
This will result in the amount of KWhrs to be charged being incorrect resulting in loss of income to the Electricity Supply Company.

Ofgem have told all Electricity Suppliers to investigate all out of tolerance reading.

Digital Import meters don't go backwards.

Contact Ofgem if you need further clarification.

paulbernardr: You have not read the thread, have you? The first post made it clear that the customer informed the supplier that he was generating electricity, and the supplier acknowledged that. From that point on, if the supplier chooses to do nothing, for whatever reason, that is their decision. The customer is not, as you allege, "stealing" electricity. "Stealing" is taking or using something as your own without the owner's consent. The supplier has tacitly consented to the continuing arrangement through a commercial decision, mismanagement, incompetence, oversight or whatever other reason.

paulbernardr: The UK offence of theft includes a prerequisite proven element of dishonesty, where has Mike been dishonest??  (Theft Act 1968)
Whilst the Electricity Suppliers do have a legal responsibility to ensure that meters record consumption accurately (Ofgem).

Paul

Paul (Reed):  Do you think we should delete that first comment by paulbernardr. It is libellous after all.

From Oxford Law Dictionary: libel  n. A defamatory statement made in permanent form, such as writing, pictures, or film (see defamation). Radio and television broadcasts for general reception and public performance of plays are treated as being made in permanent form for the purposes of the law of defamation. A libel is actionable in tort without proof that its publication has caused special damage (actual financial or material loss) to the person defamed. Libel can also be a crime (criminal libel). Proof of publication of the statement to third parties is not necessary in criminal libel and truth is a defence only if the statement was published for the public benefit.

Robert, I've PM'd you.

Paul

Nothing clever's definitely not stealing electricity. Scottish Power by default have chosen to pay him at a feed in rate that is equal to the supply rate as in his original post he had said he didn't know if his meter was going backwards it was then up to Scottish power to investigate. They have not and subsequently NC discovered that the meter was running backwards and informed them.

Libel is publishing something that is untrue about a second or third party and as far as I can see NC has stated truthfully what his communications have been with Scottish Power. ( Easy way to define - It's libel if its lies and slander if its said).

The PV-SSEG has no obligation in regards your FIT application past giving you a start meter reading and the serial number of the generation meter both of which you can read yourself as the serial number is printed on the meter, Scottish Power will have to pay NC the generation payment based on the original start reading as they were informed when the FIT was submitted, however they should not pay the feed in portion of the payment as they have been paying him at the higher rate by default.

Remember there are two elements to the "FIT" payment, the feed in payment of 50% of 4.4p payment for electricity based on generation, and the generation payment of 21p (or what ever rate you have landed on) per unit, this is paid by the government and passed on to you by your supplier, this is what NC should be pursuing vigorously as it's his cash and is being withheld by (legal term) tardiness on the part of Scottish Power. He should be writing to them registered post stating that he wants his FIT set up and back paid and that "time is of the essence" (yet another legal term!).

I sit as a magistrate twice a month and have seen a couple of cases of fit non payment and both cases were found in favor of the plaintiff who were also awarded costs due to duress and delay and other costs. (please don't ask me for details or advise further to what is here, you will need a solicitor for that).