Hi,
I'm an existing OVO user (for a few months now).
I've been told that I can get cheaper evening bills if I install an Economy 7 or Economy 10 meter.
I’ve read the advice here - what do I do next?
Thanks.
Best answer by Darran_OVO
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Can someone advise me about how to get an Economy 7/10 meter?
Userlevel 6
- Carbon Catcher***
- 110 replies
-
30 May 2017
I'm an existing OVO user (for a few months now).
I've been told that I can get cheaper evening bills if I install an economy 7 or economy 10 meter.
But the help documentation says:
Is it easy to switch?
It’s not completely straightforward because you’ll need to have a new meter installed, and you may have to pay for this service. Get in touch with your energy supplier to ask them how long it would take and what you’d have to pay
https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/economy-7.html
Confused...OVO are my supplier...?
Thanks.
Hi
I'm sorry you haven't found the webpage much use! There's topics already going with a discussion underway, you can check these out here:
economy 7
https://forum.ovoenergy.com/pay-monthly-21/can-ovo-energy-fit-a-smart-meter-if-i-have-an-economy-7-meter-36/index1.html
economy 10
https://forum.ovoenergy.com/pay-monthly-21/can-my-smart-meter-be-set-up-with-economy-10-331/index1.html
In short it all depends on your current meters and whether they have engineer availability in your region. It's worth noting that ovo can't offer the economy 10 tariff with smart meters.
My advice would be to Reach out to the ovo customer care team, if you reach out to them using an online platform please include your full name, address, ovo acc number & date of birth to help speed up a resolution for you
Hope the above helps
Thanks, I'll contact the OVO customer care team to find out how to get a smart metre or economy 7 meter.
Userlevel 6
- Carbon Catcher***
- 110 replies
-
31 May 2017
Awesome stuff
FYI OVO use the same smart meter for the economy 7 tariff - just ask about it when you call 🆒
Response from customer care:
if you wish to have an economy seven meter and want to change your rates to reflect this then you can book a smart meter below, please follow the link.
If you do not want to have a smart meeer you can pay for a meter exchange £57.75.
Once the meter is exchanged you can then call us on 0330 303 5063 to change your contract onto a 2 rate tariff.
if you wish to have an economy seven meter and want to change your rates to reflect this then you can book a smart meter below, please follow the link.
If you do not want to have a smart meeer you can pay for a meter exchange £57.75.
Once the meter is exchanged you can then call us on 0330 303 5063 to change your contract onto a 2 rate tariff.
Userlevel 6
- Carbon Catcher***
- 110 replies
-
1 June 2017
Hi @barryb001
I'm glad to hear you can have an economy 7 tariff with smart meters.
this is the first time I've heard of a charge to have a smart meter installed -@Tim_OVO are you able to advise on this please so other users know the score?!
I'm glad to hear you can have an economy 7 tariff with smart meters.
this is the first time I've heard of a charge to have a smart meter installed -
Userlevel 3
I'm glad to hear you can have an economy 7 tariff with smart meters.
this is the first time I've heard of a charge to have a smart meter installed -
Smart meters are always free at the point of use, like the NHS is supposed to be, and long may it contiue...
I gather that currently the smart meters that OVO use support either single rate, (one register, same rate 24 hours) or Economy 7... these tend to be low cost electric from midnight til 7am, it's not cheap evenings... Great for storage heaters, tough to make it pay for itself if not, lots of washing machine on at night type behaviour...
Economy 10 can have a weird variety of cheap times, classically something like 00.00 - 05.00, 1300 - 1600, 2000 - 2200... all kinds of useful, but "secure" smart doesn't do that yet it seems...
So if you want smart and want single rate or e7, it's free. And well worth it I say, mine rock.
If you want e10 specifically that's a chargeable job, cos you're just requesting a change. And it may depend on whether they have stock in your area...
I think that's right, perhaps a mod can confirm or debunk / scoff...
👍
Wow, thank you very much for that answer. I'll need to dig a bit deeper to find out exactly what they want to charge for. I THINK they mean if I don't want a smart meter - if I want to change my "traditional" single rate meter for a "traditional" e7 meter. If it doesn't cost anything to switch to a smart meter that does E7, then perhaps it's a no-brainer...
My reason for wanting this is clear: I'm getting an EV, so I need 7-8 hours overnight which I can schedule whenever via my smartphone. It costs up to £3 in electricity to charge an EV, so if I can get a lower rate overnight (every day), it will save me a lot of money over a year.
My reason for wanting this is clear: I'm getting an EV, so I need 7-8 hours overnight which I can schedule whenever via my smartphone. It costs up to £3 in electricity to charge an EV, so if I can get a lower rate overnight (every day), it will save me a lot of money over a year.
Userlevel 7
Updated on 22/04/22 by Jess_OVO
Great question to ask about the possibility of changing to an Economy 7 setup. This can be cost-effective if you’re using a considerable amount of electricity overnight.
As we no longer offer a traditional meter replacement, in order to change to an Economy 7 plan, you’ll need to get a Smart Meter installed.
