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Updated on 14/06/24 by Shads_OVO

 

Update on RTS shutdown:

 

As part of the RTS Project development, we are really happy to share with you our progress:

 

As you may be aware, the RTS signal that instructs some of our meters when to move to the “Off Peak Period”  will be closing down soon and we need to arrange for all of our RTS customers to have a meter exchange so they don’t lose any of their meter functionality.

 

The RTS signal will end for our customers on 30 June 2025. The period between 1 July - 30 September 2025 will then be used to close-down the RTS signal and allow us to manage any unexpected customers impacted.

 

After a very successful pilot, from the 17th June 2024 we will begin writing to our Economy 10 RTS customers to invite them to call us to arrange for their meter exchange. 

 

We are continuing to work at pace to enable the same solution for the majority of our other RTS customers and our aim is to begin writing to these customers in Aug 2024. 

 

We will continue to update you on our progress.

Multi-rate meters are also sometimes known as ‘complex’ or ‘exotic’ meters

 

These older types of meter are being phased out and support for them will be ending soon. If you have one of these meters, and think you’ll be affected, don’t worry- we’ll be in touch to arrange an upgrade to make sure your heating and hot water keeps working properly.

 

So, what is an ‘exotic meter type’ and why is support for some of these meters ending? Let’s find out more...

 

We’re saying goodbye to Radio Teleswitch Meters (RTS Meter) and Dynamically Teleswitched Meters (DTS Meter).

 

Support is ending for old electric meters that use Radio Teleswitches. The Radio Teleswitch System (or RTS) was created to help with electricity meters that had special tariffs (such as Economy 7) before smart meters came along. 

 

Even though it has a few features that are seen in today’s smart meters, such as automatically turning heating or hot water on or off, it isn’t quite as smart. It can’t send us your meter readings remotely to make sure your bills are correct.

 

RTS Meters (sometimes known as Dynamically Teleswitched Meters), are old meter types. A Radio Teleswitch device would also be installed, alongside the electricity meter, to pick up the RTS signals and control the time switching features on the meter.

 

The shutdown of the RTS service would mean that the teleswitching features, to allow electricity meters to be switched between tariff rates and to allow the switching of electrical loads such as heaters, would completely stop working. 

 

Older meter types aren’t being installed by suppliers anymore, and many of these meters are reaching their end (certifications). 

 

Here are some of the RTS/DTS tariffs:

 

  • Economy 7*
  • Economy 10*
  • Total Heat Total Control
  • Weathercall
  • HeatWise
  • WarmWise
  • Storage Heat Control
  • White Meter
  • Superdeal
  • Flexiheat
  • Comfort Plus
  • Comfort Plus Control
  • Twin Heat

 

*Economy 7 or 10 meters with controlled load. Controlled load is a special type of electricity rate, or tariff, for high-energy appliances. It's ideal for things that use a lot of energy, like underfloor heating or hot water systems.*

 

Want to find out more about this topic? Why not check out this helpful FAQ:

 

Don’t forget- If you have a meter that’s affected, we’ll be in touch to arrange a meter and tariff upgrade to keep your heating and hot water working.

 

Exotic Tariffs 

 

Storage heating control (SHC)

 

With Storage Heating Control you usually have two separate meters. One meter records energy used during the off-peak periods, and the other records all other electricity used.

 

Customers save the most if they have storage heating and hot water. These heat up during the off-peak times, on the cheaper rate, to last throughout the day. 

 

The standard meter records all the domestic usage (cooking, lights, electronic devices) in a home. There are no off-peak times for any domestic use, and these appliances can be used at any time. 

 

What about heating and hot water?

 

SHC was designed to work with storage heaters. To benefit from the off-peak price, the storage heating and hot water would need to be connected to the off-peak meter. If you have this type of meter and are unsure if yours is connected, an electrician can check this for you.

 

Out of off-peak times, any appliances connected to the off-peak meter won’t operate, so SHC isn’t suitable for direct acting heating, such as a towel rail or underfloor heating. 

 

As long as the storage heaters are connected to the off-peak meter, they’ll come on automatically during off-peak periods. 

 

SHC offers 8 hours per day for customers to charge their storage heaters and heat their hot water. At least 3 of these hours will be available from between 10pm and 10am. There’s also a minimum of 2 hours between 10am and 10pm.

 

The times do vary which means we can’t give a customer the exact times their off-peak will operate. But, as long as the heating and hot water is connected to the off-peak meter, they should automatically come on when the cheaper rate is available. 

 

SHC doesn’t offer a cheaper rate for domestic appliances, which means regardless of the time these appliances are being used, they’ll always be charged at the standard rate. 

 

Dimplex Quantum storage heaters work in the same way as standard night storage heaters, by charging up during off-peak times at a cheaper rate. Quantum heaters have thermostats and a digital programmer, which means that operating them is much more ‘hands-free’.

 

You can choose the times of the day when the heat can be released, and you can also choose the temperature. The heater automatically works out how much to charge overnight. A fan helps to draw air through the heater and warm up the room when the thermostat senses that the temperature has dropped.

Quantum heaters are better insulated than older models, meaning that less heat escapes when it isn’t needed. This is better for both your wallet and the planet. 

 

Input/Output Dial Storage Heaters work by storing heat made by cheap off-peak electricity and releasing it during the day.

An input setting allows customers to control the amount of heat that the heater stores during off-peak hours. The higher the setting the more heat is stored, but this also means running costs will be higher.

An output setting allows a customer to control the amount of heat that the storage heater releases. The higher the setting, the quicker the heat is released into the room. The recommendation is to keep the output setting low when heat isn’t needed (like in the night or when the home is empty).
 

Total Heating Total Control (THTC)

 

How many meters? 

THTC is usually a two meter set up. Although pay as you go THTC meters normally only have one meter.

 

What does it do? 

With THTC you normally have two meters with one rate on each. One meter records all of the domestic usage at the property (lights, sockets etc) and the other records the usage from the heating and hot water in the home. 

 

On the heating control meter there is the stored circuit which gives a customer between 5 & 12 hours daily based on the weather forecast to store heat, and around 5 hours 45 minutes to heat water daily. Because the off peak times are determined in part by the weather forecast we are unable to tell a consumer exactly when the peak/off peak hours are. 

 

There is also the 24 hour off peak circuit, this is for any additional heating and hot water in the home, panel heaters, focal point fires, electric towel rails, electric showers, and to boost hot water. 

 

What about heating and hot water?

THTC was designed to work with storage heaters, and they should charge automatically during the off peak hours, along with the hot water. As long as any additional heating appliances are connected to the 24 hour circuit, they will be charged at the lower rate regardless of what time they are being used. This is not something we are able to check for a customer, they would need a private electrician to tell them what is wired where. 

 

To find out more about THTC and SHC please check out our helpful guide on the website.

 

Superdeal

 

Superdeal is usually a one meter set up. It is only available in the Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) 20 area. 

 

Unsure what your MPAN number is or who your Distribution Network Operator is? Check out our handy Tutorial below:

 

 

What does it do? 

With Superdeal you get one meter which has three rates of electricity; Day rate, Night rate,  and Off-peak rate. The Day rate records energy used between 7am and midnight, the night records domestic (lights, electrical appliances, sockets) energy between midnight and 7am, the stored records for 5 hours overnight and has a 2 hour afternoon boost. 

 

Superdeal provides 7 hours of off peak electricity over 2 periods  for heating and hot water appliances. It provides a 7 hour off peak period overnight for all domestic appliances. 

 

What about heating and hot water?

Superdeal was designed to work with storage heating, a customer receives 5 hours of charge over night for their storage heaters and hot water, and an additional 2 hours afternoon boost. During these 7 hours, the heating and hot water should automatically come on.

 

This meter is handy for customers who need to top up their heat during the day so they have enough for the evening, if they have older heaters or if they are at home and use their stored heat frequently throughout the day. 

 

Flexiheat

 

  • Flexiheat is designed to work with electric storage heating
  • The tariff offers 7 hours of cheaper, off-peak electricity for stored heat 
  • Energy used outside of the off-peak times costs more at the standard rate, so if you have this set up we’d encourage you to use more during the cheaper times
  • Usually not suitable for homes with Gas or Oil heating 

 

How does it work?

