Thanks for the update.

A current barrier to changing supplier for THTC customers was having multiple meters. Is it safe to assume that after smart meter installation it will be straightforward to choose to go with another supplier or will any barriers still remain that will lock customers into OVO?

Good question - seriously!

As far as I know, the new solution involves just one Meter and therefore one MPAN - it’ll just have a few Magic Tricks to do what the Multi-Meter setup used to do.

As for whether other suppliers would take you on, I’m really sorry but we don’t know - that’d be up to individual suppliers to decide for themselves.

I take it rollout is also dependent on whether you're able to receive the signal that will replace RTS? Or is there a way to locally program the smart meter if you cannot receive this signal?

Once programmed via the WAN during commissioning, it’ll run locally forever if memory serves.

Programming cannot be done locally for security reasons.

What if you outside WAN range, what then?

That’d be assessed first before installation is attempted. I don’t have details of what the backup plan is right now though for No-WAN cases.

How can I find out if I'm No-WAN?

Thank you for this Blastoise!

Now if only it were possible to find out if I’m in an LMA. As myself and many others in the other threads about THTC have found, SSEN, the DNO, are completely incapable of answering that question...

I’ve struggled to find that info unfortunately - the coverage maps appear to have highly restrictive security locks on them and are not publicly accessible. The best I can say is when you apply to upgrade, a check is done at that point and it’ll block you if your address is known to be in a blackspot. A further check is done by the installing engineer during the installation process.

You’re most welcome. We apologise for the delay in getting this out - as you are no doubt aware, this stuff is annoyingly complicated! And that’s partly why getting this out took so long, we all wanted to make sure that OVO was in the right position before putting this big announcement out.

Alas, LMA details appear to also be restricted information for similar reasons to above. OVO might be able to find out if you’re in one, but they can’t reveal the boundaries of them.

Thanks once again @Blastoise186 

I’m still with Octopus, so am getting all my information from here before jumping ship.

I’ll phone OVO soon about LMA. I remember SSE had a phone number specially for THTC, but can’t seem to find it now. Is there still a line going to the exotic meters team?

There is, yes. If you’re on-supply with OVO and known to have an exotic meter, you get routed directly to the right team automatically once the IVR Bot verifies your account.

Otherwise, you can ask to be transferred manually.

RTS is going away, to be switched off next year. There is no replacement. It has been used to switch the supply on and off to power-hungry equipment (primarily heaters) in order to prevent overloading weaker parts of the distribution network. It is truly a signal sent by the DNO to individual customers switching their heaters on and off.

Smart meters have the capability of carrying out this switching, but only at predetermined times. It looks as if the timings will be varied from customer to customer by means of specific codes in the MPAN. This means that a particular customer may have power to his heaters at times different from his neighbour, probably in half-hour chunks.  

Smart meters are supposed to connect to a secure communication network allowing for transmission in both directions. Suppliers and some others can send instructions and requests to meters, and meters can transmit data and status codes to suppliers and others. No ‘on/off’ signals are transmitted. 

I can’t remember your whereabouts if you’ve told us. North of Manchester-ish, the network uses long-range radio in the 423 MHz band. The network in rest of the country is currently provided by O2/Virgin Media, often using the same masts as their mobile phone networks:

The company responsible for the smart network (DCC) has an infuriatingly secret coverage map which is consulted before installing a smart meter so the installer knows what equipment he needs. I’m fairly sure the meter’s switching regime can be pre-programmed, so even if the meter isn’t initially able to communicate over the smart network, it can still do its job of measuring consumption and switching circuits when appropriate.

pDisclaimer: It may sound as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you ]

Wow! That's super-helpful! 

And it ties into a conversation I had with the RTS team at Ovo today where they said you'll be asked up-front about what tariff you want to be put on... I'm guessing so they can pre-programme the smart meter before it's installed.

Question is, what happens when you change tariff or supplier AFTER installation, say a few months down the line if it cant be reprogrammmed "over the air". How do you then get the meter re-programmed?

Any thoughts? 

It gets configured with the chosen tariff during commissioning - that way OVO doesn’t have to stock lots of variants of the otherwise identical units.

