New smart meter to Replace old meters wiring configuration

Hi Noel

Many thanks for your prompt reply. I appreciate you clear explanation and I am happy that I will receive the off peak rate to normal CU when available. As you say I can take advantage of high usage appliances during this period. I will over time add timers to the panel radiator to also take advantage when I can for off peak, mainly for frost prevention. 

Some comfort is given that the storage heaters CU will only function during off peak hours. 

I note your concern in regards to the new metre/tariff and will monitor closely after installation. 

I am assuming that the engineer on installation does not program the metre but is done remotely after installation or does it come preprogrammed and is there any “sticker markers” that will identify if its E10 programmed already?

I would prefer not to have the storage heaters, costly to run, but the overall cost of replacing to a wet radiator system/heat pump is never likely to be in my budget range 

Cheers

PS Sorry, I forgot, just in case any other customers in a similar situation fall over this thread: if you need advice about meters, their replacement and/or their wiring, please include a photo or two when you post your question. One should show the current meters in close-up - with flash on if necessary - so readings and markings on the meter can be read. You may have to push a button on the meter to light up its display. Another photo should show the whole meter box/backboard so the wiring arrangement can be clearly seen. If you can’t get it all in one picture, take more!

If there’s any question about switching times, be sure to give the time the meter close-up photo was taken.   

Just to say that the meters should come already programmed. There’s not a lot they can adjust on site so it’s just the wiring they can concentrate on. That’s one reason why you need to keep an eye as they can’t stay to watch all the time switching at work and there are no labels as the meters can be programmed for different needs. 
One good thing is that once the units are connected and communicating, they can be remotely adjusted should they need to be. 
Hope it all works as you need it

It would be worth having a look at the article here about the single unit Air to Air heat pump unit that @Peter E has installed.
 

https://forum.ovoenergy.com/electric%2Dvehicles%2D166/a%2Dnew%2Dchaos%2Da%2Dgreener%2Dfuture%2Dpart%2Dtwo%2D17730

(Peter, if there’s a more suitable blog about your A2AHP please point me to it !!!)

That is a bit of a blog to plough through. It is just simpler to say that the full ASHP replacement of a gas boiler is likely to be around £12k average. My quote was £16k and quite out of the question so I bought a 3kW A2AHP, single unit, and that set me back £800. It is just as efficient as an ASHP but without the huge complication and cost and will supplement my gas boiler to the extent that it is likely to replace 80-90% of my gas use this winter.

You could supplement an A2AHP with an electric heater as well for the coldest days but it all depends on your property and what you really need is a qualified heating engineer to advise you on the practicality of doing this for YOUR property because every situation is different. I've had a heating survey. I know how much heating I need each winter and I know how the heat travels round my house because we've been here 30 years.

The final point is I think you will nearly break even with gas costs with an A2AHP and a standard variable tarrif or a fixed term deal. By using the heating off peak you should be able to get about £100 back from Power Move over the winter but I don't know what your heating options would be during the peak. My option was to use gas.

For myself I've gone ‘off piste’ and I now have a wholesale tariff that works out at about half the cost of the SVT because I can flexibly use very low cost off peak electricity when it happens to my advantage but it's not for everyone because you can't predict future costs unlike fixed term.

I hope that helps.

Peter

The software involved is incredibly complex, and the level of customization possible is staggering, so it’s a bit of both. Much of the customization is done beforehand (e.g. what the various menus say what the items on them do), and some of the configuration. If it’s known that you’re to have an E10 meter, then this will probably be pre-programmed. The engineer is chiefly concerned with making sure that the meter is safely installed, that communications are functioning both back to base and to the IHD, and that you have power before he leaves. If he notices anything untoward, he’ll be in contact with the special team at headquarters and can get them to make any necessary changes remotely.

The question of E10 switching times is a bit dodgy unless he happens to be there during an offpeak period, in which case he’ll be able to see for himself whether power has been switched to the heating circuit. Otherwise, you’ll have to check yourself after he’s gone. It will in all likelihood be as expected, but note that the times you may have been given might be a few (up to 30) minutes different from what you actually experience. 

Hey @Kirrimove, 

Here is some really great advice from our volunteers so far! If you've spoken with our Care Team on the phone and they need help understanding what you've been talking about, it's possible the systems routed the call incorrectly. We have a dedicated team called Squad 70, who deal with complex meter types. I'm sorry if you didn't make it through to them. Next time you speak with them, you can ask if you're talking to a team member; if not, you can ask to be passed through to them to discuss a complex meter. 
 
As @Firedog has pointed out, we'd love to see some photos of different setups, as this can help us give more tailored advice where we can. Please upload one if you can, and keep us updated on your progress. 

Further to the answers above when OVO came to change my mother in law's meter from DTS/RTS to a smart meter he said he was able to carry out some kind of check to ensure that her E7 would come on at the designated time. He also said that problems in switching were often accompanied by error codes received during testing post installation. He said no error codes were evident and the E7 came on at the first time it was scheduled.

I know that there was for a long time a fault in the app the engineers use when installing a smart meter. The app said all A1 when in fact the ALCS wasn’t configured - I know, because it happened to me a year ago. It sounds as if that particular bug may have been squashed 👍🏻