I am trying to get a smart meter installed (and 2 very old meters removed) at my late father’s house which we are purchasing.
I have been told that it is impossible at the moment by an OVO reply to my email requesting this.
Currently there is a very old (1970s) mechanical off peak meter installed (pictures attached), this hasn't been used since the 1980s.
The property was built with the old underfloor electric wire heating which was too expensive to run so was converted to gas central heating in the 1980s.
As you can see in the attached pictures there are no fuses installed in the off peak side of the supply. We will never want to use the off peak again.
We will be installing a new consumer unit and electric car charger after the purchase has been completed.
Is there any way forward with this?
Electric box
Best answer by Firedog
Updated on 15/08/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO:
I am just paying one standing charge for the 2 meters and am on the simpler energy tariff.
OK, that’s one less thing to worry about!
According to the DNO it is a simple matter for the enery supply company to request removal of a MPAN number from the database but for some reason the person I spoke to in squad 70 at OVO said it is impossible to remove a MPAN number once it has been assigned!
That’s a bit unlikely. Of course the MPAN can’t be removed from the database while the supply is still connected. As I understand it, you have to persuade OVO to request a ‘logical disconnection’ from the DNO. Then the question arises of whether this disconnection can be carried out while the meter is in place, so chickens and eggs come to mind. UKPN’s page suggests that removal of the meter has to precede the logical disconnection and subsequent deletion of the MPAN. National Grid only mention disconnection prior to demolition, so you may have to knock the house down.
If you’re on a standard variable tariff with all consumption going through the one meter, and that meter is out of certification (one of the reasons why we ask for a photo of it; there’s usually a certification date stamp on it), then you should be able to persuade OVO to install a new one and (incidentally) take both the old meters away when they’re done. The second MPAN becomes an anomaly to be sorted out between OVO and NGED.
If they still refuse to do anything, complain bitterly.
Still no further forward, I had a DM which still states that they can’t do anything because of RTS.
Despite telling them that it is not RTS it’s a mechanical version installed in 1970 or 1971 when the house was built. This has also been confirmed by the visiting DNO engineer.
Installation of RTS did not begin to be installed until the 1980s
The instructions from the DNO are:-
The supplier needs to remove the meter and send flows advising, break the relationship between the mpans and then send a D0132 logical disconnection request.
This seems straight forward to me.
Other suppliers are already offering to do it, this is from a competitors website
How do I get my Economy 7 meter removed? We can only remove Economy 7, 9 or 10 meters if they are not part of your electrical heating system. We'll charge you £80 to remove your meter; you'll need to pay this before we can confirm your appointment. Once the meter is removed your Distribution Network can disconnect the service.
If your meters aren’t RTS then we should be able to remove the redundant meter if an electrician has proven that there are no appliances attached to the redundant meter.
As per the initial photo and my repeated comments in this thread and to staff I have spoken to on the phone there aren’t any fuses in that side of the supply as gas central heating was installed in the 1980’s so the off peak side hasn’t been used since then.
‘We can raise the case for logical disconnection and they can send the forms and flows to show it as de-energised on the national database and our system. This process does break the relationship between the MPANs, it's the next step we can't do at the moment, which is completely removing the secondary meter information from the account. We can make it show as removed on the system but not remove it from the account as yet
They would recommend waiting and doing all of it at once when we're able to fully remove the meter from the account, rather than remove the meter now but still have to wait to remove it from the account.’
We are having the house rewired and a new consumer unit installed (so the off peak side will only be connected to a henley block) so after that is done we will be moving supplier as we need a smart meter to get better tariffs for our ev.
OVO can do the job but because it leaves a non existant meter on the software they don’t want to. There must be a system to follow when a property is demolished and that meter disappears.
It’s good to hear that you’ve managed to get some sort of update about this. I understand it may not have been the answer you’d have wanted, I’m sorry about this.
Keep us updated on whether you decide to go ahead and get the meter removed.
it's the next step we can't do at the moment, which is completely removing the secondary meter information from the account. We can make it show as removed on the system but not remove it from the account as yet
I’m not quite sure what the problem is here, specifically what the difference is between ‘removed from the system’ and ‘removed from the account’. If, as I suspect, having the account showing a second meter - even though it’s (a) defunct and (b) not RTS anyway - will result in ‘computer says no’ to allowing the installation of a smart meter, then computer needs a kick up the backside. Perhaps that’s what ‘when we’re able to fully remove the meter from the account’ means. Who knows how long this will take?
It’s a really sad and silly situation you’re in, and I feel for you.
Unfortunately the process is not yet as simple as we’d like and although work is starting soon on removing these meters, we can't remove them completely from accounts which is causing further issues. This is currently being worked on so we can hopefully soon make those changes too.
At the moment I’m afraid we don’t have a confirmed date or deadline for this but will keep the relevant topics updated when we know more.
That’s a completely different process - the one for a Physical Disconnection of the entire supply applies there.
In those cases, the OVO account would be completely closed down in a similar way to if you moved out, except that no new account would be opened and the entire property - and ALL MPAN/MPRN - would be disassociated from it. All meters would also be removed from the property before it gets pulled down.
In other words, OVO would decommission the entire property from its systems permanently.
On the DNO’s side, the MPAN (and MPRN for any Gas Transporter) would be decommissioned and removed from the national database - ECOES for Electricity and Xoserve for Gas - along with all their equipment being removed before demolition.
It’s not the same process as for a Logical Disconnection like in your case.
The fact it’s two completely different processes is something set down by the industry many years ago - OVO didn’t make it be that way, that’s just how it is.
Final update on getting the off peak meter removed and having smart meter installed
I did have to swap energy suppliers, which went through yesterday. I had a call today asking me if I wanted smart meters fitted (duel fuel swap), they suggested an econmoy 10 smart meter as they noticed the 2 electric meter numbers but when I explained the situation (we don’t need the off peak side) they have arranged an appointment next week for installation of an electric and gas smart meter plus removal and de-energise for the secondary meter & MPAN.
Completely different response to a cusomer’s needs.
