If the display on an electricity meter fails, it is usually no longer usable. This is also the case with many Holley brand electricity meters. The network operators have to replace them due to a defect.
Electricity meters in Germany are to be replaced by so-called digital smart meters by 2032. But these do not only bring advantages for customers, as a case involving the Holley brand now shows.
This is because the Holley brand electricity meters with the type designation DTZ541-ZEBA have major problems with their digital displays. As EWE reports, around 25,000 Holley brand electricity meters have to be replaced for the energy company's customers alone.
Holley electricity meters do not show meter reading
The problem with the electronic displays occurs after a short period of operation, as the Northwest Newspaper reported. Customers will then no longer be able to read the meter reading.
The energy company EWE therefore wants to replace all devices as a precautionary measure, according to a spokesman for the Northwest Newspaper says. The network operator will contact the affected customers with suggested appointment times.
However, this could take several weeks, as the network operators are already changing many meters and the defective devices are added to this. According to the Baden-Württemberg network operator Syna, there is already an “overload situation” here, as is the case in the Stuttgart News is called.
This is how network operators determine the meter reading
If the electricity meter does not show a reading, the network operators cannot determine the electricity consumption. EWE will use estimates for this, the company spokesperson said.
The company will calculate the meter readings in accordance with the relevant legal and technical regulations. “The calculation is based on the previous consumption values or consumption forecasts of the respective customer that we have,” it says.
According to the municipal utility company in Backnang, Baden-Württemberg, consumption can be read in many cases via the optical interface. This works despite the broken displays, as municipal utility company manager Thomas Steffen told the Stuttgarter Nachrichten.
Solar power can also be included
For customers with a balcony power plant or a larger PV system, the electricity they produce themselves should also be included in the calculations. For example, the number of hours of sunshine measured could be used for this.
If the PV system has an app, the power generation values recorded in it can also be included. In many places, customers can simply submit a screenshot for this purpose.
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Source: https://www.basicthinking.de/blog/2024/07/25/stromzaehler-holley-austausch/
