Can you supply a three phase smart meter?

We paid OVO for a three phase meter back in July.  An installation date was organised with them for 12 September between 2 and 6, no one turned up, no one called, and there still hasn’t been any explanation provided.

The cabling is all in place, we paid our electrical company privately, they waited all afternoon of 12 September for OVO engineer to arrive.  When it was obvious no one was coming our engineer reconnected a single phase supply otherwise we would be without electricity.

No one a OVO wants to take ownership or responsibility.  Sending an email to SMS (Smart Meter Supply) seems the only action they will take, which is inappropriate as we don’t need or want a smart meter, just the 3 phase we’ve paid for.

The level of incompetence and ignorance within this company is beyond astonishing, but they want your money.

Sorry, I know this doesn't help anybody, but 3-phase supplies basically gives a property 3x the power (not volts, i.e. it's still 240v).

I am surprised you can still get such installations, my parents house had such a system installed in the late-60s/early-70s to power their storage heaters (as no mains gas) to which they still have today. Which means they have 3x meters and (I bet) 3x standing charges. They've been told in the past that they can't have a smart meter because of the setup.

I suspect these days you're going to need it for EV chargers, especially if your want to charge more than one car at a time.

I can understand the call centre not knowing. The last time I called, it sounded like I was talking to a child not much older than my own (sorry to be ageist(?)), I must be getting old!

There are a few more 3 phase supplies now in residential properties, especially for those with a heat pump and EV. It is not always required but will offer a higher power capability. 3 ‘live’ cables plus a neutral are cabled rather than just 1 live and neutral. 

Although 240v* can be taken from the supply for standard household equipment, 415v* is the standard level when using all phases

*240v is now harmonised as 230v +10% -6%
*415v is harmonised as 400v +10% -6%

Hi @BPLightlog Would you expand on the need for 3 phase for ev plus heat pump please. I have both on a single phase supply so I assumed there wasn’t a need. What are the circumstances when 3 phase is preferred?

There are two parts to this @juliamc ..

Firstly any installation needs to be calculated alongside existing household power needs (including any EV charger) and the maximum power draw declared which will in turn show what maximum current is required for the supply. This will often stay within the band for a single phase supply of around 100 amps. The key here is maximum. While many won’t use all appliances at once, it is possible and therefore needs to be catered for.

The second part relates to larger heat pumps (for the larger property) which can often be three phase, therefore requiring a three phase supply or indeed when even more technology is added such as solar PV and battery storage. The batteries have a ‘charge from AC’ capability and so that may need to be added to the overall potential power draw.

In fact, thinking about heat pumps and their efficiencies being part of their advantage, a three phase supply is also more efficient for any higher powered appliance (Heat Pump, EV etc) taking less current than their single phase counterparts. Of course there are substantial costs involved to get three phase installed and so it is not something most do ‘just in case’.

Hi @Louisa Harvey, Tim here from OVO. I’d be happy to find out who you spoke to and make sure they get sent the learning resources we have on 3 phase meters. Private message me if you’re up for that. 

Tim_OVO

You have our telephone number on your system, why don’t you contact us directly?

Be assured, none of your telephone operatives have 3 phase ‘learning resources’.

‘Private Messaging’ - the clue is in the name, and it isn’t a suitable communication method between a utility company and their customer.

We also note that OVO have already received significant warnings regarding their poor customer service standards.

@Louisa Harvey just so that you are aware, no one on this forum will have access to your account as it is deliberately separated to your energy account. 
The public nature of the forum is the main reason for this along with it not being a direct contact route to OVO 

You can find a route to private messages here

https://forum.ovoenergy.com/inbox/overview

I don't work for ovo

In case it helps 

If you want to take up the offer from @Tim_OVO you can message him here on this forum, obviously up to you. 

https://forum.ovoenergy.com/inbox/overview

Rightly or wrongly, OVO have setup this forum primarily for customers to help each other out, rather than a customer service channel to request personalised help or call backs etc. 

