Hi
Had to change to smart meter due to telesignal switch off. Used to have total heating total control. Economy 7 doesnt heat my storage heaters enough. Requested change to single rate and ecaul sent to energised port 5 all the time. Ovo have refused this to send ecaul after changing to single rate. Its cold and don't know what to do next any help would be really appreciated at this time.
Many customers in your situation opted for Economy 9 or Economy 10 instead of Economy 7 for just this reason. The extra hours of charging, especially in the afternoon, make the difference between cold and warm evenings.
You have asked to have the switched load energized all the time. We’ve been told that this isn’t possible, because the switch inside the meter - the ALCS - isn’t approved for constant use.
I’m not sure what options are open to you now. There is currently a moratorium on installing new Economy 10 systems in N Scotland while SSEN and suppliers devise a way for the network to cope with the changed loads. I’m not sure if the same applies to Economy 9. What options do Support give you?
Meanwhile, I’ll ask our long-suffering expert to have a look at your question -
This is where I am at
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today and as discussed, I am sending you this email.
I understand your frustration regarding your heating and the meter setup and I am sorry I was not able to resolve matters for you and that you remain unhappy.
I am also sorry to hear that you needed to contact your local MP to have assistance with your raised concerns. Please rest assured that I will arrange for feedback to be given for the poor customer service.
I understand that you had a Total Heating Total Control (THTC) meter and this meter was exchanged due to the Radio Time Switch (RTS) being turned off. Your meters were exchanged on 21/03/2025 and your energy account was updated to reflect your chosen meter of Domestic Economy, which offers 8 hours cheaper rates of electricity for 8 hours during the night. The 8 off-peak hours fall between 23.30-07.30 and this changes with British Summer Time.
You advised that this meter type is not suitable for you as you are not getting enough heat throughout the day.
I have offered to have a signal sent to your smart meter to change the mode to an Economy 9, this offers 9 hours off peak throughout the day. The Economy 9 off peak times are 04.00 - 07.00 , 13.00 - 16.00 and 20.30 - 23.30. However, you have advised this is not suitable for you.
We discussed the option of having a single tariff and I have changed the contract so the peak and off peak rates will be at the same cost per unit. However, this will not change the times on the meter.
You have advised that you have storage heaters, they will be heating overnight and then giving out the heat during the day. We discussed the age of the storage heaters and these were roughly 20 years old. Due to the age of the heaters this could be the reason you are not having enough heat throughout the day. It may be worth speaking to your MP to try and arrange for the council to replace your heaters or to change the heating type.
As a resolution, you have asked for OVO to Switch from Domestic Economy to an Anytime (Single-Rate) Tariff for 24-Hour Heating Supply. Thank you for providing me with the email with the information. I have discussed this with our metering and electricity heating but unfortunately, this is not something that we can offer as we don't have an anytime ECAUL.
As a reminder, we can only offer the Domestic Economy or Economy 9 or on the single rates and I have offered again to make adjustments to your meter, which you have declined.
the Aclara SGM1416-B (and all variants of the 1416 series) is fully approved and certified for continuous 24-hour use on port 5 (the auxiliary/secondary contactor).
Official Confirmation from Certification and Standards
Type Approval (UK SMETS2): Certified under the GB Companion Specification and BEIS/MOCOPA rules for unrestricted use on the auxiliary load contactor.
Contactor Rating: The secondary contactor is explicitly rated 100 A continuous (not “intermittent” or “short-duty”).
Source: Aclara SGM1400 Series Technical Data Sheet (Rev 9.2) – “Auxiliary Load Switch rated 100 A continuous at 230 V”.
Thermal and Mechanical Endurance: Tested to IEC 62052-11 / IEC 62053-21 for continuous operation at I_max (100 A) with no derating required under normal ambient conditions (-40 °C to +70 °C for the meter itself).
Ofgem / ENA Approval: The meter is on the approved list for unrestricted Economy 7, Economy 10, and dynamic time-of-use tariffs, which all assume the off-peak port can remain energised 24/7 if the tariff or customer requires it (e.g., heat pumps, EV chargers on off-peak circuits, constant immersion heaters, etc.).
No Regulatory or Manufacturer Restriction on Continuous Use
There is no clause in the Aclara manual, the SMETS2 specification, or Ofgem rules that prohibits 24-hour use of port 5.
The contactor is a standard 100 A latching relay (same type used in many 100 A main contactors), not a lower-rated “storage-heater only” relay.
Why Some People Think It’s “Not Allowed”
The only reasons port 5 ever appears restricted are:
Supplier software misconfiguration (the OVO/SSE issue you’re seeing).
Deliberate supplier-imposed limits on certain prepayment tariffs to prevent debt buildup.
Out-of-date installer myths (some older meters genuinely had 30–60 minute duty cycles, but the Aclara 1416 series never did).
Bottom line: From a hardware, certification, and regulatory standpoint, the Aclara SGM1416-B is 100 % approved and designed for constant 24-hour loading on port 5 up to 100 A.
Any limitation you are currently experiencing is imposed by OVO’s back-office settings, not by the meter itself.
Hey
Sorry to hear about this though I am glad to see Firedog has already stopped by with some helpful advice.
It sounds like the Support Team have offered the various different plans we have. We have the option to remotely switch your meter to be economy 7,9 or 10, or we can bill you on a single rate plan. These are the options available to you, if you believe there's any other options with other suppliers outside of what we've offered you, we recommend shopping around as we understand some plans elsewhere are sometimes more aligned with your lifestyle, or please do get back in touch with the Support Team so they can arrange one of those offered already.
I found the answer from the makers of the meter. It only a built in boost feature for port 5 heating . Nobody at ovo seems to know anything about it as its not been mentioned in over 13 hours of calls this last 2 weeks
I found the answer from the makers of the meter. It only a built in boost feature for port 5 heating .
In fairness, I can only see that you asked OVO support how to have your restricted feed energized all the time. If you had asked there or here how you could charge up your storage heaters occasionally during peak hours, I’m sure someone would have pointed you towards the boost function. Unfortunately, the function itself, or the menu item controlling it, may not be activated on a particular meter. I’m glad it is on yours.
No I had a senior complaint handler by day 3 as I contact my mp after spending 6 hours on fone to a crazy south african woman in ovo support claiming its illegal for me to have more than 7 hours heating . She even closed my complaint telling me to move suppliers or get new storage heaters. Then breached data protection and contacted my local council with out my permission.
Luckily I recorded my calls aswel so could prove all this nonsense happened.
My worry is there will be elderly people out there who don't fight like I have and are left cold In winter.
For anyone reading this in future with same problem picture of instructions included
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