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Hi, hoping someone may be able to help with this - I’m having an absolute NIGHTMARE trying to get through to a OVO/SSE department who is able to help progress this.

Not sure if they’re going through a change with call centres or the like but there’s a language barrier happening and the operators, in the several departments I’ve tried to speak to, over several hours, can’t understand the technical aspects and vocabulary such as fifth terminal, secondary contactor, etc, only picking up on words like ‘heating’ ‘not’ ‘working’ until eventually I was put through to a lady in Scotland who is in the home cover insurance department for when your boiler or water heater stops working!

Any help in getting through to the proper support line would be really helpful - I can sympathise with the call centres abroad not understanding the technical aspects, as it’s a totally different language for everyone whatever their first language - but at the moment I have a OSO 210L water heater that’s only half-working (on a very expensive day tariff!) because the fifth terminal which feeds the bottom element isn’t getting any electricity during the night when it should.

Basically, I had an Alcara SGM1416-B smart meter fitted a few days ago, and noticed the bottom element didn’t kick in during the night (more obvious now that I have a smart monitor to help look for the 3kW spikes).  Second night, after reading the Alcara manual to work out what I should look out for, I stayed up until 00:30 to check the status of the secondary contactor, which should show a ‘closed’ switch symbol around this time when the tariff changes from day to night (I can confirm the night-tariff changeover is working fine, on 00:30, off 07:30).  As far as any movement goes on the secondary contactor - not a sausage - no change on the digital display - no click heard like before.

 

Apologies not easy to see but bottom right of digital display shows open switch symbol (o/o) for secondary contactor when it should show closed (o-o).  This taken just after 00:30 tariff change.
Much easier to see on this photo, bottom right of digital display, secondary contactor still open (o/o).  This taken just before tariff changes back to day rate.

Fortunately I had the installer’s mobile number, so called him, and he suggested it’s a faulty meter and needs to be sorted - but I’d need to go through customer service to organise this - which is proving a very difficult problem!!!  I seem only to be left with writing to Smart Customer Services at the Havant address, but this would seem to be a very long way around.

I’ve just messaged the installer to ask if he did an ECAUL and waiting a response - not sure though if he might go silent on me because he has plenty to be getting on with.  I know the tariff change may not exactly correspond to the secondary contactor change (hence the ECAUL query) but in this case it’s not activating at all, at any time throughout the day.

All help and guidance will be gratefully received.  Many thanks in advance.

 

PS You may also notice that the smart monitor is not fully configuring - showing 0.000p standing charge - that would be nice 😶

Thank you very much, it looks like that is what's happening. You obviously know your stuff! it's a bit technical for me but I think I've got it!

We shouldn't have to do this sort of investigation, I’ve got time, but what about all those who don't have time or who accept what OVO have set up!

Thanks again, I’ll waste another 3 hours on web chat with numpties who don't have a clue! I’ll let you know how I get on.

Hey @pegem,

 

Let us know if you have any issues getting through to the support team. 

We have now been told that OVO don't offer E10 & we should never have been offered it! It appears that we had a Smart Meter fitted on Economy 10 with SSE in March. When we migrated to OVO in August Economy 10 wasn't a tariff OVO offered so we have been on E7 since But NOBODY TOLD US!! The local setup still thinks we are on E10 and the heating etc. still boosts for 10 hours per day, but that means 5 hours at expensive heating! The charging pattern on Storage Radiators is still E10 but we have losing  5 hours of cheap electricity a day! OVO are registering on their system, at best E7 at worst flat rate. There's talk of compensation, well see! Disgraceful! We can't be the only customers affect by this.

It explains why it was so difficult to reconcile readings with usage!

That is disgraceful, and I wonder if you were misled. If I visit plans.ovoenergy.com and enter a postcode near yours, then select filters for Electricity | Available for sale | Multi rate | Direct Debit,  I find this option:
  

  
I can’t imagine why they would advertise it for sale, but then claim not to offer it.

 

Thanks for that, As I understand it E10 is fine on traditional meters, it's so called 'Smart' meters that are incompatible. Why I don't know. Two months I've been trying to get this sorted!

Hey @pegem,

 

That is frustrating news, I’m glad to hear you’re taking it further and I hope you get an adequate resolution.