When they are first installed the Smart Meter will match the function of your previous meter (ie a single rate traditional meter will be replaced by a single rate Smart Meter). This function may be updated after the meter is installed but this will depend on the communication of the meter and other technical limitations. If you’d like to discuss the option of updating the function of your Smart Meter to an dual rate, reach out to our Support Team who can advise whether it’s possible on your account.
If an update to your meter is possible your plan will be updated to match the Economy 7 rates available when your current fixed plan started or the current Economy 7 variable rates, if you’re on the Simpler Energy plan. Our Support Team will confirm these rates before updating your plan.
There’s other great benefits to getting a smart meter installed - read more about this here!
OVO member but not got a smart meter yet? - Book today!
Interested but not yet an OVO member? - Check out our plans!
Thanks, looks like it might be a while though :(
"Good news, our smart meters will work in your property
However, we're experiencing high demand in your area, so we don't have any appointments right now. We'll send you an email as soon as we have engineers free in your area."
"Good news, our smart meters will work in your property
However, we're experiencing high demand in your area, so we don't have any appointments right now. We'll send you an email as soon as we have engineers free in your area."
Userlevel 7
Ok well at least you know what you need now and as per the message, we'll email you when we have more appointments available so watch this space.
Keep an eye on the forum too, to keep in touch with all the topics about smart meters and eco 7 as you may pick up some useful tips.
Darran
Userlevel 4
+2
I've been looking for an OVO economy 7 tariff for ages, but there's nothing on the website, so I stupidly thought they don't do one. Now reading EV forums I've discovered all tariffs can be economy 7, if we ask. Bit peeved really, as this seemed to be kept below the radar by OVO. I shouldn't really have to go to the forums to find this.
Anyway, we are half way through the fixed 2 year EV tariff and I've been told we can convert to economy 7. We also have solar panels, so it makes a lot of sense to go to economy 7, since our daytime use from the grid is reduced by the solar generation. However, it turns out that if we do this, our whole account and use will be recalculated back to Oct 2017 on the econ 7 tariff.
It makes prefect sense going forward. No brainer. We will also hopefully be getting a smart charger installed soon, so even better. It's the past year that's the issue. We obviously have been charging the car at anytime as the cost was the same. We reckon the car would have be fully charged after a work day before midnight. Therefore the recalculation on the econ 7 for the last 12 months may not be in our favour.
Being exactly half way through means it's hard to decide which way to go. Has anyone else had this recalculation and how did it compare?
It's really annoying that OVO don't really make it easy to find econ 7 on the website. I know I was daft to not realise there would be something, but we are also supposed to fully service our account online. Turns out I did need to phone in order to get this done. If OVO want online self service, then they need to allow all options to be available on the Web site. Oh well, we live and learn.
Anyway, we are half way through the fixed 2 year EV tariff and I've been told we can convert to economy 7. We also have solar panels, so it makes a lot of sense to go to economy 7, since our daytime use from the grid is reduced by the solar generation. However, it turns out that if we do this, our whole account and use will be recalculated back to Oct 2017 on the econ 7 tariff.
It makes prefect sense going forward. No brainer. We will also hopefully be getting a smart charger installed soon, so even better. It's the past year that's the issue. We obviously have been charging the car at anytime as the cost was the same. We reckon the car would have be fully charged after a work day before midnight. Therefore the recalculation on the econ 7 for the last 12 months may not be in our favour.
Being exactly half way through means it's hard to decide which way to go. Has anyone else had this recalculation and how did it compare?
It's really annoying that OVO don't really make it easy to find econ 7 on the website. I know I was daft to not realise there would be something, but we are also supposed to fully service our account online. Turns out I did need to phone in order to get this done. If OVO want online self service, then they need to allow all options to be available on the Web site. Oh well, we live and learn.
A
Hey @Gum168 I've moved your query over to an existing topic on Economy 7 so this should help answer your questions and make it's easier for others to find if they need the same advice.
Worth noting that you are right, we don't do enough to promote this on sign up and the team here are working on that, so appreciate the feedback!
Worth noting that you are right, we don't do enough to promote this on sign up and the team here are working on that, so appreciate the feedback!
I would like to know how I can successfully switch to OV energy with a regular Economy 10 meter and then upgrade to a smart meter.
From what I can see on the SSE website, Economy 10 tariffs are on sale to SSE customers who are in effect OVO customers. When I try and sign-up as a new customer it tells me I need to contact OVO Energy. However OVO energy have an FAQ which states they do not support E10 meters. Looking through this forum it appears that OVO do support supplying electricity to customers with E10 meters on an E7 tariff. However other forum posts indicate that OVO will not install an E10 smart meter to replace an E7 one, which is very strange.
I have seen information from SSE customers that they have been getting E10 meters upgraded to E10 smart meters. In fact my sister has a property supplied by SSE which needed a new single rate smart meter installed and she asked the installer about the difficulty of getting an E10 smart meter and he said it is not a problem as he has plenty in this van and he fits loads for SSE customers.
