Rank 2

Solved

Can I get an Economy 7 meter with OVO?

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
February 6, 2023
20 replies
566 views

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 Smart meter to E7 so to best the system thought it made sense to get a new Smart meter 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. 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.

*edited by moderator*

Any suggestions ?

Best answer by nealmurphy

@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.

Blastoise186

Super User

Hiya!

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

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!

juliamc

Rank 20

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

Super User

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 | It may look as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you. |

G

GRAMPAGRAHAMAuthor

Rank 2

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 ??

nealmurphySolved

Newcomer

@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

Rank 20

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