Hello,
I hope this is the right place - I have an unusual power meter setup, and I'm trying to find out if/how it will be affected by the RTS cutoff.
The main meter is a Scottish white meter, so an Economy 7 type, which was fitted back when we had storage heaters.
We were able to fit a heat pump whilst with SSE, and switched over to a 24/7 dual-rate tariff - the white meter was reprogrammed to a fixed rate I believe, and a separate meter reads the heating circuit.
I'd asked to switch to a smart meter after being advised that I'll need to with the RTS switch-off, and have an appointment coming up, but the only tariffs offered as choices in the email were Economy 9/10, which would be suitable for storage heaters, but not good for a heat pump and would increase the cost of running it.
I'm 85 years old and have poor circulation, so I need to keep the place warm and I'm concerned about the prospect of paying a lot more. The switch-off advice page on homeenergyscotland.org says that "the energy regulator says you shouldn't be worse off because of the change", so I'm trying to find out:
1. Is the white meter I have going to be affected by the switch-off, having been reconfigured to not use timed rates?
2. What sort of options would be available that would be appropriate for my use case, and won't make me worse off for changing?
I replied to the email which the advisor sent me asking about other tariffs, but the reply I got back just said that a specialist heat pump tariff might be more cost effective, and that some suppliers offer these - but not whether Ovo could/would offer one to me! (I showed it to my son, and he thinks that it shows signs of having been AI generated - there's an 'em dash' in the first paragraph?)
Can anyone clarify, please? I'm getting a bit anxious about it all.
RTS meter and seperate meter for heat pump - do I need to switch?
+1Best answer by Lukepeniket_OVO
Hey
I do hope everyone’s ok, nice dual mpan setup here.
Do we know what meter the heat pump runs through? I would recommend getting the setup changed to a smart setup as i’m unsure what will happen to a preprogrammed RTS meter.
Reason i say to swap to smart is that post install youll be opened up to all sorts of tariffs which could better suit your situation with the heat pump (you have control over it 24/7 am i correct?)
but please before making decisions lets keep talking on this thread so we understand absolutely everything. Being dependent on the heat I want to ensure everything is spot on.
+5- Plan Zero Hero
Hi
A photo of your meter and surrounding wiring would help someone to check.
The rest of your queries can then be tailored to suit.
I’m just dropping by to say welcome to the Forum, and I’ve added the heat pump badge to your Forum profile. We’ll await the photos
+1Thank you for your replies!
Here are some photos of the cabinet, there is a FiT meter for the solar panels indoors.
With the flash, I see that the grey meter is the RTS one, but to be clear it doesn't use any timed switching any more - I just pay one rate for the heating circuit, and one for everything else.
Would this need replacing now in any case? And if so, can a smart meter run the same or an equivalent tariff?
Just tagging
We have a number of topics & resources that might be of interest to you:
The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free service for people who have extra communication, access or safety needs. Each energy supplier has their own PSR. It’s a system developed by Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator, to make sure help’s available for those who need it.
How the Priority Services Register can help you
- Alternative communication – if you’re visually impaired, we can send black and white, large print, audio or braille bills and statements to you and/or a family member/carer. We can also give you a call to read out your bills and statements to you if you prefer.
- Free Gas Safety Checks – some PSR members can get free Gas Safety Checks. Check if you're eligible for a free check:
- Live with a child under five years old,
- Live alone or with others and have reached state pension age, or
- Live alone or with others and are disabled or chronically ill,
- Live with others who have reached state pension age or are disabled, chronically ill or under 18 years old
- I’m eligible. How do I apply? Just call 0330 303 5063 (8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2pm on Saturday) and we’ll get you booked in
- What happens at a gas safety check?
- A Gas Safe registered engineer will come to your home to check the safety of your gas appliances and other gas fittings.
- They’ll also examine the effectiveness of any flue, the supply of combustion air, its operating pressure and/or heat input and whether it's working safely. If the engineer spots anything that’s faulty or not safe, they’ll disconnect your gas supply before they leave
- The Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI as the gas registration body in Great Britain and the Isle of Man on 1 April 2009.
- Notice of planned power cuts – we’ll tell you well in advance of planned power cuts. This is especially important if you have medical equipment that needs power.
- Move your meter or Pay As You Go meter – if you find it difficult to read or reach your meter, we can move it for easier access.
- Send an engineer to read your meter – if you can’t read your meter, we’ll send someone over to help. For your peace of mind, you can ask our OVO engineer to use a password, so you know who you’re letting in.