 

With Flexiheat you get one meter which has three rates. One rate records all the electricity you use during the day, another records all of the electricity you use during the evening and weekend period, and the third measures all the electricity you use during the 7 hours of stored heat. 

 

Flexiheat works by storing up heat and hot water using the lowest possible rate of electricity.

 

All the electricity you use during the off-peak times is charged at the cheaper rate, not just your heating and hot water.


 

When are the cheaper off-peak times?

 

A consumer is supplied with 7 hours at the cheapest rate for stored heat. At least two of those hours will be during the day - which tops up heating and hot water.

 

They would also benefit from cheaper electricity for all domestic appliances used on weekdays between 7:30pm to 7.30am, and weekends from Friday 7.30pm to Monday 7.30am. In addition to this, Flexiheat customers benefit from cheaper electricity for all domestic appliances used between 24 December and 1st January.

 

There is more information about Flexiheat and Superdeal here.

 

Heatwise 

 

Heatwise is designed to work with electric storage heating. It can be a 1 or 2 meter setup which is only found in MPAN 11. The meter(s) generally have a combined 3 or 4 rates and provide 10 hours of off peak electricity for hard wired heating and water appliances. It’s usually not suitable for homes with Gas or Oil heating

 

How does it work?


 

All the electricity used during the off-peak times is charged at the cheaper rate, not just heating and hot water. 

 

When are the cheaper off-peak times?


 

Afternoons Monday to Friday – 3 hours between 1pm and 4.30pm

Afternoons Saturday and Sunday – 3 hours between 1pm and 5.30pm

 

Evenings Monday to Sunday – 2 hours between 5.30pm and 10pm

 

Night’s Monday to Friday – 5 hours between midnight and 7am

Night’s Saturday and Sunday – 5 hours between midnight and 8am


 

Economy 10

 

Economy 10 provides 10 hours of off-peak electricity for everything in the home and can be suitable for a number of electric heating systems, including wet electric central heating and storage heaters. Storage heaters will automatically store at the off-peak times on the lower rate.

 

Electric immersion water heaters will also usually heat automatically during the off-peak hours and you may want to install an external timer to regulate when and for how long the water heats.  The off-peak hours offered with an Economy 10 plan add up to 10 hours during each 24-hour period – which is why this plan is known as Economy 10. 

 

(MPAN) 10,11,12, 14,15,16,19,20, 21, 22, 23

(Traditional, Pay as you go & Smart)

12.00am - 5.00am 1.00pm - 4.00pm 8.00pm - 10.00pm (GMT)

1.00am - 6.00am 2.00pm - 5.00pm 9.00pm - 11.00pm (BST)

 

18 & 13

(Traditional)

4:30am - 7:30am 1:00pm - 4:00pm 8:30pm - 12:30am

 

(Paygo & Smart)

4:30am - 7:30am 1:00pm - 4:00pm 8:30pm - 12:30am (GMT)

5:30am - 8:30am 2:00pm - 5:00pm 9:30pm - 01:30am (BST)

 

17

(Traditional)

4:30am - 7:30am 1:30pm - 4:30pm 8:30pm - 12:30am

 

(Pay as you go and Smart)

4:30am - 7:30am 1:30pm - 4:30pm 8:30pm - 12:30am (GMT)

5:30am - 8:30am 2:30pm - 5:30pm 9:30pm - 01:30am (BST)

Is replacing with a SMERT2 the only way of keeping my Economy 7 tariff. 

Yup, SMETS2 is the only way forwards. Stocks of Traditional Meters - including Traditional E7 - have pretty much depleted to zero across all suppliers, so there’s not really any alternatives at this point.

No-one has made those timeswitches either in forever, so if that breaks, replacements will be hard to source.

I have already contacted the service centre re this and they say that they can't book me an appointment for a Smart meter  as there is a block on my account. But they are looking in to getting this taken off. I will suggest as you said trying to book the appointment manually and also let them know how old my meter is. Thanks again Sylvia 

Oh sorry just one other thing, if this doesn't get changed before end of March when radio switch signal gets turned off will that mean my meter will stop working correctly ?

