Do old style rotary dial meters go backwards

[Barryscotland]

Chatting to a chap about solar panels pros and cons and he said that as we had missed out on the good sell back to the grid tarrifs what we needed was an old style rotary electric meter as they go backwards when power is going back into the grid. Anybody got one an can confirm this is correct? Not that there’s any chance of any energy supplier fitting one for us, just curious. 
 

 

[DamonHD]

Some mechanical meters do run backwards.*  Ofgem is very unkeen on this type of uncontrolled net metering as I understanf things, because in part your PV spill provided to the grid unbidden is not worth anything like retail rates to the grid.

 

Some mechanical meters have a ratchet to prevent running backwards.

 

*Some of the older unratcheted ones catch fire.  Another reason not to do it.

 

I have been through both in my installation.  I now have an import/export pair, which also means I can work out what I'm actually consuming.

 

Rgds

 

Damon

[JohnMo]

Isn't this a repeat of a thread a few weeks ago? That went round in circles.

[mrbd]

I had a rotary meter in one house that went backwards when it was sunny and I "didn't notice" so it never got reported. It was a risk of discovery if the meter reader chap was to see it going backwards, or if we had a really good summer and a meter reading was less than the previous one.

 

When I moved house I was glad to see another rotary meter, do I duly installed some solar panels. But alas it was slightly newer and had the above-mentioned ratchet. I think there was a cut off date in the late eighties/ early nineties when they started installing these.

 

So there really is a dwindling pool of meters that run backwards and I suspect with the proliferation of smart meters they will be a thing of the past.

[DamonHD]

I definitely know of one unratcheted meter that the FiT administrator has been told about that hasn't been replaced, but the system isn't big and maybe the cost of replacement was considered too high.  No, it's not mine!

 

Rgds

 

Damon

[Jenni]

I know someone with a meter that runs backwards due to solar panels. They love it, obviously. 

[MikeGrahamT21]

Yes my old meter used to run backwards for a short period of time before the ratchet kicked in, never enough to make any real difference, but i guess over the years it probably added up.

[SteamyTea]

Powerful magnet on the side should sort it.

[Radian]

With asymmetric import/export charges, clearly a backwards running meter is theft. Others scenarios are less clear cut. A meter that only registers imported units is impossible to swindle but our national terms of connection prohibit any amount of export without prior agreement. i don't know what penalties might be expected if terms are not met.