Solar Panels Make Electricity Meter Go Backwards

Last year ovo organised for a replacement for my ancient electricity meter as the power generated from my solar panels was making it go backwards.

Solar panels make electricity meter go backwards.

They insist the meter is faulty and therefore must be replaced. When i gave an electricity meter reading to my electricity supplier they were not very happy that the current meter reading was lower than the previous reading i had given them. However if you are prepared to take the risk make sure your meter doesnt run backward in to negative territory. An old electricity meter will only run backwards if the rooftop solar system is switched on before it is replaced with a new meter.

In queensland nsw victoria and south australia installers are now only supposed to test a newly installed system and they are to be left switched off until the new meter is installed. This has now happened with the apparently up to the minute replacement. If they have an old spinning disk meter it will go backwards to register the electricity exported. If you have an old analogue electricity meter and a solar pv system installed you may sometimes find you meter running backwards.

Lots of people are now generating with solar panels so any clues as to the an. Their is nothing preventing a uk consumer installing their own pv panels and inverter provided that the inverter is connected to a spur fused connection this avoids the need to comply with part p. Your electricity company reads the meter and determines the total amount of electricity generated by your solar panels regardless of whether it goes into the grid or is used by your household. The short answer is yes your power meter can spin backwards when you go solar.

We ve been contacted by owners of solar pv panels who have experienced their electricity usage meters otherwise known as supply or mains meters running backwards. If you are on a net feed in tariff scheme your net meter measures your household s electricity and the electricity generated by your solar pv system. I do not condone allowing your meter to run backward as this would amount to electricity theft wouldnt it. This means that whenever the solar panels are exporting to the grid because the panels are generating electricity that s not being used in the home the mains electricity meter.

We occasionally get asked about this and if it is a problem so the following article has been written to put people s minds at rest. Electricity meter going backwards.