Not in your case. That timeswitch you have is local - the RTS Shutdown won’t affect it. For anyone else reading this, please bear in mind that only local timeswitches are exempted from this particular shutdown.

However, it’s getting old so it’s probably going to wear out at some point.

Oh wow thank you, I was so worried about this happening. I can relax now and give the folk I  the service centre a bit peace now 😆 LOL. Much appreciated. 

Hello

I have a flat with electricity supplied on the Simpler Energy - Domestic Economy. MPAN is *Edited by Mod*. There is a smart meter installed. I am in scotland.

 

I see from my online account the rates are

 

Peak unit rate (07:30-23:30 GMT) 

31.46p per Kilowatt hour kWh

 

Off-peak unit rate (23:30-07:30 GMT)

19.16p per Kilowatt hour kWh

 

The flat has a single Dimplex storage heater in the living room & hot water tank with single immersion. There is a Timeguard Digital economy 7 programmer with boost located in the kitchen model ref TRTD7N.

 

How do i know if i have an economy 7 meter ? If I do not have economy 7, how is water warmed ready for delivery and how do i get heat ‘into’ the storgae heater ? 

Presumably the solution may lie in how the digital programmer is programmed ?

Thanks for your help.

 

 

Hi @mjsc , the fact that you’ve identified on peak and off peak charges indicates an economy plan and economy 7 normally relates to 7 hrs of off peak usage although you have listed 8 hrs (23:30 - 7:30) 

Your storage heaters should be set to heat up during off peak and this should be the same for your hot water. Both heating and hot water can be then used during the day without using too much power at peak times/costs. Any Boost setting usually allows the appliance to add power at peak times giving a boost of energy/heat but of course that costs more as it uses peak charges

If you would like a little more information such as for your meter then photos help to identify. Please don’t post any personal info 

We’d really need to see pictures of your meter to be able to help at all, because it can get really complicated up there north of the Tay-Clyde line. When and how power is delivered to your heating equipment can be governed by various mechanisms. Some smart meters can be set up to switch power to a separate heating circuit at set times, which could easily conflict with your Timeguard switch. Many customers will have remote-controlled switching, which again can interfere, although this shouldn’t be affecting you if you’ve had a smart meter installed.

There are many tariffs that give eight offpeak hours like yours (23:30-07:30). Your OVO account should automatically charge you at offpeak rates during the period given in your (legacy?) plan, but again these timings may not always coincide with what the switches do. 

It might also help to see a screenshot of your MPAN, which tells OVO and us a lot about the supply to your flat. You should see it on a recent bill; it looks like this:
 

 

The box at the bottom reading 1234 5678 in this picture contains an ID number which could be used to identify you and where you live; it might be best to obscure this bit before posting if you’re concerned about privacy.  

 

The poster’s MPAN is in the question @Firedog 

The poster’s MPAN is in the question @Firedog 

 

Yeah, I saw that. It’s the rest of it - the top line - that tells us what sort of supply this is. 

 

hello folks

thanks for your help, it is appreciated.

This query may be beyond your ken but i shall ask.

There is a Timeguard Digital economy 7 programmer with ‘boost’ located in the kitchen model ref TRTD7N. Boost could be 30,60 or 120 minutes.

if i press boost does it supply a boost of power to both immersion and storage heater ?

 

The boost button should trigger both at once in most cases. If you’re not sure, feel free to give it a go and see what happens.

Please note that using the Boost Button will cause those heaters to run at Peak rates - we’d recommend only using it if you really need to.

We’d really need to see pictures of your meter to be able to help at all, because it can get really complicated up there north of the Tay-Clyde line. When and how power is delivered to your heating equipment can be governed by various mechanisms. Some smart meters can be set up to switch power to a separate heating circuit at set times, which could easily conflict with your Timeguard switch. Many customers will have remote-controlled switching, which again can interfere, although this shouldn’t be affecting you if you’ve had a smart meter installed.

There are many tariffs that give eight offpeak hours like yours (23:30-07:30). Your OVO account should automatically charge you at offpeak rates during the period given in your (legacy?) plan, but again these timings may not always coincide with what the switches do. 