 

I’ve asked for clarity, but as far as I was aware smart meters are Economy 7. So although we now provide Economy 10 plans, smart meter peak/off peak hours would be Economy 7. 

 

 

I’ll report back if I hear differently.

Hey @pegem,

 

That is frustrating news, I’m glad to hear you’re taking it further and I hope you get an adequate resolution.

 

I’ve asked for clarity, but as far as I was aware smart meters are Economy 7. So although we now provide Economy 10 plans, smart meter peak/off peak hours would be Economy 7. 

 

 

I’ll report back if I hear differently.

Did you make any progress @Emmanuelle_OVO 

The ovo website says you do have plans with smart meters with 3 off peak periods 

For example:

https://www.ovoenergy.com/help/article/electric-heating/economy-9

 

Hey @Jeffus,

 

The response I received:

 

OVO support all the installed meters out there from a Supplier perspective. We do not, and are not required to, support all tariffs out there. No Supplier is required to do that. There is a set of tariffs we must support but there are no meters we don't support via being able to obtain a reading and provide a bill for the energy. There are certain types we cannot install but that a conscious decisions to do so at this time as we've  alternative solutions for those. 

 

I still think it’s worth the customer pursuing the complaints route if they were on a fixed tariff for Economy 10 with their previous supplier, as these rates should be honored. 

Hey @Jeffus,

 

The response I received:

 

OVO support all the installed meters out there from a Supplier perspective. We do not, and are not required to, support all tariffs out there. No Supplier is required to do that. There is a set of tariffs we must support but there are no meters we don't support via being able to obtain a reading and provide a bill for the energy. There are certain types we cannot install but that a conscious decisions to do so at this time as we've  alternative solutions for those. 

 

I still think it’s worth the customer pursuing the complaints route if they were on a fixed tariff for Economy 10 with their previous supplier, as these rates should be honored. 

Sorry I have no idea what that means.

On the website is says 

Hey @Jeffus,

 

The response I received:

 

OVO support all the installed meters out there from a Supplier perspective. We do not, and are not required to, support all tariffs out there. No Supplier is required to do that. There is a set of tariffs we must support but there are no meters we don't support via being able to obtain a reading and provide a bill for the energy. There are certain types we cannot install but that a conscious decisions to do so at this time as we've  alternative solutions for those. 

 

I still think it’s worth the customer pursuing the complaints route if they were on a fixed tariff for Economy 10 with their previous supplier, as these rates should be honored. 

Yep I think the tariff should be honored as you say @Emmanuelle_OVO 

I have been on the forum for many years, I still don't understand what that response you kindly got actually means in practice.

Is thus actually available to customers?

 

I think what happened @Jeffus is they switched before Economy 10 was available, so they defaulted to an Economy 7 plan. Perhaps they were on a variable contract? 

 

We now offer Economy 10 plans, so I think we should honor this. 

Shortly after moving to my all electric flat 18 months ago I requested a Smart meter. 

A SMETS2 5 terminal meter was installed and due to extortionate usage I have discovered that the 5th terminal does NOT switch off the electric water heater supply outside of Economy 7 hours.

This has been confirmed by an OVO service engineer and the Gledhill water heater supplier, who both tell me the water heater should only be being supplied with electricity during the Economy 7 period of 00:00 to 07:00.

Is the 5th terminal remotely switched by OVO? If so can this be corrected?

OVO tell me I just need to “adjust the timer on the wall”. I don’t have one!

Hi @PeterWeller ,

It’s locally controlled if you’re on a Smart Meter. However, a quick reconfiguration of ECAUL/ALCS via SMETS Command should fix that. Please ask OVO Support to do this and in most cases, they will.

However, as you seem to have gone that way already, please wait for an update here. I will play my joker card - but this may take some time.

It would have helped to be able to see a photo of the meter: there are several varieties, with different configurations.

In most cases the fifth contactor is controlled by an Auxiliary Load Control Switch (ALCS) within the meter, and this should be set up to match the timings in your plan to avoid just the situation you seem to be in. OVO should be able to to do this remotely; you’d ask Support to get the smart team to send the ECAUL request to configure your ALCS.

 

Hi @PeterWeller, 

 

I’m really sorry for the issues you’ve been experiencing.

 

I’m going to have our Forum Support team reach out to you so they can help you further with this.

Look out for a private message here soon: https://forum.ovoenergy.com/inbox/overview.

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