Can I change from Economy 7 to Economy 10

Hi @IanC ,

I’m sorry, but OVO doesn’t support Economy 10. Most suppliers are also dropping support for it these days as it’s a legacy tariff type. For the avoidance of doubt, OVO has confirmed that support for Economy 7 will continue unaffected for the foreseeable future though.

It’s available as a tariff in my ‘renew my plan’ page.

Hmm… Let me ask @Emmanuelle_OVO just in case...

Mine too - sometimes. It comes and goes ...

The fruits of a wasted Sunday morning: I extracted the available tariff details from my online account, then did some sums to see how they compare cost-wise. This may help you to come to a decision, or perhaps just confuse you still more:
  

Rates will vary from region to region, but the proportions shouldn’t change much. They clearly illustrate the financial advantage of paying by Direct Debit over on receipt of bill (“On demand”).

Then, applying these rates to a few different usage patterns:
  

These costs represent the sum of standing charges, fuel cost and VAT. They may go some way to dispelling the myth that pre-payment is more expensive. Although this may be true for gas, it certainly isn’t as far as electricity is concerned - if my calculations are correct, that is.  They also show that my decision to switch from E7 to single-rate is justified, since my usage most closely matches the 2000/35% pattern.

Hey @IanC,

Sorry for the issues you’re having,

If your an Economy 7 customer, we wouldn’t change you to Economy 10. Are you able to upload a screenshot of what you’re seeing online please, and I’ll get this raised internally?

My fixed rate ended last week and I rather naively assumed that I might be asked what tariff I would like to be put on.  I would like economy 10 as this is better for for us.  We do not have electric heating but we have a large koi pond which takes a lot of electricity to run and eco 10 would be better.  The new prices have come as a bit of a shock as you can imagine and we have ascertained that eco 10 would be better for us.

When I had a conversation with ovo online they said that I could change between eco 7 and 10.

Excellent, Thanks for the information and your time.

Any further news @Emmanuelle_OVO when it will be widely available? 

Is it still due this year?

How is the testing going? 

Hey @Jeffus 

Emmanuelle got an update on this just yesterday so great timing!

OVO offer Economy 10 plans for the Simpler Variable Tariff but for fixed tariff's it’s not available yet. It’s unlikely to be this year for the fixed either but we’ll keep the threads updated. 

Quote & Switch does a postcode lookup and will identify some complex meter types if we hold the information - however, generally speaking Q&S will kick exotic meters (like e10) out and you'll be invited to call in to sign up.

Any update on Economy 10 tariffs being available via OVO? 

Economy 10 is now supported to a better extent than before. But don’t count on switching to it from flat rate at this time. The support works best for those who are on Economy 10 already.

Thanks for the message, Not sure what ' to a better extent means' my understanding is that you can have economy 10 only if you are on that tariff already and you don't install a smart meter, this doesn't sound like OVO are interested in supplying such a tariff now or in the future to other customers 

OVO has just started rolling out Economy 10 support on Smart Meters as of this month. The priority is to get RTS Economy 10 sites upgraded first though - they need it more urgently than anyone else.

After that’s done, there MAY be the option to go between E7 and E10. But since E10 is technically a “Legacy” tariff type, don’t get your hopes up that suppliers will offer it to new customers at all in the future.

I’m not currently an OVO customer but my searches on Economy 10 brought me here. Just to summarise are OVO not offering Economy 10 Meter installs? 

I have a situation like many others that requires one. I’ve just moved into a house which is on Economy 7 but it no longer has storage heaters or a hot water cylinder. So Economy 7 is basically useless to me. I tried to go down the Smart Meter route and was told I can’t get one as the signal in my area is not good enough. Also a Smart Meter operating in limited mode wouldn’t be good enough either.

So my only option to get access to off peak rates during the day time and use my heaters would be Economy 10. My current energy provider won’t install an Economy 10 meter for me.

Does that mean I’m stuffed and have to go into poverty?

Hi @CuriouslyCinnamon ,

If my understanding is correct, OVO can quote you over the phone for an Economy 10 based plan but only for Simpler Energy Economy 10 - and you must already be on E10 to get it iirc.

What kind of heating and hot water do you have now, as we might be able to suggest something that could work.

I have an electric shower, regular electric radiators and instant water heater for hot water taps.

Thanks.

I don’t think Economy 10 is right for you in that case. I can certainly ask @BPLightlog and @Firedog to swing by to make sure I’m on the right track (or correct me), but I get the feeling you might be better off on Flat Rate tariffs. The reason I say that is because E10 is best suited for storage heaters and immersion heaters. It’s not ideal for instant heating sources like the ones you’ve mentioned - and definitely is not a good idea if you use gas heating/hot water.

It’s a similar story for Economy 7 - it’s really more for storage heaters and immersion heaters than anything else. Who are you with now, if you don’t mind us asking?

I agree Economy 7 is useless to me but Economy 10 is set out like this in Scotland

• 3 hours in the afternoon (e.g. 1pm – 4pm)
• 4 in the evening (e.g. 8pm – midnight)
• 3 in the early morning (e.g. 4am – 7am)

So using timed heaters during those day time off peak periods is what would make it cheaper for me. Single flat rate tariff would be too expensive.

Octopus Cozy is similar to Economy 10 but it requires a Smart Meter.

Those off peak times cover heater and shower usage, everything running on peak is low energy stuff.

Even if I did have Storage Heaters on Economy 10 it would still use the same amount of energy as regular heaters.

I’m intrigued why you think E10 would be better for you @CuriouslyCinnamon ?

Generally on all ‘Economy’ tariffs, they offer cheaper off-peak electricity but your peak (or other time slots) would be more expensive than a standard tariff. 
Both E7 and E10 tariffs were developed to allow heating devices (such as storage heaters) to store heat at off-peak times and then deliver that heat during peak periods. 
You should be able to switch from E7 to a standard tariff if that is better for your situation 

Edit: I just saw your message which crossed with my question 

The more expensive on peak is not a major concern as I don’t run any high energy appliances during on peak. It would be only on off peak which is cheaper than a standard rate.

To quote OVO’s website

“

• Does your lifestyle mean you’re able to use the majority of your energy during the off-peak hours? As Economy 10 usually works best when you run your heating and appliances during the late evening and overnight.
• Economy 10 is also best for electric”

Yes, unfortunately it also says -

“Right now, one of Economy 10’s major downfalls is that not enough suppliers can offer it – and the number that do looks set to decrease even further. 

One reason for this is that unless you already have an E10 meter, you're unlikely to find a supplier offering them. ”

Well it would be more sensible to continue to offer it (New Installs) until they can guarantee everyone can have a Smart Meter for more complex tariffs, which at present they can’t due to signal issues.