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Can I get an Economy 7 meter with OVO?

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I am a landlord and need to arrange for an all electric flat to have an Economy 7 account and install a night storage heater. Slightly galling as the current heating system allows for control to use only when needed and the tenants use only about 67% of energy that the calculations with a night storage heater would use - yeah I know.

 

Anyway previously advised by OVO that they can not convert the  existing Smartmeter to E7 so to best the system thought it made sense to get a new Smartmeter installed as soon as tenant moves out next month.

 

First of all OVO can not find the property and manage to confuse with another property with a different postcode - yeah I know. Still they can not find the right property.

 

Then they say I have to wait until the property and account is actually returned to me before I can book a new meter installation appointment.

 

Really frustrating that efforts to plan ahead are thwarted by incompetence and dogma.

Any suggestions ? 

 

   

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Best answer by nealmurphy 7 February 2023, 10:18

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Blastoise186
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Hiya!

I’m afraid you won’t have control until the tenant moves out. The functionality you need is coming very soon!

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Blastoise186
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I’m still considering how to reply fully as well. The forum is busy this afternoon, so I’ll be back when I can

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juliamc
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One of our volunteers here @Firedog has been monitoring the price of economy 7 and it’s not the cheap off peak product it used to be. Is it really going to work for you ?

Firedog
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Thanks for the ping, @juliamc 

If the flat is solely heated by electricity, then E7 will most probably be the cheaper option. The (EPG-capped) night-rate I was quoted for January-March this year was much higher than it used to be, but it would even so have been worth it. The rates for my region are:
  
 

Tariff incl. VAT p/kWh p/day
Single rate 32.80 45.76
E7 Day 39.55 45.85
E7 Night 22.98  

 

They vary a bit from region to region, but the proportions stay pretty much the same. The cost is more or less the same if night usage is about 40% of the total. Any more than 40% means that E7 is less expensive than single-rate. Either way, the ‘average’ all-electric household is looking at a monthly energy bill of the order of £150 this quarter (disregarding the £67 support payment each month). It’s anyone’s guess what the next few quarters will look like.

 

 

PS

The advisor was wrong: OVO does offer E7 tariffs. What they can’t do is remotely reconfigure a smart meter from single-rate to E7, although this may be possible at some undefined date in the future.
  

New meter installations aren’t cheap, assuming you can book one. 

 

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
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Hi Thanks Juliamc - I have no choice it is required to get EPC at a level that allows the flat to be rented out ( new rules from 2025 ). Though I fully agree with you based on actual usage of kwh and tenant feedback when it was heated by NSH.

 

FIREDOG - thanks for the numbers etc they are irrelevant as I must get E7 - see above. I hear what you say about OVO advice but what can I do when they persist in saying it can not be done - several advisors over past few months to see if things have changed. They have categorically stated that they are not currently offering E7 as a new option.

 

Interested to know if anyone is aware of any supplier that is taking on new customers and offer Economy 7 ??

nealmurphy
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@GRAMPAGRAHAM The split between day and night rates on Economy 7 varies a lot between suppliers and also varies by region and payment type. An example is EDF in the East Midlands has a night rate of less than 6p/kWh, but a day rate of almost 52p/kWh. It may be worth shopping around. OVO generally has a higher night rate which is compensated by a lower day rate, compared with other suppliers.

Is the existing smart meter connected to the DCC system? Check here: https://smartmetercheck.citizensadvice.org.uk/

If it is then suppliers that do offer Economy 7 with smart meters should be able to load a suitable tariff onto it. All suppliers should be taking on customers as normal, so you shouldn’t have too much difficulty. Let me know how the smart meter check goes as this will hopefully simplify things.

 

Jeffus
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Octopus are already doing online switches for existing E7 customers. So perhaps give them a call. 

I suspect it would be simple for you to switch your current not E7 setup then ask them to do whatever is necessary to move to E7.

It is a shame it is currently not easy with OVO by the sound of things. 

Given this is for a tenant, Octopus are probably a good idea, simply as they get very good ratings for customer service currently. Higher than anyone else. 

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/octopus.energy

juliamc
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I’m sure you’ve considered this is if was possible but could you install PV or solar thermal to bump up the EPC ? 

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Juliemc - it is a flat so not an option.

juliamc
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Ah - I see 😕

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NEALMURPHY - So I have checked as you suggest and it is working in Smartmode as a SmartMeter as it is a SMETS2 meter. No idea about DCC ? 

Should it be possible to use as with E7 ?

 

Blastoise186
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If it’s a SMETS2, it will be on DCC for sure.

Please post photos of the meter, I can tell you what features of Economy 7 it is capable of supporting.

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BLASTOISE - I don’t have access to the meter today. But I am puzzled by your comment - surely either a meter supports E7 or it doesn’t - how can there be any partial use ? 

Blastoise186
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All Smart Meters have at least some E7 support, primarily the ability to have two rates that flip at specified times.

However, some are also capable of controlling loads like storage heaters to come on and off at those times. I use photos of the meter to help figure out whether a particular setup has that functionality.

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BLASTOISE - Well this seems to confirm that there is no reason to refuse switching to E7 on technical grounds. Not sure why I need to worry about the ability to control loads ?? 

Blastoise186
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Except that OVO’s billing platform isn’t like most suppliers. Rather than using something off-the-shelf, OVO uses a custom built one that was originally designed just for OVO. Full E7 support is coming, but the only blocker right now is switching E7 on/off. Everything else works fine. That feature is coming soon!

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
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BLASTOISE - So it is down to OVO to adjust a computer program - how long have they been saying that it is coming soon ?

Blastoise186
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It’s actually OVO’s sister company Kaluza that develops and maintains the platform on OVO’s behalf.

I don’t have an exact timeframe but I think it’s been a few months. However, you should never expect something to be on a roadmap and then immediately worked on. There can be other stuff that has to be done first.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
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BLASTOISE - It doesn’t matter to customers whether it is OVO, a sister company or a third party developer - they just want the job done.  As for timeframe - they have the financial resources to sort stuff out - I just suspect they do not have the willpower or interest in customer service.

I say this as I am still waiting after almost 3 months for OVO  to get their act together on my personal supply and get me SEG for my Solar Panels. So far 14  emails, several Trustpilot reviews but nothing ( except broken promises of course ). It was always much better with SSE.  

nealmurphy
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@GRAMPAGRAHAM as the meter is functioning as a SMETS2 meter it would be possibly to load a two rate tariff on it. If OVO can't or won't do this yet until there is full functionality then Octopus definitely will. Rates will likely vary, but can be checked for your area by getting a quote online and selecting the 'Economy 7' type of meter.

Solar export... Now that's another story! 

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So I have at last managed to sort everything out.

In the end the solution was quite simple really.

I have transferred my home and four rental properties over to the much more helpful and reliable Octopus Energy.

Mind you OVO have sent an over estimated final Gas account for one property ( despite it having a Smartmeter ) and even though I have phoned and corrected it they continue toi chase me. Meanwhile they are holding on to over £400 on my personal account saying it can take several weeks to resolve…...well it will if you don’t do the job properly.

Conclusion swap to Octopus for an easy life.   

 

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