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November 13, 2021
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I've got a 2 phase setup with 2 economy 7 meters fitted - How can I enter the meter readings as one night reading never changes?

  • November 13, 2021
  • 29 replies
  • 1858 views

My elderly parents have a 2-phase system with 2 economy 7 meters fitted.

 

Phase 1 bills both day & night units and phase 2 bills night units only.

 

I cannot get OVO to understand that the day units on phase 2 will always read 1 because this is a night only meter.

 

When I provide meter readings they are rejected because the system is expecting a value greater than 1 on the day reading.

 

OVO sent a meter reader earlier in the year and he did not understand that the reading was only 1.

 

I have tried without success to get OVO to understand and act upon this difficulty and so I am hoping that members of this forum may be able to give me some advice.

Best answer by Jess_OVO

Updated on 17/08/26 by Abby_OVO

What do reckon then, @Blastoise186?

 

If you haven’t already, it might be worth contacting our Support Team to double-check there’s no fault indicated by the red LED showing in the bottom photos there, @lob184

 

Either way we’d highly recommend looking into upgrading the 2 separate meters for a single Economy 7 smart meter which we now offer as a 5-port meter. These are compatible with storage heaters and other off-peak appliances that were originally operated on a separate meter (so long as you already have Economy 7 - see more on this here).

 

Let us know if you need any more advice on how to go about requesting that upgrade! :thumbsup:

29 replies

Newcomer
April 18, 2025

 

Newcomer
April 18, 2025

 

Newcomer
April 18, 2025

There is not anything on top. That is the meter. The red light flashes when I press the blue button. 

BPLightlog
Super User
Super User
April 18, 2025

Getting a bit more detail on your display photo, it looks like you are seeing the screen for an EXPORT reading rather than import (usage).

You should be able to see further info on other screens. Pressing button ‘A’ scrolls through the different options. You are looking for an ‘Active Import’ (or TOU1) screen and reading

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
Newcomer
April 18, 2025

I should have explained that I am on 2 tariffs. One for heating/water - other general. The heating tariff one tariff one on meter,  seems to be showing kilowatts used ( 374) which is more than I used in January February combined yet my heating has been off since 6 weeks! When I press for other tariff 2 it does not show anything. Or for 3 or 4. There is a price of £27.50 coming up  and that is everything. I am completely confused. What I want to see is actual.meter readings such as I had in the old meter.

BPLightlog
Super User
Super User
April 18, 2025

Ok so the meter does have a reading, just not what you expect.

It sounds like the meter might not be configured for your dual tariffs. 
If you’ve got a reading for TOU1 then that will be the total reading, just like previously - not just for the month.

TOU2 should show your second tariff. If not configured correctly, all the usage will be shown on TOU1.

You can ignore any TOU3 and 4 screens.

If you can see your correct tariffs on your OVO profile page, you should be able to get OVO to reconfigure the meter to show both.

The price you see is probably in pence (27.50p) not pounds which might be your price per kWh 

 

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
Newcomer
April 18, 2025

I have reached the same conclusion. But if that is my usage on both tariffs,  am I being charged at the higher rate for water/heating? Can't get OVO, they are shut today! Said they would send an engineer out in June yesterday!

Firedog
Super User
Super User
April 18, 2025

Thanks for the helpful photos. They look familiar - I have the same type of meter.

  

There is not anything on top. That is the meter. The red light flashes when I press the blue button. 
 

The meter is the whiter bit of what you see, with the manufacturer’s label Aclara. The grey bit above that is a Standard 420 communications hub built by EDMI, the type used in Northern Britain. The two LEDs on it labelled WAN and HAN should be flashing at five-second intervals - are they?

It sounds like you have heating - space- and water - on the same circuit, which the meter should see to energizing only during offpeak periods. Is this what you see or hear happening?

This sort of meter is usually configured with four registers showing on the display, but for most users it’s only the first two that are in use. Their readings are shown on screens labelled TOU Rate 1 and TOU Rate 2. TOU Rate 1 should be the peak usage register, TOU Rate 2 the offpeak one. Repeated gentle presses of the blue button ‘A’ should loop through a number of screens. 

If nothing is being recorded on the second register, the meter hasn’t been configured properly. This will normally be done remotely, so long as the meter is communicating with the WAN. I don’t think there’s any need for an engineer visit unless remote configuration fails.

If you answer these questions, we should be able to suggest what you should ask Support to do:

  1. Where are you located? The first part of your postcode is usually enough.
  2. What tariff have you signed up for? You should have had a confirmation letter or email with details of the plan rates and timings if it’s a dual-rate tariff. If you have access to your online account, these details should be there on the Plan page. 
  3. Can you tell what time (precisely) the water immersion heater switches on or off? I realize that this may happen in the middle of the night, so don’t bother with this if it’s not easy.  

 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA | It may look as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you. |
Newcomer
April 18, 2025

It is only showing a reading at Tou1 - Other Tou readings, it has 2,3 and 4 are all showing 0000s. The rate per kw showing, is for Tou1.However the usage for Tou1 00367kw, is far and beyond what I would normally use on "ordinary" usage,excluding heating and water. Looking back on one years electricity bills, confirms this. So the usage on TOU1, seems to be combined. Now that I am clearer about what is going on ( thanks everyone) I will give OVO a ring once they are open. 

Firedog
Super User
Super User
April 18, 2025

Thanks. You forgot the other details I asked for …  Location is important, because the timings for multi-rate plans vary so widely from place to place. The offpeak period for Economy 7 starts at 11 pm in some parts of the country, but not until 1 am in others. Economy 10 has variously five hours offpeak from midnight or three from 4.30 am.    

We’ve seen far too often that unless Support are given really clear instructions for what needs doing, they don’t manage to get the job done properly.

In your case, either you’re signed up to the wrong tariff (I’d expect one of the Economy plans) or the meter tariff switching table hasn’t been set to the tariff you are signed up for. This table dictates at what times the offpeak register starts and stops recording. 

They might get those two things right, but then there’s the question of when your heating circuit is energized. It’s vital that this circuit is switched on and off at the same times as the tariff changes to offpeak and back to peak, because otherwise you could end up paying peak rate for heating. That’s why I asked whether you can tell when that circuit is live.   

Whether the little green LED lights are flashing as expected on the communications hub or not tells us whether your meter is communicating or not. Since your IHD isn’t working properly, that needs looking at as well. 

 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA | It may look as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you. |