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david.sinc100
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December 27, 2024
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Storage heaters charging at peak rates with new smart meter?

  • December 27, 2024
  • 23 replies
  • 3417 views

My mother in law lives in a sheltered flat with storage heaters (probably 20 years old).  The storage heaters only have input and output controls; they don't seem to have any timer or programming facility.  They were previously connected to a separate off peak meter. 

In October the meters were changed to smart meters on the domestic economy tariff, in preparation for the analogue signal being switched off.  Since then the peak usage has gone up by 300% and I suspect the heaters are drawing in power during both the off peak and peak periods. 

I'm wondering if anyone has encountered this and knows what the solution is?  It was never a problem previously as the heaters only seemed to be connected to the dedicated off peak meter. 

Many thanks for any help.

Best answer by Firedog

Updated on 16/04/26 by Abby_OVO

 

The meter should be configured to switch power to the storage heaters on and off at the same times as the tariff changes from peak to off-peak and vice versa. it looks like this may not be happening. Where does MIL live (town and county, or first part of her postcode is enough)?

 

Are you able to get photos of her meter? This should help us make reasonable suggestions.

  • Press a button on the meter to light up the display if necessary, then take a close-up of the meter so its display and all its markings are clear and legible. Note the time when the picture is taken;
  • Move back and take a photo of the whole backboard to show all the equipment mounted on it, the cables from the service head (at the end of the main supply cable to the property, incorporating the main fuse) to the meter and the ones coming from the meter towards the consumer units;
  • It might help to have photos of the consumer units themselves with the lids open, again clear enough to be able to read what each breaker is for (assuming they’re adequately labelled).     

   

We’ve got a couple of similar topics that may also be helpful:

 

 

 

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david.sinc100Author
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September 26, 2025

Hi ​@ucho 123 - this sounds like exactly the same issue my mother in law experienced and which prompted me to start this thread. 

We found OVO impossible to deal with on this.  They sent out an engineer who told us he knew nothing about smart meters and we'd need someone from the company that originally installed the meter.  OVO told us they couldn't provide any appointments from that company. 

We ended up arranging our own electrician who established that the heating and hot water feeds from the meter were live all the time.  There was no peak/off peak distinction. 

We've now had to replace the storage heaters with a more modern electric alternative as they simply were not working with the smart meter. 

Hope you have better luck!

Firedog
Super User
FiredogSuper User
Super User
September 27, 2025

  

We found OVO impossible to deal with on this …
We ended up arranging our own electrician who established that the heating and hot water feeds from the meter were live all the time … 
We've now had to replace the storage heaters with a more modern electric alternative as they simply were not working with the smart meter. 
  

This is a sad story, and I’m sorry to hear it.

In January, I gave you a lot to digest with a view to finding out just what was wrong with your installation. We never heard back from you, so we weren’t able to suggest remedies. It sounds as if you pursued a completely different path, involving not only the expense of procuring new equipment, but also - I suspect - higher bills for your mother-in-law. It was fairly clear that the meter was operating as designed, but some of the wiring to the storage heaters had to be redone to make sure they were on the right circuit. It’s likely that this only needed a few wires in the consumer units to be shuffled around, 

​

@ucho 123 There’s no cause for alarm, and it’s quite possible your heating can be sorted out quickly and easily. We just have to see your reply to my earlier request for information to be able to make suggestions.  

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 | It may look as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you. |
    Chris_OVO
    Community Manager
    Chris_OVO
    Community Manager
    September 29, 2025

    Hey ​@ucho 123,

     

    We just wanted to check in since we haven't heard from you in a while. Did you find the answers you were looking for? If you need any more help, feel free to reach out!

    Renewable energy jokes never get old.
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