Phoning, webchat, and the ovo official facebook and twitter pages will give you access to an ovo agent who can access your account and untimately action. 

https://www.ovoenergy.com/help#contact_us_container

https://www.facebook.com/ovoenergy

Thank you. 

So lots of forums here about OVO's 3 phase smart meter rollout, but I'm not sure that when the engineer shows up next week they'll be able to fit one.

Have just joined OVO with the hope of getting the heat pump plus add on (as I have an eligible Vaillant ASHP). I currently have a dual tariff 3 phase traditional meter, but according to the eligibility criteria, need a smart meter. I've seen that if I had a single rate 3 phase smart meter, there may be hope, but I don't. I'm planning on speaking to OVO soon to try and switch onto a single tariff (as I don't use much elec at night). 

So ultimately my questions to OVO are: 

1. Is OVO installing dual rate 3 phase smart meters yet?

2. If i manage to switch onto a single tariff, would OVO be able to install the smart meter?

Thanks all in advance. 

Hi @Wheeler1749 ,

Given the timeframe, the best person to ask is probably going to be the installing engineer.

Alternatively, OVO’s Live Chat is currently open right now. Head over to https://ovoenergy.com/help and someone there can check. You need to be quick though - it closes in three hours.

Thanks @Blastoise186, will head over now to ask and update the forum once I have an answer.

So apparently it IS possible.…

I'll find out for certain on Thursday and post on here.

~~~ 🤞🏻 ~~~

Hey @Wheeler1749,

If you can, pop back to let us know how your experience was 😊

So..........…

Had a call this evening from the installation engineer (genuinely nice guy) saying he's seen the notes on the system about my meter being 3 phase, and that he can't install one tomorrow.

He did confirm there are 3 phase qualified engineers in my area, however, when I mentioned about having a dual tariff meter, he confirmed that there is no dual tariff 3 phase smart meters available (software issues).

I've asked that if I switch to a single rate tariff, will I be able to have a single rate 3 phase smart meter installed. After sending a pic of my meter, he's looking into this for me, and also to see how I can go about downgrading to single phase if I need to. I will post again once I've heard back.

Just goes to show that customer services really don't have a clue! 

I’m sorry to hear it didn’t go to plan, I’m glad the engineer is looking into it for you! I hope this gets resolved soon @Wheeler1749, it sounds very frustrating. 

Hi,

Do you offer a 3 rate smart meter for 3 phase business electricity?  Or any energy company?

Thanks,

tom

Hey @tomwbo !

Sorry, but OVO is a Domestic-Only Supplier and can’t serve Business customers. You’ll need to look elsewhere UNLESS you’re intending to convert the supply to a Domestic Supply, in which case OVO can serve you once the supply type has been updated.

3-Phase Smart Meters are still in testing, only a few suppliers have them

Yep I’d agree with the above, @tomwbo. OVO can’t take on business supplies. uSwitch for business might be helpful for you.

If you were a domestic customer we can take on 3 phase supplies and 3 phase smart meters. We are replacing non-smart 3 phase with smart but we have limited engineer coverage at this point. 

Hi, I live in Somerset and have been advised that I need to move to a 3 phase supply.  National grid have given me a quote but I can’t find an electricity supplier to fit a 3 Phase meter.  Any help gratefully received.  

OVO do fit three-phase meters, but it’s a bit of a lottery. There just aren’t enough meter engineers trained to deal with 3ph arrangements which are much more complex than ordinary ones, and to get one of them to turn up on the same day as NG (it all has to happen simultaneously if you’re not to be left without power) is challenging, to say the least. Of course you’d have to be an OVO customer to take part in the lottery.

Just butting in here… has the 3 phase  been suggested by a heat pump installer ? There is a tendency for some installers to unnecessarily oversize the HP thereby needing the 3 phase supply.
Apologies if it’s nothing to do with that. 

Hi @Elizabeth99,

It seems our forum volunteer Firedog has already stopped by with some good advice here. 

This thread may also be helpful: 

Please let us know if you have any further questions.