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dmacbrew
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March 21, 2023
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Overcharging for storage heaters - charged peak rates, at off peak times

  • March 21, 2023
  • 52 replies
  • 2661 views

I am on Economy 7 from 12 to 7.. At precisely 7.00 a.m. every day tariff changes to daily rate as verified by smart meter console (which readings tally exactly with my bill every month). However the storage heaters do not switch off until 7.06. This means that every day I am charged for 6 minutes at the daytime rate when there should be no charge at all. The smart meter was fitted new a year ago. When I realised what was happening I contacted Ovo thinking this was a timing issue which could be remotely adjusted. Ovo however decided to send an engineer to check the meter, After they had twice cancelled the appointment they then decided to try the remote method. This didn`t work however so they decided to fit a new meter. They then cancelled this latest appointment and made another. Then the contractor (SMS) rang to cancel this one and made another, an engineer finally turning up with new meter last week. He was adamant however that the meter was not at fault, saying that it had been set wrongly and after much work on his phone said that it was now done correctly and the heaters should go off at 7.00. Of course they didn`t so I am now waiting for another phone call from Ovo to doubtless make another appointment.

My question is - is this a common occurrence? Their reluctance to put this right makes me wonder if Ovo are deliberately setting the timers to run on after time? Perhaps others should check their heaters to see what time they actually go off.

Best answer by Tim_OVO

Updated on 20/07/26 by Ben_OVO

Hi @dmacbrew, I’ve got some updates advice on this:

 

@Blastoise186  we think that’s not quite right as you may have confused the switching of the ‘ALCS’ with the ‘Randomised Offset’ value on the meter.

 

To clarify, every meter must have a randomised offset applied to the registers when they switch. So every meter on 2 or more rates will have an offset of anything up to 10 minutes applied. There is a good reason for this and it's mandated in the obligations upon suppliers that this is there. It cannot be 'fixed' or removed. No amount of setting changes or jobs to replace will get rid of the meter behaving in this way, the only thing that will happen, if you change the meter is another offset value will be set. 


To explain, the meter has to generate a random number. That number is then multiplied by an amount of seconds and the outcome of that is applied to the register AND the billing rates too. If the meter has a 6 minute offset this applies to both the switching time (we can read how much is applied too as their Supplier) and the charging. So the 6 minutes is applied across the board..  there is no 6 minutes charged at a higher rate because of this. So it will be switching 07:06 to 00:06 and the costs of the energy will apply to the energy used in those times.

 

We have made a rather poor effort in informing our customers of how the meters and overall solution actually works but we’re working on it!

52 replies

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Firedog
Super User
FiredogSuper User
Super User
March 24, 2023

Thanks for this but being half-hourly it is not accurate enough.  

I’ll ask again: Are you seeing obvious heating consumption outside of the prescribed hours? A storage heater like mine is rated at 3.5kW, so each half-hour it’s consuming power records 1.75kWh on the usage chart. If it was still using power for six minutes after 07:00, this would clearly show as an 0.9kWh spike on top of whatever else was going on then, for example boiling the kettle, making toast or (in my case) using a 9kW electric shower. You couldn’t miss it, especially if you have something like 10kW of storage heaters.  

  

By the way could you make any sense of Tim s (Ovo) reply above? 

Yes; Blastoise explained it, too. Smart meter timers are pretty accurate, so there has to be some way of preventing every storage heater in the country from switching on at precisely the same moment to prevent a catastrophic surge in demand for power from the national grid. By delaying each meter’s start of the off-peak period by just a random few minutes, this potential catastrophe is averted. Your consumption will still be recorded at the right rate, as you should be able to see online. 

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. |
    BPLightlog
    Super User
    BPLightlogSuper User
    Super User
    March 24, 2023

    Just wondering @dmacbrew if you might be able to see what type of IHD you have? 
    They're usually marked somewhere .. or if you can post a photo, it might be identifiable 

    Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
      D
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      dmacbrewAuthor
      Rank 4
      March 25, 2023

      Thanks for this but being half-hourly it is not accurate enough.  

      I’ll ask again: Are you seeing obvious heating consumption outside of the prescribed hours? A storage heater like mine is rated at 3.5kW, so each half-hour it’s consuming power records 1.75kWh on the usage chart. If it was still using power for six minutes after 07:00, this would clearly show as an 0.9kWh spike on top of whatever else was going on then, for example boiling the kettle, making toast or (in my case) using a 9kW electric shower. You couldn’t miss it, especially if you have something like 10kW of storage heaters.  

        And I`ll tell you agin. You seen to have a fixation with half-hourly consumption. Why, when I have an accurate minute by minute record? Or are you saying that the IHD is giving a false reading? This is an entirely different possibility which no-one has suggested so far.

       

       

      By the way could you make any sense of Tim s (Ovo) reply above? 

      Yes; Blastoise explained it, too. Smart meter timers are pretty accurate, so there has to be some way of preventing every storage heater in the country from switching on at precisely the same moment to prevent a catastrophic surge in demand for power from the national grid. By delaying each meter’s start of the off-peak period by just a random few minutes, this potential catastrophe is averted. Your consumption will still be recorded at the right rate, as you should be able to see online. 

      Of course I understand that  but no reason was given for the discrepancy between the changeover time and the current cut-off time.