If you change tariff later, the meter can likewise be remotely reconfigured to your new tariff. An engineer visit would not be required.

Can it be re-programmed remotely if you're outwith the smart network?

No. However, ALL the Comms Hubs running on the Arqiva WAN feature a Buddy Mode by default. If one loses direct WAN Signal, it can attempt to regain it either directly or from a nearby site that still has a working link and redirect itself through that.

That may be because LMAs aren’t necessarily fixed, so individual customers may drift in and out of an LMA. I can imagine that in areas where the network is less robust, a fault on a power line or at a substation might require instant attention by restricting the load in the areas affected and those nearby. 

If you’re really interested, there’s some basic information here: Load-Managed-Areas_Guidance. 

By the way, I can confirm that OVO has definitely started sending out the RTS Shutdown letters - they’re also marked as URGENT in very clear text and the header is something along the lines of We need to replace your RTS Meters before they stop working.

I saw someone with one of those letters while I was on a train yesterday. That’s good enough for me.

Hey everyone! 

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to @Blastoise186 for all his hard work in getting this post put together. He’s put a lot of effort into this behind the scenes and I know it’s been a challenging topic on the Forum for a while! 

If anyone has any follow up questions you can let us know. If Blastoise doesn’t have an answer to it then we’ll take it away and work on getting one directly from the teams involved. Thank you for sticking with us on this journey 

Huge thanks to @Blastoise186 for the update!

My install would be  simply a standard smart meter and isolator and my electrician would sort the rest as part of rewire....but OVO s systems still say no.

Over 3 years I've been trying to get onto a smart tariff for charging EV... it's costing a fortune over a 7p tariff, plus the house needs rewired and I'd like to be able fit solar!!!

Might try my luck phoning again!?

If you phone now and ask to speak to Squad 70, someone there should be able to help you out with this. These options literally only just launched, so they’re still settling in at the moment.

Blastoise, thanks for the update.

Regarding THTC you wrote “As part of the process, your THTC meters will be taken out and replaced with a shiny new smart meter (where possible) running on whichever tariff you picked.” (my bold) implying two meters will be replaced with a single meter. Can you please confirm whether this will be the case for customers with three-phase supplies, and if not what the proposals are.

IIRC it depends on your setup. Can you show us what you have now?

But I get the feeling if you have a Three-Phase setup with only 100A per Phase, then it’s possible something like an Aclara SGM1433-B could probably work.

Guess who didn’t ask the expert that question though…? I never thought to ask him! XD

Thanks Blastoise186 for all the latest updates.  One thing that has not appeared here yet is the actual tariffs that will be offered with the new smart meter.  I see that Economy 10 is an option mentioned but what other tariffs will be available or is that still to be decided? Will there be any variable time of use tariffs or will they all be fixed time of use tariffs?

At present I am on THTC and I note that some people on the forum can’t wait to get off THTC especially if they have solar panels, heat pump or battery installed. However, THTC has some great advantages especially for people who have no green technology installed. For example, panel heaters, normally installed in bedrooms, can be used 24 hours per day at the cheap rate. The same goes for electric showers.  Economy10 has fixed times for the cheap rate and it is usually switched off at 7.30am therefore when heating your bedroom in the morning or using the shower, it will be charged at the high rate.  Any information would be most welcome.

The tariffs you’ll be offered are on a case-by-case basis so I can’t directly say right here exactly what you’ll get. But chances are it MIGHT include Flat Rate (as in the same rate 24/7 for absolutely everything), Economy 7, Economy 9 and Economy 10. We strongly recommend you think it through carefully with OVO’s help so that you can get the right option that works for you.

THTC is going away for anyone who is NOT in a Load Managed Area, that much is certain and you wouldn’t be able to pick that route in those cases. It is worth noting that E7, E9 and E10 are not quite the same as “Time-of-Use Tariffs” as such - that’s a completely different system altogether.

The new style of ToU Tariff is very much still a beta thing that the industry appears to be somewhat nervous about right now. I’m not sure now would be the right time to jump onto one directly from THTC - you’re probably better off having something with fixed times for now.