Hey
I do hope everyone’s ok, nice dual mpan setup here.
Do we know what meter the heat pump runs through? I would recommend getting the setup changed to a smart setup as i’m unsure what will happen to a preprogrammed RTS meter.
Reason i say to swap to smart is that post install youll be opened up to all sorts of tariffs which could better suit your situation with the heat pump (you have control over it 24/7 am i correct?)
but please before making decisions lets keep talking on this thread so we understand absolutely everything. Being dependent on the heat I want to ensure everything is spot on.
- Plan Zero Hero
Without commenting on the meters, I do note the white backboard there.
It looks similar to that one that proved problematic as ‘suspected asbestos’ on a recent thread.
Just something else to be aware of.
+1Hello Luke and thank you,
The grey meter reads the heating circuit as stands, and the white meter is the rest of the household.
As well as the solar panels, I have two storage batteries in the circuit and an electric vehicle charging point. I think that's everything!
We'd been reading up about five port smart meters, and wondering if that would be suitable?
As the heating circuit is the majority of my usage, I'm keen to keep the cost of that under control.
At the moment the only choices I've been offered are Economy 9 or 10, and the averaged cost for those would seem to be somewhat more expensive.
I'd much prefer to keep things as they are.
Any advice gratefully received!
Nukecad,
We had an appointment with engineers, who thought the same and took a sample for testing, but apparently it was found to be safe. It would have been installed in about 1989?
- Plan Zero Hero
That’s good and I didn’t think that it was asbestos myself, but the meter engineers have to be over-careful when the possibility is there.
… apparently it was found to be safe.
I hope you got, and kept, some documentation from the testing?
As I said in that other thread I’d print a sticky label for it that says something like;
“This board was tested in 20## and does not contain asbestos”.
Any future engineer could of course choose to ignore such a label, but at least it’s stated for them to see.
Morning!!
No that's fair I appreciate about keeping it all under control, I cant guarantee with the switch off that the meter will continue functioning. I must be honest i am not too clued up with tariffs but we should offer suitable alternatives.
Without providing too much information do you live within MPAN 17?
+1Nukecad,
thank you for the advice re: documentation. I haven't been issued with any, but will ask for some.
Luke,
I agree that the obsolete meter will need to be replaced at some point, yes - I was trying to find a definitive answer there as to what extent and when this will become a problem for a reprogrammed meter such as this one, but I accept that this is outwith anyone's experience.
The reason I can't sign off on getting it replaced as stands is because I can't find any way to contact someone within Ovo Energy who can appreciate that the meter has been repurposed, so an Economy tariff doesn't fit its current use case, and guarantee that I will retain a separate heating circuit and an appropriate tariff.
Here is the guidance I'm referring to from www.homeenergyscotland.org/RTS-switch-off :
"Your supplier doesn’t have to offer the exact same tariff as before, but the energy regulator says you shouldn't be worse off because of the change.
If you’re worried the new tariff will cost you more, like higher heating or night-time rates, you don’t have to accept it right away. You can raise a complaint with your energy supplier and ask them to review it."
I would sooner reach an agreement of what is appropriate at this stage than proceed to raising a complaint, but I need to be able to have the installation assessed by someone with the capacity to advise on both the technical and financial aspects of the installation. Am I any more likely to be able to achieve this via a live chat, as opposed to email, or here?
Would it help if I resubmitted the main points of my issue as separate questions? That I need a smart meter will indeed be the case, but I need to replace like with like.
- Plan Zero Hero
… I need to be able to have the installation assessed by someone with the capacity to advise on both the technical and financial aspects of the installation.
I’m afraid that an assessment like that is well beyond what an electricity supplier’s customer service or community forum can undertake - there are just too many variables. If you’re not up to doing the calculations yourself, you may find an experienced electrician or heating engineer who could help.
The big difference between your current system and one managed by a smart meter is that there won’t be a constant lower-priced feed for heating. Charges will be based solely on when electricity is consumed, not what for. You can see the tariffs available on the Plans page. However, having a heat pump and solar PV panels will have to be taken into account and will complicate the assessment significantly. You haven’t mentioned water heating - this can also make a big difference.
Some suppliers - including OVO - have special tariff arrangements for heat pump owners. Eligibility varies a lot, so it would be worth your while to investigate these.
It could be that other community members will come along with helpful suggestions, but I don’t think I can say more at this stage.
Log in to the OVO Forum
No account yet? Create an account
Enter your E-mail address. We'll send you an e-mail with instructions to reset your password.