      M.isterW
      Rank 6
      M.isterW
      Rank 6
      March 25, 2023

      I think the question that hasn't been asked is, do you know and can you prove that you're being charged the higher rate for the period from 7am to 7:06am? Your IHD isn't a reliable measure of your charges. I know this because I'm on a variable tariff and the charges on my IHD don't match what I actually pay.

       

      As @Blastoise186 and @Tim_OVO have pointed out, if you have a 5 terminal meter that is controlling the heaters your rate will change at the same time as the timer. Unless you can show that this isn't happening (again, your IHD isn't sufficient evidence) there's not much anyone can do.

       

      1992 4 bed detached house. Solar PV + battery, Zappi EV charger, Mitsubishi Ecodan ASHP and i-life2 fan assisted radiators.... No gas 😊
        Firedog
        Super User
        FiredogSuper User
        Super User
        March 25, 2023

        Are you seeing obvious heating consumption outside of the prescribed hours?   

        ... I have an accurate minute by minute record? Or are you saying that the IHD is giving a false reading? This is an entirely different possibility which no-one has suggested so far.

         

        Please don’t think I don’t believe what you’re saying. An IHD will only ever be a guide, but even so, it should be accurate. Accurate, that is, in that it will show you its interpretation of the data it receives from the meter, perhaps every 10 seconds or so.  What you’re billed for on the other hand depends solely on the register readings transmitted to OVO each night. 

        Without knowing how your heaters are wired up, we can’t really say whether you have reason to be concerned or not. Many installations are arranged so that power to storage heaters is all recorded on the off-peak register and delivered by a dedicated circuit that switches on and off automatically at the start and end of the off-peak period.

        @BPLightlog asked if you could post a photo of your IHD - this would be a good start.

        Are you able to see the register readings on your IHD? I can on mine:
          

          
        If you can, it should be fairly simple to check whether you’re being cheated or not.

        • Make sure you know which register is for peak and which for off-peak. R01 is my off-peak register.
          If you’re not sure, watch to see which reading rises when you turn on the kettle in the middle of the day. That’s the peak register.
        • Make sure the heaters are charging at 07:00, consuming several kW. Leave other power-hungry equipment (e.g. kettle, toaster, immersion heater, electric shower, tumble dryer) turned off for the time being to avoid confusion.
        • Make a note of the readings.
        • At 07:15, note them again.

        If the off-peak reading increased, everything is as it should be. If it stayed the same, you are indeed being charged for heating at the higher rate.

         

        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. |
          D
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          dmacbrewAuthor
          Rank 4
          March 25, 2023

          Just wondering @dmacbrew if you might be able to see what type of IHD you have? 
          They're usually marked somewhere .. or if you can post a photo, it might be identifiable 

          Just wondering @dmacbrew if you might be able to see what type of IHD you have? 
          They're usually marked somewhere .. or if you can post a photo, it might be identifiable 

          It is marked as IHD7 - this any good?

            D
            Rank 4
            dmacbrewAuthor
            Rank 4
            March 25, 2023

            I think the question that hasn't been asked is, do you know and can you prove that you're being charged the higher rate for the period from 7am to 7:06am? Your IHD isn't a reliable measure of your charges. I know this because I'm on a variable tariff and the charges on my IHD don't match what I actually pay.

             

            As @Blastoise186 and @Tim_OVO have pointed out, if you have a 5 terminal meter that is controlling the heaters your rate will change at the same time as the timer. Unless you can show that this isn't happening (again, your IHD isn't sufficient evidence) there's not much anyone can do.

             

            IHD readings  must be accurate as they tally exactly with the figures on the monthly bill

            D
            Rank 4
            dmacbrewAuthor
            Rank 4
            March 25, 2023

            I think the question that hasn't been asked is, do you know and can you prove that you're being charged the higher rate for the period from 7am to 7:06am? Your IHD isn't a reliable measure of your charges. I know this because I'm on a variable tariff and the charges on my IHD don't match what I actually pay.

             

            As @Blastoise186 and @Tim_OVO have pointed out, if you have a 5 terminal meter that is controlling the heaters your rate will change at the same time as the timer. Unless you can show that this isn't happening (again, your IHD isn't sufficient evidence) there's not much anyone can do.

             

            Your system is obviously different to mine as my IHD readings tally EXACTLY with the monthly charges.

            BPLightlog
            Super User
            BPLightlogSuper User
            Super User
            March 26, 2023

            Just wondering @dmacbrew if you might be able to see what type of IHD you have? 
            They're usually marked somewhere .. or if you can post a photo, it might be identifiable 

            It is marked as IHD7 - this any good?

            Yes, thank you. It looks like a Chameleon version then with a white back. Like this? 

            I don’t know which part you look at but presumably you see the heater power still on up to 7:06 (it would be 8:06 this morning with the clock change).

            If you get chance to take a look at your actual meter at some point, it might help if you can see if it has 5 terminal /cables going into it - usually at the base. Thanks

            Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
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              dmacbrewAuthor
              Rank 4
              March 26, 2023

              BP LIghtlog

              My display is the same except that there is is only one bar whatever the time of day (how do you get two different rates at the same time?). I`ll try and get a photo tomorrow.

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