Can I get a replacement E10 smart meter through E.ON as they're saying I can't?

The offpeak hours for a tariff like Economy 10 are agreed between electricity suppliers and distributors (DNOs). The hours will usually be the same for customers of all suppliers in a particular region, but there are exceptions. A SMETS2 smart meter can be configured for E10 timings, but not every supplier can support complex plans like this. 

• Who is your current supplier?
• What DNO region are you in? 
• What are the offpeak times you currently enjoy?
• Why is your meter due for replacement? It may just be too old (its certification has expired or is about to expire), it may be controlled by RTS which is closing down next month, or it may be faulty. 

Thanks for your message. Much appreciated.

In answer to your questions  :-

Current supplier is Eon  and  the contract is Next Fixed 24m v18

​​​​​​Region : Central Scotland. 18 ?

​​​​​​Off-peak times are 4.30-7.30 plus 13.00-16.00 plus 20.30-0.30. E10 meter

Meter dated 2007

Had a message from Eon saying e10 meter was needing replacement

Looking for new e10 meter with hopefully a fixed 18 month contract.

Eon state they can't replace with an E10 Meter

Thanks ahain

Thank you. DNO area ID 18 is ‘Southern Scotland’, where Scottish Power reigns supreme. A SMETS2 smart meter is quite capable of managing an E10 tariff, but whether E.On can manage an arrangement like that is a different question. It could well be that customer service have instructions to say flat out no, while the technical teams might know it’s feasible if not straightforward. I don’t think E.On can get away with exchanging your meter for anything other than a smart meter, though. 

Thanks for your message.

As a secondary issue Eon say that as my e10 meter needs replacing , they can only offer me a new smart meter that will only provide electricity from 00.30 - 07.30 ( i.e. only 7 hours and not the 10 that our current contract allows ). These "new" 7 hours are  not of much help !!

Any thoughts please !!

​@Dreghorn1 thanks for your post.

I can see ​@Firedog has given some really helpful replies here already. I just wanted to add that, at the moment, because Eon are your supplier they are responsible for replacing your faulty meter. I’ve been digging about on their website, and can see that there is mention of Economy 10 on this page.

I can’t speak for their terms and conditions or specific tariff details - maybe they are unable to configure a new smart meter as Economy 10. Maybe see if you can speak to someone higher up, or get your query escalated. I hope you can get it sorted!

It sounds as if you’re not getting very far with the agents you’ve been in contact with. You might consider submitting a formal complaint, which should get you a dedicated case handler who can pester the appropriate people within E.On Next to solve the problem.

If you go down this route, be sure to keep it simple and stick to facts, avoiding speculation and hearsay. Point out that:

• You have been on E.On Next’s [details] Economy 10 tariff since [date];
• You are told by [details] that your meter has to be exchanged. You understand that the new meter will be a smart one;
• Your household heating equipment is optimized for the E10 offpeak timings including several hours’ daytime charging of the storage heaters;
• You are told by [details] that the new meter wouldn’t be able to manage an E10 tariff. Insist on getting a new meter that allows you to stay on the same tariff terms as at present.

See what they say, and mention that you will be asking the Energy Ombudsman to intervene if they can’t promise an acceptable outcome. 

I'm operating completely out of my depth here but in those situations where I'm interested in the answer as well I turn to AI and this is what ChatGPT has to say:

In the UK, a company that wishes to become an energy supplier is not legally obliged to offer specific tariffs like Economy 7 (E7) or Economy 10 (E10) as a minimum. However, they must comply with Ofgem regulations, including offering fair and transparent tariffs, and serving customers with restricted meters (meters that can only be used with specific tariffs) in a non-discriminatory way.

Here's what suppliers must do:

1. Support for Restricted Meters

If a customer has an Economy 7 or Economy 10 meter, the supplier must either:

Offer a compatible tariff (e.g. an E7 tariff), or

Offer an alternative solution such as a meter exchange or a different pricing structure that doesn’t disadvantage the customer.


This is part of their duty under Standard Licence Condition 22, which addresses how suppliers deal with customers with non-standard metering.

2. Fair Treatment of Existing Tariffs

If a customer is already on an E7 or E10 tariff when switching, the supplier must:

Allow the customer to retain that tariff (if possible), or

Offer a reasonable alternative without imposing financial penalties or forcing meter changes unless necessary.


3. Obligation to Serve

Larger suppliers (especially under the Supplier of Last Resort scheme) may be required to accept customers from other failed suppliers, and thus must be prepared to accommodate a wide range of metering setups.

Summary:

No obligation to offer E7 or E10 as a minimum, but

Must support customers who already use those meters,

Must comply with Ofgem rules on fair treatment and compatibility,

It's good practice (and often necessary for competitiveness) to offer E7 at a minimum, since it's widely used.
 

ChatGPT

I think the important point here us that the supplier must offer fair treatment and not disadvantage you especially as they are the ones instigating the change and I think that is a key point to make to them or if you take ​@Firedog’s suggest and ask for an intervention. Hope that goes well.

Peter

Wow !!!

