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A few week ago I had a new Smart Meter installed, all went fine and it's been just sat there doing it's thing ever since. Even had an email saying my D/D would be reduced as I'm using less electricity.
Roll on to Saturday and it's getting nippy so decide to put the storage heaters back on. Sunday morning and there's no heat. No matter, check everything is switched on and try again. This morning, again no heat and no sign of any electric use overnight above the previous few weeks on the display. I have a neighbour who is an electrician (but does industrial work) who takes one look at the new meter and says "What **** installed a gas/electric one on an Electric E7 feed, that'll never work!".
Phone up OVO and after a 93 minute delay I finally get hold of someone who looks into it for me. Cue me having to explain what E7 is, what a storage heater is and why I can't just switch them on manually. Off the toddle to find out a solution and 35 minutes later they agree that the wrong meter has been installed and won't switch on my heating. They go to book an engineer to fix it for me, next appointment is...
14/12/2023.
That isn't happening so push them to try for an emergency engineer sooner. After another 30 mins on hold they eventually agree to send someone out this evening but have had to raise it as if I have no supply, ETA of 4-5 hours.
Fully expecting a grumpy engineer to turn up, moan that I do have electric, say they don't have a replacement meter to switch me to, can't manually override the heating and that I have to wait until the December appointment to get it fixed.
I only got the Smart Meter as they were constantly querying my readings since SSE sold my account to them, wish I hadn't bothered now. At least they have credited my account with £30 to make up for the inconvenience 🙄
OVO are shocking poor CS as a new provider for me.
They have no idea on phone and like to throw out complexities to leave the customer baffled.
I'm only on electric though at least I'm not being charged for two plots of electric and gas from Npower criminals.
I swear utility companies pluck figures out of thin air.
I've yet to turn my storage rads on as like to have minimal impact on the planet whilst saving. I even boil a kettle to do washing up.
But yeah OVO - JOKER TOKERS
Octopus keep prodding me to get a smart meter installed, I'm holding them off for as long as possible.
There's no point having a smart meter if that's the cleverest part of the supply chain...
You won't get ovo to agree to e7.
Watch this space.
I left them over this.
I do how ever find my smart meter invaluable.
I was told i couldnt have a smart meter on e7 not that i want one anyway
You absolutely can. Just depends if the supplier is fitting them. The off peak, dual tariff meters have 5 ports on the bottom for the extra off peak live cable to go to your storage heater consumer unit.
Ovo can't cope with multi priced tariffs.
You absolutely can. Just depends if the supplier is fitting them. The off peak, dual tariff meters have 5 ports on the bottom for the extra off peak live cable to go to your storage heater consumer unit
I'm on an off peak tarrif with none of that now. Using the same smart meter OVO fitted and could not setup on a dual priced tarriff
Hopefully OVO can do it as the meter has tested as fine, switches the heating on and off but they haven't configured it to do so automatically. The electrician can get it to switch on using the test button but it times out after a minute so no good for tonight, more phone calls tomorrow by the sound of it.
You won’t get ovo to agree to e7.
Watch this space.
I left them over this.
I've been on E7 with them for over a year but it has caused no end of trouble with the meter readings, basically been in dispute with them the whole time. The Smart Meter is meant to put an end to it thanks to the live readings but if it takes me off E7 I'll be telling them to either put the old meter back in or changing supplier.
My friend had the same , just replace the words E7 with. 3 phase. Yes it will work , yes we have a special meter , yes it will be done in an hour.
Guy turns up. Not got a 3ph meter on board and isn't sure they even exist.
Don't be afraid of Octopus smart meters . I was dubious but now I have it it's fine. Even if means no more meter readings and the wheel of misfortune
You won’t get ovo to agree to e7.
Watch this space.
I left them over this.
I’ve been on E7 with them for over a year
Well yes but it wasn't with a smart meter was it.
You have a smart meter now. You also won't get them to fit the old one again either.
Best thing you could do right now is move to a non Micky mouse supplier.
