Friday 12 October 2012

Solar Panels Electricity Meter Going Backwards?

Solar panels electric meter going backwards on Sunny Days

Have you had Solar Panels installed and found that your electricity meter goes backwards when more electricity is being generated than used in your house?


Do you have an old style electricity meter with dials like this? If so it may well go backwards when your solar panels are producing more electricity than you are using. The meter below is a Landis & Gyr Elgee Single Phase Watt-Hour meter made in GB. Interestingly the new generation meter with our solar panels is also a Landis & Gyr one!


Solar Panels Installed and Electricity Meter Going Backwards?
If you are exporting electricity back to the gird your electric meter should not move. The electricity meter should not ever go backwards, however older analogue meters were never designed to have electricity generated at domestic properties and exported to the National Grid so can go backwards when you export with the dial rotating the wrong way.


Solar Panels Installed and Electricity Meter Going Backwards?
Solar Panels Installed and Electricity Meter Going Backwards?
These meters will need to be replaced by the Electric supply company as they mean that you are effectively able to use the National Grid as a big battery storing your unused electricity and getting it back later.


As electricity is generated by solar panels at different amounts during the day and during the whole year your consumption doesn't always match the electricity being generated. Any surplus is exported to the grid at an assumed 50% of the electricity generated (unless you have an export meter fitted) regardless of how much you use on site.

When your electricity meter goes backwards you are being paid for the 50% deemed export but able to use 100% of the electricity as any not used at the time will reduce your meter reading and therefore be available again later.
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4 comments:

  1. Unknown17 October 2012 at 06:29

    I had this "problem" - had my solar panels installed early March and noticed on sunny days a lower electric meter reading at the end of the day than at the start! Got in contact with my supplier (BG) who didn't seem too concerned but did arrange for a meter change which they did about 6 weeks later! Was nice while it lasted!

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  2. newboy17 October 2012 at 11:03

    just found the same problem,, July reading was 47410..October reading is 47373...in credit by 38units :)
    e-on are changing the meter..and use the proceeding 3 months to calculate our usage/production.As my wife pointed out there is no comparison to the summer usage and production to the winter..the reply we got was(O you have a point there ummm).

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  3. Unknown4 May 2013 at 06:10

    I,m thinking of getting some solar panels. Where I live in Australia the power buy-back price for each KWh is less than a third of what they charge. Should I just keep the old meter and get more bang for my buck? Just make sure each reading is just slightly above the last or they will probably change the meter over?

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  4. Helpful Advice4 May 2013 at 07:08

    There is no way of knowing if your meter will go backwards until you get panels or maybe query google for the make & model. Some old ones do but others just go forward or stop.

    As long as you use more electricity over the year than you produce you should be fine but if the meter is always less than previous reading you will quickly have a problem

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