Storage Heater not working after Smart Meter installed

Well well!
After my heated words with customer lack of service  earlier and posting on here I returned to my account to find that my debt has disappeared and my account is now showing as in credit. 
I believe this will now be my Goodbye to OVO

That’s excellent news! I explained to the advisor on chat there are many customers experiencing issues like yours. They don’t inspire confidence do they. But perhaps this means OVO is listening, at least to this forum. I shall keep a watching brief!

Hey @DaveIS,

I’m sorry to hear you had issues with your billing. I’m glad that our Support and Billing teams were able to work together to resolve this issue for you. Moving customers from THTC setups to smart meters has been an evolving process, and sometimes hurdles come along, but we’ll always do our best to resolve them for you as quickly as possible. I was sorry to read that the experience has let you to consider switching suppliers, and as sad as we’ll be to see you leave as a customer, we also believe in the power customers have to pick and choose who supplies their energy. I’d strongly suggest waiting 6 weeks from when your smart meter was installed to ensure that all your new meter details have been updated with the relevant DNO, as if you request a switch too early into this process, it could cause some issues.

Hey @Lost4words 

You’re right. Many customers are facing issues, as it’s been a challenging process getting customers off old THTC setups onto newer smart setups. Hopefully, this will start new opportunities for customers historically blocked from tariffs/switching and better benefits. Sadly, in today's world, you mainly hear about the negative experiences and rarely the positive ones, and while we can put our hands up and say we do make mistakes, we can also celebrate the wins when they come.

If you have any follow up questions or need support let us know and we’ll do our best to help 😊 

Hey @Chris_OVO The customer [lack of Service] operative was less than helpful and I still await the call back from the “Resolver” that was promised
I wonder if my heated discussion had any bearing on the alteration in my online account a few hours later?
The operative I spoke to was, she claimed, unable to help, but would pass the problem up the ladder
I was also informed that her supervisor would be unable to help because the supervisor was not trained in the procedures?????
My impression remains that CS is a joke!
Where in the world the call centre is situated I do not know but the operative appeared to have difficulty understanding the English language although she masterfully avoided directly answering questions!
I would suggest that Mpumelelo would benefit from additional training or if she meets your standards perhaps the whole  dept is in need of examination?

Customer support is of variable quality in my experience, so you’re not alone in your frustrations. However, I have on two occasions been told something similar and then discovered that the problem I was concerned about went away within a few hours. 

It’s a pity, but perhaps understandable, that when a problem lands on the desk of someone in a position to do something about it, he will do what’s necessary as soon as he can. He will probably have too many problems to deal with to give him time to email or call every customer to explain what he’s done, assuming he has authority to do that. I suppose that, all things considered, this doesn’t matter nearly as much as actually having the problem solved, as happened in your case.

@Firedog 
My problem was blocking my switch to another supplier!
The removal of the false figures was necessary in order to remove the block.
The cause was the OVO system patently ignoring the readings from the smart meter and somehow conflating the old two meter system  with the replacement system and a flawed bill production system
Obviously the problem was easily solved once addressed but the underlying problem is that of getting the problems to the attention of someone with the skills and authority to take action.
If only 2% of THTC changeovers hit problems getting satisfaction for the vast numbers involved would I believe indicate that the present inadequate CS function needs major revision
The outsourced call centre CS depts are a relatively new phenomenon which I never knew in my 60 plus years in business however when they exhibit problems they should be reviewed and the problems attended to!
I am leaving for a supplier with a better record for CS and an economic pricing structure
Good luck to all those in the multi meter trap!

I have to say my confidence has gone up more than a notch or two thanks to @Chris_OVO. Someone with the skills and authority to take action, as you say @Firedog. There used to be a dedicated team at SSE that dealt with complex tariffs. Not sure if they still exist but they were skilled and had the authority to fix things. No idea if it still exists but it appears you can’t just get put through, I fear you must endure hell and high water. Technology typically promises simple solutions to complex problems and reality will inevitably be different for some customers. Probably a minority but I bet they take up the majority of CS bandwidth and if that function is offshored they’ll struggle. Sometimes in big corporates common sense gets turned on its head thanks to an ‘executive decision’. That said, ‘Victoria’ who I spoke with on chat was very understanding and articulate. Thank goodness for people like Chris and Victoria. Rays of hope!