Given that SSE customers are in effect OVO customers, is it now possible to signup to OVO with a standard E10 meter and then get the meter upgraded to an E10 smart meter? Given that all SSE customers seem to be getting migrated to OVO, it seems odd why customers that will soon be migrated, or have already been migrated can get E10 smart meters, but those joining OVO would not be able to.
I cannot find any consistent up-to-date information about this situation on the OVO website. It would be much appreciated if someone from OVO could answer this question comprehensively.
Userlevel 7
+1
- Plan Zero Hero
- 4941 replies
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15 October 2022
Howdy! I just wanted to let you know that the forum volunteers have acknowledged your thread. We’re going to try and figure this one out and will come back if we find anything.
Thanks!
Thank you. Hopefully if volunteers cannot figure it out, someone from OVO can.
Userlevel 7
Hi
If you have a two rate meter, you can sign up to a two rate tariff with OVO. At the moment you need to request this on the phone to our Support team: 0330 303 5063. The only real choice is Simpler, protected by the Energy Price Guarantee. Be prepared to fend off suggestions to stick with your current supplier. As there’s not much point in switching, at least price wise.
If the meter isn’t smart, it will change over to it’s off peak register whenever it’s designed to. That might be 7 hours of off peak, it might be 10. Our two rate tariff will work just fine. When we fit a smart meter, that’s when the option for ‘economy 10’ is lost. OVO smart meters only support 7 hours of off peak.
Hope that makes sense!
Hi Tim, thanks for your reply. I understand what you have said, but you have only really partially answered the question. I would like to know why SSE customers, also effectively OVO customers seem to be able to obtain E10 smart meters, but customers joining OVO directly appear not to be able to? Also I have seen the FAQ for SSE customers being migrated to OVO systems that OVO will fully support E10 customers being migrated from SSE. I would like to know how SSE customers are able to obtain E10 smart meters given that they are effectively OVO customers?
Userlevel 5
Hey
Thanks for your great question.
I have never heard of this, are you able to send us the link to the page you are seeing so we can look into this further? Could it mean customers with traditional meters? Or is it specifically that OVO will maintain the Economy 10 function on SSE migrated customers with smart meters?
Let’s get to the bottom of this!
Yes sure. The page the support for E10/E7 is mention on is here:
https://www.ovoenergy.com/ovo-and-sse
Go down to the section which says:
I’m on Economy 7/10 with SSE. Will you still support my meter type?
Answer: We will indeed. In time, all Economy 7/10 customers at SSE will be moved to OVO. And we’ll let you know in writing a couple of weeks before this happens.
What is more, my sister was told a meter engineer fitting smart meters for SSE/OVO that he has a loads of E10 smart meters in his van which he has been fitting for SSE customers.
I have also seen a recent post by an SSE customer on an E10 forum that SSE/OVO have indeed been doing this.
https://economy10.com/forum/t/sse/ - look at the last post from 10th October 2022.
SSE supply smart E10 meters to replace radio switched meters I was on superdeal before. OVO used to support but have stopped even though they are using the same smart meters (Alcara). I live in the southern supply district so for other areas I’m not sure what is available.
It seems that as SSE is OVO, someone in OVO must be arranging and dealing with these setups, so it must be possible.
Userlevel 5
Hey
Thanks for your response.
That’s interesting, so it seems SSE may have supported Economy 10 according to that customer. OVO don’t unfortunately, unless you’re traditional as advised by Tim.
If you are smart you’ll be changed to Economy 7 rates. If you’re still with SSE, and would like to keep your Economy 10, it might be worth trying to find another supplier that supports this set up.
Hope this helps.
OVO have just fitted my home with a smart meter Aclara type SGM1415-B
I have read you very helpful guides on the Aclara smart meter and It seems that I have SMETS2 meter (SGM1415-B) on single phase electricity (SGM1415-B) fitted with 5 relays (SGM1415-B)
Why do I need 5 relays?
Does this mean that the meter is capable of handling the Economy 10 Tarriff?
It will be great if I can!!
Userlevel 7
+1
- Plan Zero Hero
- 4941 replies
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31 October 2022
Howdy
I’m afraid Economy 10 isn’t supported on the vast majority of Smart Meters unfortunately. I’m not aware of any that can. They do support Economy 7 though. E10 is sadly dying out completely.
The SMETS2 Aclara SGM1415-B is indeed a Five-Terminal model. It’s designed to be able to manage controlling loads like storage heaters so that they only come on at appropriate times (such as Economy 7 Night/Off-Peak Rates), which is something not present in the regular Aclara SGM1411-B. The SGM1415-B would have been installed at your property because you either told OVO you’ve got something like Storage Heaters, or the installing engineer identified you needed to have an existing Five-Terminal Meter replaced.
Your new meter has full support for E7 including load switching.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the feedback by the way, I’m glad you find the forum guides useful! They take a LOT of work to create but I really appreciate the fact people enjoy them. :)
Thanks for your help.
Had the new SGM1415-B meter fitted yesterday. So far so good!!!
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