Storage Heater not working after Smart Meter installed

@Chris_OVO when our meter was installed I had assistance from the special team however when the problem of vast overcharging was evident it was treated by an accounts and billing operative who’s reaction was shrug the shoulders and push my problem up the ladder because she could do nothing and neither could her supervisor!
If you are correct in saying I should have been automatically shunted to special team then it would seem that we have just identified another failure in your system
I should not and no other customer should be made to run around in circles trying to get a problem solved
I still have not had the promised telephone call from “The Resolver”
It  seems your systems need some attention sooner rather than later

A THTC meter exchange is an immensely complicated process. It isn’t just like having a new starter motor fitted to your car so you can sell it tomorrow - there are many actors involved. For a start, all the various bits of OVO and its subsidiaries (commercial, billing, smart, website admin, for example). Then there’s the electricity distributor and, important for those keen to change supplier, the national database that provides the information prospective suppliers and comparison sites need to be able to make informed decisions. Updating the database can take a long time.

It may all happen quickly, but some installations could well take weeks to settle down completely. That’s why you will have heard about the six-week period after a meter exchange during which OVO aim to have everything in place. You may be trying to jump ship before it’s out of the harbour.

Would you care to tell us which supplier? Other customers may well be interested if you’ve found a reliable option cheaper than what OVO are offering.

Hey @DaveIS, 

I’ll flag this up with the resolvers that you haven’t received a call back yet. I’ve sent you a private message just to confirm the best contact number for you so I can chase this up with them. 

Hi all,
Apologies a bit late to the feed but I have the same issue as OP (except I gave in to OVOs letters and had my Smart Meter installed in 2022).
I’m on an Economy 7 tariff and some of my storage heaters are wired up to off-peak only supply. I used to hear a clunk in the flat each night and morning when the supply changed over but that doesn’t happen any more. I believe that was linked to a timer in our meter cupboard downstairs sending the signal to our fuse box to switch on/off the off-peak supply.
The winter of 2022 I discover the storage heaters aren’t working and they send an engineer out but they say nothing wrong with the meter and the Support team say my meter is configured correctly and won’t sent the ECAUL command to update the ALCS config as they said there’s nothing wrong and it’s my issue… they just keep fobbing me off. My neighbour has also had a smart meter installed and their storage heaters now don’t work either (though they aren’t that bothered as they use a portable heater around the flat).
Pictures of my old and new meter attached.
I’m not really sure what to do from here :( any help would be much appreciated!
 

Hi ​@chezza112 ,

Physically… Everything appears OK. I’d say see what happens if you follow https://ovoenergy.com/feedback - one of the options there will probably solve this.

Hey ​@chezza112 

How frustrating for you. I’m sorry to hear this. 

 

I think Blastoise’ suggestion might be the best option in this scenario. If it all looks okay from our end I wonder if there’s something else going on? If you do get an engineer to check please keep the report. If it says OVO are to blame for the fault then our team can look into re-imbursing the cost of the engineer.

This topic may have some helpful advice:

 

The two thin cables from the bottom of the meter lead to terminal blocks and then to … where? It’s unusual to see two cables, so I assume there are two external contactors somewhere below. One of these might switch power to the storage heaters and the other to the immersion heater, or some other combination of heaters. In any case, it’s these contactors that we can’t see that might have given the ‘clunk’ you used to hear, so either they’ve stopped working or they’re just not connected. This is the sort of thing you’re looking for:
  

Any sign of anything like this below what we can see in your picture?

If you find something like this, you’ll probably need to get your electrician in to find out why they’re not working, if that is indeed the problem.

Just to add to what I posted earlier, I fell over this photo of a really gay meter box just now. It shows exactly what I was referring to:
  

The two pink cables presumably supply two consumer units, the left-hand one for the constant circuit, the right-hand one for the switched (heating) circuit.

Not sure if this is helpful.  But, I thought earlier it was mentioned that landis gyr E470 SMETS2 requires to be paired with an L470 5451 for ALCS! I cannot see this on the photo above. 

No, I don’t think so. There may have been problems recorded with the close-coupled contactor shown in your photo, which may explain why you may see third-party contactors like the Proteus in my photo used instead. Or perhaps L+G weren’t always able to supply 5451s. It doesn’t matter much, so long as it works. 

Some electricians are wary of switchgear inside the housing of sensitive electronic equipment and always prefer to use external contactors to switch ‘heavy’ loads. An Economy 7 switched circuit could easily be suddenly seeing draws of 15-20kW.