Thanks so much to you all. You have given me hope that the e-mail I have just sent to Eon will have a positive outcome.  I have just fired off the points as an escalation and if that doesn’t work will lodge a formal complaint.

Your support is much appreciated by this pensioner and thank you all once again.

Good afternoon,

Well my hopes have somewhat been dashed. This is the response I have received back fron Eon and I would welcome any thoughts as to how I could progress this issue.

In anticipation, many thanks.

(from Eon)

As a business, we categorically do not offer e10 to any customers who are looking to upgrade or have their meters changed. This is because we no longer actually offer e10 - many suppliers also do not offer these across the UK and they have no longer continued to be manufactured.

We do not stock any e10 meters at all. For our customers on e10 meters, you are more than welcome to keep the current set up, however any upgrades or meter replacements can only be carried out with the stock we have available. If you are adamant in wanting to keep the e10 set up, I would advise you to consider your options elsewhere - regardless of how much this can be escalated it's simply not possible for E.ON Next to offer you the same set up moving forward.

Hope this helps,

Oh dear. I think you’re in the realms of “… customer service have instructions to say flat out no, while the technical teams might know it’s feasible if not straightforward.” SMETS2 smart meters are capable of handling all manner of esoteric tariffs, so there is not really any such animal as an ‘e10 meter’ these days. 

It’s significant that E.On Next are insisting on exchanging your meter. They are required by law to provide you with a meter certified to be accurate, so they are in as much of a quandary as you are if they can’t do this without imposing a financial burden on you.  If I were you, I’d ask whoever provided the response you quoted above to issue a deadlock letter stating that they will not comply with your request. You can then take the case straight to the Energy Ombudsman for adjudication.

Just for interest’s sake, here’s another thread about E.On Next and Economy 10, showing that they can install a smart meter and have it configured to run an Economy 10 tariff: Economy 10 - Smart Meter - E.ON Next Community. Note that this is in Eastern England (UKPN), so it’s no proof that they could also do this in Southern Scotland (SPEN). It would be interesting to know why they couldn’t, though, since you’re currently being billed on an E10 plan …

Thanks Firedog , as always, so helpful.

Much appreciated.

Kind regards

​@Dreghorn1 If I had got that letter from E.ON it would be like a red rag to a bull so I went back to ChatGPT to see if it could cast any further illumination on the Economy 10 / SPEN combination and it came up with this:

Economy 10 meters can be available in Southern Scotland (including the SP Energy Networks (SPEN) distribution area), but availability depends on a few factors:

1. Electricity Supplier Support

Not all suppliers support Economy 10 tariffs—even in areas where the network supports it. You'll need to check with suppliers that offer Economy 10 in SPEN, such as:

Scottish Power

SSE (now part of OVO Energy)

EDF Energy

E.ON Next (rare, but worth checking)


Some suppliers might only offer Economy 7, which is more common but gives fewer off-peak hours.

2. Meter Configuration

SPEN supports the infrastructure for multi-rate tariffs like Economy 10, but:

Your current meter might need to be upgraded or replaced.

The meter has to be programmed correctly for the 10 hours of off-peak electricity (spread across day/night/weekend).


3. Property Suitability

Economy 10 works best for homes using electric heating systems like:

Electric storage heaters

Wet electric systems

Underfloor heating


What You Can Do:

Call your current supplier and ask if they support Economy 10 in your postcode. [We've probably covered that]

Ask SPEN or your DNO directly whether your local network supports multi-rate metering.

Compare suppliers that offer Economy 10 and confirm they serve your area.


If you'd like, I can help you find suppliers currently offering Economy 10 in your region—just let me know your postcode or the first part (e.g., "EH48").
 

ChatGPT

Interesting that it mentioned E.ON

In the end I suppose it depends how much mud wrestling you want to do with E.ON so you could take ​@Firedog’s line with the deadlock letter or if you give me the first part of your postcode (by direct message if you don't want it to be public on here) then I could possibly find other suppliers who are willing to treat you as a valued customer and resolve your issue.

Peter

PS It would be mud wrestling all the way for me, however, it might be a pyrrhic victory in that even if E.ON gave up and waved the white flag, if it ever went wrong it might take ages to fix any technical or billing problem.

Thanks Peter for your message.

I have an e10 meter ( since 2007) and my current Eon contract is a fixed rate one until August 2026 with which I am happy and would be reluctant to move as we are ok with the rates.

Location is, as youu have surmised, EH48 

Kind regards

Ok. This is what came back which I’ve not edited. Obviously E.ON can be disregarded but it would be a case whether you can get E10 with someone else. I hope there is something useful here.

Peter

ChatGPT said:

Good aftrenoon one and all,

Please see below a further communication I have just received from Eon. Things MIGHT be looking up although I have asked for the pricing for each period as well as if it is for a fixed period ( which I am after).

Kind regards

(from Eon)

I understand that what we are offering isn't exactly the same as what you currently have - and I have outlined the reasons in previous emails.