It might also help to see a screenshot of your MPAN, which tells OVO and us a lot about the supply to your flat. You should see it on a recent bill; it looks like this:
 

 

The box at the bottom reading 1234 5678 in this picture contains an ID number which could be used to identify you and where you live; it might be best to obscure this bit before posting if you’re concerned about privacy.  

 

Hello Firedog, pics of my new meter as attached and I have also attached a pic of the old meter, prepayment type.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your help

What do the two little spectacle like icons mean ? - both located in the bottom right of picture 1 & 2 ?

And also the two arrows marked ‘+R’ & ‘+A’ in pics 1 &2  - what do these signify ?

Does the average punter need to know about these meanings ? Curious…

Thanks all

The icons on the bottom right are the supply status.

If the bar is down, the supply is currently on/connected and should be working. If the bar is up, the supply is disconnected - such as during day time for the second load (lower indicator). If it’s flashing, the supply is disconnected but you’re allowed to reconnect and the meter is simply waiting for you to authorise it to reconnect (this is a safety feature).

As for the bottom left, A is active power, R is reactive power. You don’t need to worry about those much. Plus symbol is Importing, minus symbol is Exporting. :)

I have night storage heaters, and OVO are denying me from using them. I have a multi rate, five port smart meter. It clicks at 7 am as the old mechanical meter did, when the night rate reverts to day rate. I work for SSEN. The meter displays 2 rates: day And night. OVO has fixed/stitched it so I cannot benefit from my night storage heater. They kept me waiting half and hour plus the other day, and weren't bothered to answer my questions. So I will leaving soon for Octopus Energy who have better customer service and will be more fairer.

Hi @Stevexld ,

Actually the fix is pretty easy. You just need to ask the Support Team to reconfigure the ECAUL/ALCS configs on the meter. It can be requested via Live Chat here and you just need to use the keyword “agent” to bypass the bot.

Sorry to hear this, @Stevexld. If you have a smart meter, it might indeed be a configuration change needed on your electricity smart meter. 

 

Our Support team can do this, and just in case this isn’t sorted, the Forum Support team can help (we’ll send you a private message now). We’ll only pick up your reply on Tuesday as it’s the weekend and bank holiday, so I’d advise contacting our Support team if urgent.

My last ancient storage heater has been put to pasture and I finally have no further use for the off peak circuit. All switched off at the consumer unit, or so I thought…

The meter is still showing off peak usage of around 40 to 60 units a week- and I'm not using it. Any ideas? I'm definitely not connected anywhere to the off peak circuit anywhere..

Cheers

That is weird! Annoyingly high, too.  Is there any discernible pattern to the usage over the week (or over a typical day) that you've spotted?


Hopefully somebody familiar with THTC metering will help you swiftly….

Is there an isolation switch on the off peak circuit? If there is then you could experiment by switching it off. 1) Something in your house/flat might go off in which case an electrician needs to carry out an investigation. 2) Something in someone else’s house/flat might go off which would probably spark a conversation and then a visit by an electrician. Either way the usage should go to zero.

It’s not just storage heaters than run on the cheaper rates…

Panel heaters, focal point fires, bathroom heaters, towel rails, hot water boost and electric showers are all eligible to run on the off-peak rate 24/7/365. Even if the storage heaters are off, the off-peak registers will still spin if any of these are running.

This is not a fault - it’s by design.

Thanks for the replies. All the mcbs are off at the box, as is the main isolator. This box is for off peak only. Another box has all the "normal" household devices, including panel heaters. I've never come across the fact that some stuff could be on 24/7 with no means of isolation anywhere that I can see. I really wish I could get shot of this pointless and archaic system. One meter, one tariff...

Just because they can, doesn’t mean they always do - if they’re turned off at any given time, they’ll rack up nothing - and I’ve never heard of anyone showering for 24 hours straight. :)

Hang in there for now - OVO is working on a solution to get you onto Smart Meters. Once that’s done, you might be able to change to whatever tariff you desire.

Since switching to a smart meter I have had no heating, despite contacting OVO on many occasions I seem to be ignored. Has anyone else been treated this way?

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