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Viv1966
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April 17, 2026
Solved

New heating system but struggling to get the right tariff

  • April 17, 2026
  • 131 replies
  • 1024 views

Hi Everyone,

Thank you to all those who helped last year regarding Air Source heat pump as my oil boiler went down and i was having trouble with my housing association about when it was going to be installed etc. That was in May last year.

 

Fast forward to this year we now have a heating system ....its Storage heating and I spoke to OVO regarding all this being changed in January this year apparently yes then at the last hour it was no. Ok so I tried to look for a different company that do Economy 7 tariff.

 

Found one but now OVO don't want to let me go due to a huge bill which I have due to it being wintertime and having to use electric heaters due to no heating system can anyone advise  me what to do obviously I didn't really want to leave but ....its a case of having to but then if OVO did Economy 7 or something similar I wouldn't have to.

Best answer by BPLightlog

​... will Viv1966 be able to get a duel tariff like Economy 7 with the meter setup they have ?
  

If you’ve been advised that we can’t switch you to Economy 7 (which is generally the case) 
 

We can’t tell whether this meter is capable of switching an offpeak circuit on and off. Even if it did have the internal switch necessary, there would have to be an external contactor to do the actual power control.

…

It seems that the magic use-excess-solar-generation-to-charge-heaters system only works if the heaters are wired to a constant circuit (i.e. not having the charging bit separate from the control bit so charging only happens during offpeak hours). Again, we can’t tell whether this is Viv’s arrangement. It involves installing some extra bits and bobs including a CT clamp, all included in the optional Solar Box.

 

 

As ​@Firedog suggests, a separate supply is not needed for these 

So that should mean that a traditional 4 terminal smart meter should work with these heaters.

The balance would then be how much energy is needed during the day for other appliances and how the units are connected 

 

131 replies

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Viv1966Author
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April 26, 2026

I will also find out from our installer where inverter is ....i suspect its the loft and will let you know. Do you still want me to find out the wattages of everything?

juliamc
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juliamc
Rank 20
April 26, 2026

It would be useful if you can. It’ll give an idea of how much the solar will supply your requirements. Can you ask your installer for the inverter size too. For example on a sunny day, if the inverter is 4 kW and you run the electric shower (which may be 7 kW) the remaining 3 kW will automatically come from the grid.

 

    juliamc
    Rank 20
    juliamc
    Rank 20
    April 26, 2026

    This is mine right now: the solar is producing 1.8 kW and not much is running in the house, it’s exporting 1.6 kW… 

      juliamc
      Rank 20
      juliamc
      Rank 20
      April 26, 2026

      …here I’ve put the 2kW kettle on and the solar covers most of that but the remainder has come from my battery - in your case it would come from the grid. 

      V
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      Viv1966Author
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      April 26, 2026

      Gosh this is so interesting.....i really wish the installer had put the inverter somewhere where we could see it...or is that an app in the photo? But yes of course i will endeavour to find out wattages...is this just for the heating system or or other things? I would love this in my house as its so easy to understand.

      juliamc
      Rank 20
      juliamc
      Rank 20
      April 26, 2026

      That is from an app. I have an electric car as well as the solar and battery, so I have two apps with this type of diagram. This MyEnergi one is actually the car charger, the other app is for the battery. I’ve no doubt there’s one for the solar inverter too (my Solis inverter in the photo earlier in this thread), but I didn’t need another app!!!

      Your installer should be able to sort out the app for your inverter so you can see what’s going on. Let’s hope 🙏🥺

      Wattage-wise it’s really only things involving heat that use lots of electricity, so water heating, space heating, then oven (an air fryer can use a lot less than an oven), tumble dryer… 

        BPLightlog
        Super User
        BPLightlogSuper User
        Super User
        April 27, 2026

        When you have the visit from the compliance officer ​@Viv1966 , ask about this 

        It looks like it should give you the additional information on your system including the solar feed. It will only work if they installed the “G Control System” 

        Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
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          Viv1966Author
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          April 27, 2026

          ​@BPLightlog  ....yes this was the app i downloaded and then because i couldn't  find a G- hub i tried to match my phone with the heaters which i couldn't seem to do. Consequently this led me to speaking to the installer who said you don't need to pair the heaters to the solar panels as they aren't the solar ones. 

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          Viv1966Author
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          April 27, 2026

          ​@juliamc  ...ok i have an oven but very rarely use it, i use the Airfryer every day, but i do use the hob.  I will collect this info and get back to you if thats ok during this time will also contact the installer about the inverter positioning too.

          juliamc
          Rank 20
          juliamc
          Rank 20
          April 27, 2026

          Great, get him to explain as much as possible about it all - and get him to explain about that app !!

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            OVO Energy Ltd, Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, BS1 6EZ, (Company no. 06890795) registered in England and Wales.

            OVO (S) Gas Limited is registered in England and Wales (Company No. 02716495) at Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, BS1 6EZ.

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