Storage heaters and 5 port smart meters- Can I have economy 7?

Hi ​@Carry ,

Please tell us your current tariff exactly as it shows up in MyOVO.

Thanks

Currently on Simpler Energy, which is the rolling variable rate as I didn’t want to tie myself in to anything, prior to getting my new storage heaters in. Standing charge is 65.75p per day and 25.34p kWh for all heating and electricity.

Ok. I need to discuss this one backstage with the other Forum Volunteers. Please bear with me.

No problem. I appreciate you taking the time to look into it. Thanks

Hey ​@Carry 

I’m sorry for the issues you’re having, how frustrating.

Have they advised why this isn’t an option? I’m not a metering expert but ​@Lukepeniket_OVO is & may be able to advise?

I found the below advice:
 

SMETS2 Five port smart meters - Your Guide

You’re now able to book five terminal/port SMETS2 meter installations via your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS), subject to availability. 

What’s a five port meter?

A five port meter is an electricity meter with an extra terminal which is usually wired up to alternative heating solutions such as underfloor heating or storage heaters. You can check whether your meter is four or five port by checking the number of wires connected to the bottom of your meter.

How does the SMETS2 five port meter work?

Five terminal meters are most often used for members on an Economy 7 plan. The fifth terminal is automatically powered on during the off-peak hours of your tariff. 

Technical info here, but for those interested, unlike SMETS1 the time-switch controlling the fifth port isn’t decided by the tariff loaded on to the meter and is instead set-up at the point of manufacture. This means the fifth terminal should work properly even if the meters aren’t communicating with us. The default off-peak hours loaded on to the meter are 00:00 - 07:00. When the engineer installs your meter they’ll also send an 'Electricity Configure Auxiliary Load' request (commonly known as an 'ECAUL') to configure the time-switch on the meter to match the off peak hours for your region. 

Hey all,

Tariffs available to you I believe include single rates and a multitude of multi rates including E7, E8&E9(scotland) and E10. The 3 latter rates would be ideal for your heaters as they have various in day times to utilise them??

Hi Emmanuelle and Lukepeniket.

Thanks both for your replies and, yes, I have seen this info online and it all looks great. In fact, when I first rang OVO last week to ask for my meter to be upgraded to a 5 port (to accommodate the new heaters), I was even sent info on all of this from the customer service person, who recorded that I wanted the Domestic Economy tariff (formerly E7) and said I’d get a call back to arrange a date. It was when I didn’t get a call back that I rang again and was told the info I’d received was incorrect and there was no dual tariff for storage heaters - it had to go on the single rate. I asked why (multiple times) and the customer service person just kept saying that it wasn’t possible and OVO didn’t do it. I pointed out the info online, but got the same response - it’s not possible. When I click on the link at

You’re now able to book five terminal/port SMETS2 meter installations via your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS), subject to availability. 

in my online account it also tells me it’s not available. 

So, it says online it’s available, I’ve been told by one engineer (who installed my meter) and one customer service assistant that it’s available, but when I try to book it - it disappears! What’s the problem please? Thanks

Sometimes with complex meter set ups you do have to book over the phone. It isn’t something you can book yourself online ​@Carry.
 

Let us know if you have any issues. You can signpost the agent you speak to to this forum topic if you feel it might be helpful 🙂

Thanks Emmanuelle, but I’m getting deja vu here!

I posted on this Forum precisely because I have tried to arrange it over the phone and have not been successful.  It’s all detailed above.

Agent 1 said “No problem. Which dual rate tariff would you like? Someone will call you back with a date”. No-one called me back, so I called OVO and Agent 2 said “We can’t do that. I’m very sorry. Absolutely not possible”. Agent 2 also said I could make a complaint if I wanted to - but I don’t want to make a complaint, I’d rather spend my time and effort (and OVO’s) getting a solution. Agent 2 also said he’d log my feedback. I don’t care if my feedback is logged or not - I just want a solution!!!

Are you now telling me if I ring OVO again then Agent 3 may have a different answer?

Thanks

I can understand what a frustrating experience this has been for you ​@Carry. It might be worth escalating a complaint, I know you’d rather not but if you’re not getting anywhere with the support team it might be an option. I’m afraid we don’t have access to your account here on the forum so it’s hard for advise more than the above.