I suggest octopus who have managed to give me a multi cost tariff with the exact same hardware.
Well a different electrician visited today, checked the wiring and said it should all work. He then connected to the meter remotely and then phoned OVO and gave them a bit of a bollocking. They hadn't put me on an E7 tariff but a single tariff instead. Cue 20-30 mins where he got them to change something, checked it then told them it's wrong, repeat a few times and now it should be correct. Not the first one he'd come across judging by his demeanour and attitude towards the call centre (was fine with me!).
Just got to wait until midnight now and see if the heaters switch on like they should do.
Oh jesus, you'd think that would be the first thing they'd check on the support line.
Pleased that you [hopefully] have it sorted as it isn't getting any warmer!
Good luck, I can't see any possible benefit to having a 'smart' meter...
I'm already well aware of what things use more power etc. And I'm already as efficient as I can be, for example, I boil the kettle with one cups worth of water in it (give or take) 3x a morning, accounts for about 15% of my electricity bill.
Aside from things that have to be 'always on', router, fridge and freezer, The biggest saving I could make would be to get rid of the kettle and not have my morning coffee.
I keep getting hassled to have one fitted though...
I'm on E7. Just got an email from Octopus saying :
The technology that switches your meter from peak to off-peak price is coming to an end in March 2024. After the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) ends, your meter’s timings may not work as expected.
So they want me to change to a smart meter.
Never heard that it needs 'technology' to switch meters. I mean, its just a clock isnt it?
I've resisted smart meters, it wont change how much elec I use but it does give total control of price/kwh per every second of every day to the supplier. And then they can do anything they want with dynamic tariffs. Which won't be for our benefit.
Plus my bill is dominated by gas usage. They came to change the gas meter once, it blew their minds that it was outside on the wall and in our alleway and refused to change it. Nevef came back. Wierd.
I’ve been on Ovo’s economy 7 tariff for close to 10 years with zero issue. I’ve steadfastly refused ANY change in meters or in fact anything that they could **** up. The total shitstorm of consumer (cough) choice in services and the inevitable race to the bottom means that I can’t be arsed with the risk. Yes Tesco ****ing Mobile I’m looking at you 🤬
Never heard that it needs ‘technology’ to switch meters. I mean, its just a clock isnt it?
No. It uses external signals.
We used to be on 'Total Control Total Heat' , which I've heard a few folk call Economy 10. This was controlled by the energy companies - they decided how cold the night was and therefore how much energy to chuck into my heaters... There was also a more nuanced set of times for cheaper energy. Back in 2008-2013 when we had it or energy bills were already £200 a month...
I've resisted smart meters, it wont change how much elec I use but it does give total control of price/kwh
I was in the same boat as you, I didn't want a smart meter.
Recently my old meter had to be replaced and they fitted a smart one 🙄
I've now been able to change onto a very different tariff and I'm saving about 20% compared to my old tariff.
I could not have done this without a smart meter.
Never heard that it needs ‘technology’ to switch meters. I mean, its just a clock isnt it?
The radio teleswitch picks up signals broadcast on the back of an AM or FM BBC channel signal to swap between the electric circuits in your house (there are other ways it could work once the signal is received), as AM and FM are being decommissioned for DAB, the radio teleswitch would then get stuck in the last received signals, could leave you on the day rate only (more expensive) and or with no heating (v.cold).
We used to be on E7 and switched to OVO in July 21 and signed up for their E7 tariff. It wasn't until two months later that I realised they were charging us for a normal tariff. It sounds like they have form in this area.
It actually worked out much better for us. We switched from storage heaters to a thermal tank in the spring of that year and our electricity night usage went down drastically as did our overall electric usage. Even now that I am on current contracts our electric cost is similar to what it was in 2020.
I'm the same as Sharkbait (hesitant about smart meters for a long time but made the jump). I'd agree with Dazzy that I don't think it's really helped me to reduce my usage but will take the benefit of getting cheaper electricity as I don't have a great imagination when it comes to scenarios where having a smart meter in the future will be punished over a normal meter.