We are only able to program the new smart meters to an eco7 set up, however we have recently introduced a new tariff which is the Next Smart Savers. At the moment this is only available to customers with a smart meter and includes different rates:

• Peak, 4pm-7pm
• Super Off-Peak, 2am-5am
• Off-Peak (all other times)

As you don't currently have a smart meter we cannot quote you on this tariff but if you do choose to upgrade we will be able to share more details.

This is the only other option I can think of that is potentially similar to your current set up.

I suppose they have at least addressed the fair treatment for existing customers requirement and which sort of puts the ball back in your court so you would at least need to evaluate their offer before lodging a complaint. I think it is now down to you to decide which way to go with the options laid out above so I don't feel we can help in any particular way at this point.

However, if you need any further help or information please come back on here and tag at least one of us including ​@Ben_OVO and we'll see what we can do.

Peter et al

Best of luck with this ​@Dreghorn1, please feel free to keep us updated here!

I’m in agreement with ​@Firedog that sometimes the lines between ‘can’t’ and ‘won’t’ can be blurred, and sometimes this means escalating a complaint to a higher level unfortunately.

Just want to say a big thanks to ​@Firedog and ​@Peter E for giving such great advice (as usual) on this topic 👏

I found this on MSE which gives the rates and says they are fixed for 12 months:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/are-there-any-cheap-fixed-energy-deals-currently-worth-it/

E.on Next Smart Saver - cheaper off-peak electricity for all

Unless you've Economy 7, most time of use tariffs are usually aimed at households with an EV or heat pump. Yet E.on Next has recently launched a time of use tariff available to any dual-fuel or electricity-only household.

The E.on Next Smart Saver tariff offers three electricity rates throughout the day:

• Off-peak (5am-4pm and 7pm-2am) - 20.11 p/kWh.

• Super off-peak (2am-5am) - 16.33 p/kWh.

• Peak (4pm-7pm) – 38.48 p/kWh.

On the Price Cap, you pay 27.03p/kWh, on average - so both the off-peak and super off-peak rates are much cheaper, yet the evening peak rate is around 40% more than the Cap. So if you can avoid using electricity during that time, you'll likely be able to save against the Price Cap.

However, unless you can fully shift use out of the peak evening period, it's likely most would be better off on one of the cheapest fixes on the market.

The standing charges for both gas and electricity on E.on Next's Smart Saver tariff are set at the Price Cap, while gas rates are slightly cheaper (6.48p/kWh on average compared to 6.99p/kWh under the current Price Cap).

The rates are fixed for 12 months, but there are no early exit fees, so you can switch to another tariff or supplier if you find this isn’t working for you.

Good evening all,

I thought I was getting somewhere but…….. !

Have received this from Eon “As you don't currently have a smart meter we cannot quote you on this tariff but if you do choose to upgrade we will be able to share more details “

They want to change my old meter to a smart meter but until I do they wont tell me the tariff ! Oh so helpful

Must admit, I am getting a wee bit frustrated with thiis .

Best wishes to all

That does sound bizarre and not very transparent…

Maybe ask them for the unit rates and standing charges. You’d then be able to calculate your annual consumption and the overall cost. You can do this by simply deducting a reading a year ago from today’s read like this:

16/05/25 reads: 2000 (peak) / 1500 (off peak)

16/05/24 reads: 1000 (peak) / 0800 (off peak)

2000 - 1000 = 1000 (peak annual usage)

1000 - 800 = 200 (off-peak annual usage)

You could then multiply these figures by their respective unit rates. For example, if the peak unit rate was 22.5p/kwh, then it’d be 1000 x 0.225 = £225 per year etc.

You’d then do the same for the off peak rate, and you’d also need to add up the daily standing charges on top of this.

Remember to ask them the unit rates and standing charges including VAT.

I hope this helps

Thanks Ben_OVO but Eon won't give me the tariff and also as to whether or not it's a and fixed or variable.

Hopefully I will hear from them later today with everything !! I wish !!

Thanks again.

Kind regards

​@Dreghorn1 did you see the tariff that I posted above?

There’s no Standing Charge detailed there other that it says “set at the Price Cap”.

Whilst a quote from Eon would be preferable for you, (and may be different to the above depending on where you live), they seem oddly reluctant to give you one.

So if they wont commit themselves yet then at least the above gives you an indication of what to expect.

E.On Next publish their variable tariffs. You can see the current E10 prices here (so long as Sean got it right … ) : *April 25 Prices - seans version.xlsx. You’ll notice that the E7 and E10 prices are pretty much identical except for the offpeak rate.  

I don’t know why your agent is being so coy about prices. This is what I was quoted for a fictitious address in Bathgate for their new Smart Saver plan:
  

Many thanks Firedog, much appreciated. I have been unable to find out if this product is fixed, and if so for how long, or a variable rate. Somehow Eon can't or won't tell me. 

My current contact ends August next year and is fixed. A rate with which I am happy as I can budget it from my pension.

Thanks again.

Kind regards

All I am seeking is for Eon to agree to provide a new meter, smart or otherwise, and to set up the new meter so I can continue with my current fixed E10 rate product. I didn't realise that this would be so difficult.