New heating system but struggling to get the right tariff

​@Ben_OVO You probably didn’t notice that ​@Viv1966 showed two different types of heater, the PH Plus which is just a fancy fan heater installed in the hall, and the Solar HHR (High Heat-Retention) ones in three rooms. HHR heaters are well-insulated storage heaters that would normally be most economic when used with a tariff like Economy 7 to charge them overnight at lower cost. These ones clearly have some extra smartness that allows them to detect surplus generation from the solar PV array and use it to boost the charge, meaning less to be taken from the grid later. I’m not convinced of the economics - in this country, the demand for heating tends to be highest when PV production is lowest and vice versa. Still, it can’t hurt, especially when someone else was paying for the heaters!

What Viv should be particularly watchful of is indiscriminate use of the PH Plus heater in the hall. It will be frantically expensive to run, so should be confined, say, to quick occasional bursts to take an uncomfortable chill off for a limited period. 

The HHR heaters will need a bit of mollycoddling for the first couple of weeks to get the programming just right. No-one can really help with that, because personal circumstances vary so widely. I hope the instructions are clear enough; the only tip I could give is not to rush things. It takes modern storage heaters a few days to work out patterns of ambience and usage, so it’s best not to fiddle with settings while the learning process is going on.

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

​@Viv1966 my apologies for getting this wrong - I missed the first photograph. Thanks ​@juliamc and ​@Firedog for pointing this out.

​@Viv1966 have you already got an existing complaint open on the account? If you’ve been advised that we can’t switch you to Economy 7 (which is generally the case) then you could ask that we meet you half way, and allow you to switch to another supplier despite the debt balance, and allow you to set up a payment plan for the debt. I can’t guarantee that the Complaints team will say yes to this, but it’s worth a try.

I did have a complaint because  somebody at Ovo said that Ecomomy 7 heating would be something i could have then at the last hour it was no but the complaint has been closed now So what should i do now and who should i speak to if Ovo can't provide E7?

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.

While it’s possible to simulate a single-rate system using an Economy 7 meter by simply setting both peak and offpeak rates to the same value, the reverse is probably not true. Even if the meter is capable of recording peak and offpeak usage separately (and all SMETS2 meters can), we were told that, once set to single rate, there was no going back. 

This may actually be a bit academic. I think I found the installation- and user manuals for Viv’s storage heaters: 
15190022-R4-INSTALLATION-SOLARHHR-UK.pdf
15190025-R4-OPERATION-MANUAL-SOLARHHR_UK.pdf

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.

Notwithstanding the earlier ‘no going back’ statement, it would be worth trying hard to get the smart people to arrange for tariff-switching within the meter. The storage heaters could then be set to charge both from the grid during the official offpeak hours and from surplus PV generation when available - best of both worlds.

Setting the heaters up for 24-h charging involves electrical work inside them to join the two supplies together with jump leads. We don’t know whether this was done, or whether a Solar Box was supplied along with the heaters. Do you know, ​@Viv1966?   

[It’s a little bit ominous that the heater manufacturer’s website mentions that at least some of these solar-powered heaters are only available ‘while stocks last’, indicating that perhaps they weren’t such a good idea after all ...]    

​@Firedog  there is no Solar Box it wasn't included so don't worry about that bit.

​@Ben_OVO  Hi Ben should i wait to hear from you regarding Squad 70 or is it a no go? 

​@Ben_OVO  ...if so who do i speak to regarding meeting me halfway? Thank you so much for your time and  effort in helping i do understand that you are very busy, but just need to know what to do here.

​@Viv1966 can we just confirm what equipment you have: electric shower and electric water heater (do you know what Wattage they are?), the three storage heaters and the one convector heater (again what Wattage are they?), 9 solar panels which will have an inverter with the app where you can see the energy flow. What make and size is the inverter? 
Is there any other major electrical kit you have ?

​@Viv1966 I’m making some enquiries - I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve heard anything.