Hi - sorry if this is a simple question. I have just moved in and have storage heaters and an dual rate meter. I know my readings when I moved in and I am trying to work out my usage while my account is set up (I’ve not had dual rate before).
I have been round and round the OVO website… can someone please direct me to the night time and daytime tariffs that ovo charge?
Page 1 / 1
That will be in your Plan info. Click on this link to take you there:
Ah of course if your account isn’t set up yet that won’t work ♀️
@Firedog is expert on all things economy 7, particularly whether it’s actually the most cost effective tariff right now.
Thanks for the reply and you’re right the account isn’t set up yet (I actually had a bit of a row with the customer service guy whou wouldn’t beleive my meter was a dual tariff …. because the number wasn’t registered as one on his system… Anyway, I’ve sent pics so that is in the process of getting sorted).
So for now I just want to know what the tariff is… seems crazy there isn’t just a page that says… heres the cheap and peak rate charges but maybe because they change a lot? Hopefully @Firedog can shed some light :)
Thanks again.
They do depend on your area - that’s defined in the MPAN first 2 numbers, also the hours are area specific.
Updated on 21/11/24 by Shads_OVO
@Nick73 I must say @juliamc ‘s faith in me is touching, so I’ll do my best to help.
You should be able to see the rates for your region on OVO’s ‘switch’ page: Switch your gas and electricity to OVO (ovoenergy.com). If you visit the page in a private browsing window, you’ll not bring any baggage along from earlier searches or history. If you select your actual postcode and address, the page should be able to pick up your MPAN and see that it’s an E7 meter (the two digits at top-left should be 02) and show you the current rates. To see the detail, click on the link(s) under Tariff Information Label. Note that these figures include 5% VAT; in most other places at the OVO site, rates are quoted ex VAT.
The switching times vary by Distribution Network Operator (DNO). First, find out who’s your DNO: this page is accurate and up to date Who’s my network operator? – Energy Networks Association (ENA) In my experience, OVO’s staff aren’t very good at finding out what the timings are, so it may be best to ask the DNO direct. Phone numbers are given on the same page. Meanwhile, this is what OVO have:
Note that these are probably GMT timings, so you’ll have to watch your meter carefully on 26 March to see whether yours have shifted by an hour - it’s costly to have the heaters switching on at midnight if the first hour is at peak prices. Mine do move to 01:00-08:00 in British Summer Time.
Best of luck
@Firedog thanks a lot for taking the time to post all of that. Much appreciated. Unfortunately, because of the issue with the meter, the page doesn’t recognise me as having a dual rate meter. Though, as I say this is in hand but seems to be problematic for some reason and will take a fortnight to register me as a dual rate user.
I am new to storate heaters so still getting to grips with how they work. Also, since you have storage heaters - can I ask - the larger one in the living room seems to come on in the day for an hour or so (the red light in the wall outtlet comes on) is this usual? The heater itself has no timers just an ‘input’ and 'output’ dial
@Nick73 OK. Which region are you in? I’ll see if I can dig up the rates for you. They will of course be going up again next month, but the new rates haven’t been published yet.
As regards the heaters, I’m sure there are as many configurations as there are installations! It’s common to have two supplies to the main heater, one for off-peak power that is only active during the night and the other to run a little fan that pumps air past the hot bricks to get a more immediate result during the day. You may not have that arrangement.
I, too, have a heater with input 1-6 and output 1-6 dials. It is wired into the same supply as my main heater, i.e. on a dedicated off-peak circuit, so I’m not sure it works as intended. The idea is to heat it up during the night, but with the option of turning it on to give a boost during the day when it starts flagging. Your red light might show that it’s busy trying to boost the temperature a bit - at vast expense, because the energy being used will be charged at the peak rate.
I gave up completely on using the storage heaters after the inordinate price hike on 1 January last. I used to get night-time power at 5 p/kWh, but January saw the price raised to 23 p/kWh. It’s cheaper to light the fire.
PS A propos of my remarks about E7 timings, I saw for the first time today that they’re shown on my Plan page, thus:
You can look forward to being able to see and manage your account online once they get it set up for you.
Reply
Need advice from other members?
Ask your question to our members - they have the experience you're looking for: