Storage Heater not working after Smart Meter installed

Hi ​@Emmanuelle_OVO . I have just received a call from an engineer; said he’ll be here in 15 minutes. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thank you 

Well, the engineer tested the wires coming out of the meter and said they are “live” so it has nothing to do with the meter (SGM1412-B) and said my issue is in my flat and tried to insinuate that it’s the Crabtree contactor I posted earlier. Bear in mind the initial electrical I called in came and put in a new contactor (he thought it was the problem at that time). After that didn’t work, he then told me to phone my energy supplier (this has been going on since October )
I showed the engineer today the suggestion from@Blastoise186 . He said the meter model don’t matter, as long as there’s power coming out of it. I also noted that those neighbours with Aclara, have the 1416-B below. I don’t know what to do at this point.

Sigh… Just because there’s power coming out of the wire doesn’t mean there’s enough power coming down the wire. 2A is enough to run a lightbulb, not a heater - you want at least 13A for that.

On that SGM1416-B unit however, it’s clear to me that the wires in the front are running on a 2A Relay - the fifth terminal appears to be empty. But that doesn’t mean you’ve got the same setup in your flat as the others - they can change over time and lose the uniformity that may have existed at the initial installation.

At this point, might be worth getting a private electrician to do some checks. Make sure to keep the receipt/invoice too - you’ll be eligible to claim that back from your supplier if the electrician report indicates the Meter is the issue.

On Monday my smart meter was installed.  It’s now Wednesday and my storage heaters are not boosting.  OVO not remotely interested in solving this.  I am almost 90 and struggling as am finding the heaters getting colder and colder.  Anyone had the same problem. 

I’m sorry to hear this.

You say your storage heaters aren’t boosting. Storage heaters normally store heat overnight and then release it during the day. Older heaters, or ones that are undersized for the space they’re heating, may run out of heat during the day, and that’s when they would need a boost. Is that what you’re referring to? Or are the heaters not charging up at all?

You say that OVO aren’t interested in solving the problem. If you have spoken to Support and explained what’s wrong, what did they say? 

Please read this page: Priority Services Register: How We Can Give You the Help You Need. If you’re not already on the register, please consider signing up. It doesn’t cost anything, and it would certainly get you better service if you’re struggling in a cold home. When you’re on the PSR, your calls will be answered by staff specially trained to deal with those of us who are getting on a bit or otherwise need a bit more help than others.  

Good evening. 

I have been in ongoing discussions and conflict with OVO energy since January 2025.

It took a month of pictures, emails and calls to convince them that we did in fact have an rts switch.

A smart meter was installed in July, that is when the real problems begun. 

The property is fitted with storage heaters. Since the smart meter went live the storage heaters chose when they switch on.  More often than not this appears to be during peak hours.  The house is cooking through the day and cold in the evening when required to heat the room. 

I was on economy 7.  I've had several updates sent to the meter remotely, had sub contracted metering engineers visit and a local electrician confirm that the property wiring is correct. 

We have now been switched to economy 10 as of last month.  No change in operation.  An update sent remotely,  no change.  A different meter with economy 10 pre installed was fitted today, no change. 

The heating continues to be on drawing power during peak hours and is cold in the morning when the heaters should be releasing the stored energy.

In total, I've called OVO more than 30 times, I'm on the priority register, I have an open complaint but still a heating system not fit for purpose. 

They have said the difference in bills from previous years will be covered.  Cost is an issue but not as much as a heating system without any control.

Has anyone been in this situation or have any suggestions of where I go now?

This is a sad story, and I feel your frustration.

Thank you for the photos - they help a lot. It would have been better if you’d touched a button on the meter to light up the display before taking the close-up, though - it’s barely legible. Were these pictures taken before or after the meter was exchanged on 7 October? I ask, because the label we can see to the right of the picture has a different date and meter serial number on it, and it’s also clearly marked Dom Econ (Domestic Economy, an eight-offpeak-hour version of Economy 7). 

What time were the photos taken? It looks as if the feed to the storage heaters was live at the time; if this was during an Economy 10 offpeak period, well and good. If not, not good. Economy 10 is often a good replacement for an RTS system with storage heaters. 

If we’re to make helpful suggestions, we need to know a bit more about your set-up. First, where are you located? The first part of the postcode is usually enough to pin you down - this has a bearing on both the offpeak timings and the tariff rates that apply. What offpeak hours have you been told to expect?

​@Mk2sean welcome to the Forum.

I’m so sorry to hear of the issues you’re having. We’ll await your answers to ​@Firedog’s questions so we can help you further.

New meter fitted now heating not working

Without any more detail i doubt anyone can help.

Gas or Electric meter?

What tariff are you on?

Type of heating?

Not working in what sort of way?