I’m currently with SSE but hope I can get an answer here as they have been taken over by OVO. I have two separate electricity meters, one for standard rate, and one for storage heater and hot water, the latter being controlled by a clock which gives two separate charging periods. We don’t use the heater except for background (low rate is about 45% total usage) and I think Economy 7 would be cheaper. Is this possible to move to a single E7 meter (smart if poss) and would there be a charge? The whole system dates from the 1960s and so far as I know the only change has been two new meters a few years ago. Picture of distribution board attached.
Hey @johnlbrooks - that’s an “interesting” historical electricity fuse-board!
Your initial question is reasonably straightforward, although there are some alternatives to consider.
But the photo raises some other factors which are worthwhile considering… particularly around the area of safety.
We’ve got a great guide to help you figure out who’s responsible for each part of your set up and who to contact when you need to make changes:
2: Safety of the existing installation:
a; The larger silver isolator switch at top centre looks like the mains incomer. We wouldn’t fit that now. Your local Distributed Network Operator (DNO) needs to be asked if they could change this to the usual 100A Service Fuse.
If you don’t know who is your DNO, fill out your Forum Profile and I’ll work it out for you.
b; The green earthing wires are too small. They need replacing with 10mm² green/yellow wire and your earth connection (copper stake?) checked for compliancy. This requires a local electrician. I’m unsure if OVO would be prepared to change you to a Smart Meter unless you had adequate earthing.
c; Your only safety (earth-leakage) trip appears to be on the input to the fusebox feeding the storage radiators. There’s no RCD that I can see on your lighting/power circuits. As the house wiring is old, there’s an higher chance of faulty wiring which could cause damage, but fail to blow the fuse. Not good!
Personally I’d be asking a local electrician to quote for a new “split load” Consumer Unit. These come ready-built with two RCD (safety) trips and a range of MCB trips which replace the present set of fuses.
The Consumer Unit here has ten MCB trips of a mix of different Amp ratings. There is a wide range to choose from. This one I found on the website of the electrical wholesalers, TLC Direct.
For customers wanting to go from Single Rate to Economy 7
It’s a good idea to start by comparing Economy 7 prices, to get the best one for you. At OVO, we’ll be able to give you a price outline for Economy 7 – as part of your quote from us.
Once you have an Economy 7 meter installed, it can be set up with your chosen plan, to best suit your home and lifestyle. And if you need to switch between Economy 7 and a standard energy plan, you can even do this remotely once you have a smart meter.
You can get a smart meter that’s set up to work with an Economy 7 tariff. Once you do that, the rates will be displayed on your electricity smart meter and In-Home Display.
We offer the latest type of smart meter (called SMETS2), which will work with Economy 7 plans. Find out more about how to get a smart meter for your Economy 7 plan.
Nice! It’s something we like to try and keep an eye out for when we’re helping out, just as a precaution. If it helps all of us sleep better at night, then it’s worth it.
Admittedly, there might be a few cases where we flag up a false positive, but I’d rather do a false positive than a false negative. At least with false positives, a second opinion from a qualified engineer can quickly put your mind at ease!
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Here’s some useful background information which might help put SSEN’s response into perspective.
Ofgem requires all Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) to change the way they work and become Distribution System Operators (DSOs).
Each DNO has had to publish detail of their transition. The ‘statement’ from SSENis the least detailed I’ve yet seen, and contains hardly anything by way of commitment and public involvement!
In contrast, Western Power has provided extensive detail and engaged in public consultation regarding their moves to be a DSO, providing a neutral service to generators and consumers.
The DSO model should be less authoritarian to us consumers. The Distribution Company should be more flexible and responsive to us, allowing communication and partnerships which are less officious.
The Heat pump Trial being run by OVO is a good test-case for this new approach. In more rural areas with smaller substations there is greater likelihood of a Heat pump increasing the losses at the transformer. A DSO should be taking an interest in this and collaborating with OVO to mitigate the issue.
To help me give you the best advice, please can you tell me if you’ve got Economy 7, Economy 10, THTC (Total Heat Total Control), Storage Heating Control, Heatwise, Superdeal or anything of that nature. Please also post photos of your current meters,
Thanks!
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I’m afraid I haven’t seen a reply from you, so I’ll try to answer this as best I can.
In general, you can just request a Smart Meter upgrade and if the two-meter setup is just Economy 7, OVO will allow that and do it all in one go. Try https://smart-booking.ovoenergy.com to see if you’re eligible.
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