Nice to hear it!

There is still a team that specialises in this stuff - Squad 70 is cross-trained in pretty much all Complex Tariffs and handles over 99% of calls related to them.

Hey @DaveIS,

With exotic meter setups like RTS or THTC we have specifically trained agents that deal with them because they’re a lot more involved learning wise. We have a special team setup as @Blastoise186 pointed out that we call squad 70. They deal solely with supporting these meter types and questions that come along with them. Customers should be directed straight through to them if you enter your account number on the automated system as it’ll recognise what account type you have by entering this. 

I’m glad that we managed to solve the issue for you but I apologise for the obvious signs of stress that it’s caused you and your consideration to leave. We’re a Forum for all regardless of supplier so if you do decide that you’d like to switch you’re always welcome here if you have questions. 

@Lost4words It seems you’ve found your words and they’re incredibly kind so thank you for the feedback. We’re always looking at ways to improve our customer experience and sometimes we’ll get things wrong but we need to have the courage to try. We have a tool through the Forum that our members can submit ideas and improvements that they’d like to see and we feed these through our Product Team so they have a finger on the pulse of what customers are looking for. I’ll add the link here and it’s on the home page but hopefully i’ll see your name against one as part of my moderating tasks one day 😇.

We have a network of incredible volunteers like @Firedog and @Blastoise186 who support the Forum and I know i’m very thankful for them supporting our members on here but also for keeping us on the straight and narrow when they notice something isn’t as it should be. 

If I can do anything else to help support feel free to tag me or any moderator and our inbox are always open. 

@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:

 

• Who owns what? - Your guide on cut outs, meters, fuses and who's responsible Tutorial

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.

Hi guys. Can anyone help me as I’m losing the will to live. I switched providers in August. In October, I switched in my storage heaters and they didn’t come on. I have had (3) engineers attend, including 1 who changed the meter, but the problem still persists. I’ve also had private electricians who advised that the issue is the meter. Don’t seem to be getting much help; it’s getting colder. The experiences I’ve read in this forum are very much similar to mine. What could be the issue? Some photos of my set up are attached . 

Hi ​@Phil278130 ,

You have an Aclara SGM1412-B by the looks of things. I need some more info from you:

• Who was your Supplier at the time of the initial installation of each Meter you’ve had recently
• Who is your Supplier now
• Please post more photos showing us what’s near the meter

I think I can diagnose this pretty rapidly, but I want to be sure.

​Hi @Blastoise186 

Was with EDF until this year August, switched to Scottish Power then back to EDF now as wasn’t getting any help with Scottish Power. EDF installed an aclara meter last year August (from the black one below). It was working fine. Scottish power came 2 weeks ago and replaced it with another Aclara. Storage heaters not working still. 

Ok, thanks. If you desire a second opinion, let me know and I can request one for you - we have access to a very talented Smart Meter Engineer if we need him.

Some monkey from Scottish Power has messed this entire install up by the looks of things. The Aclara SGM1412-B is designed to work with an External Contactor for E7/E10 purposes - the fifth-port at the front supplies only 2A for powering a relay - it does NOT do 100A that your Storage Heaters need. They should have either fitted said relay contactor OR installed an Aclara SGM1416-B instead, which has the fifth-terminal do full 100A.

And that’s my diagnosis so far. This will never work as things stand.

The easiest solution? Fit an actual Five-Terminal SMETS2 Smart Meter such as the Aclara SGM1416-B instead of the current Aclara SGM1412-B.

Typical Scottish Power...

Hi ​@Blastoise186 . You’re right. There’s a contactor in my flat’s consumer unit (I’m on the second floor, all residents meters are on the ground floor cupboard). Attached is the photo. 
Does this change your diagnosis?

EDF are sending another engineer (again) within 3 hours. I might need the services of your engineer in case they don’t sort it out.