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Complex meter: Refused Economy 7?

  • August 26, 2024
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Carbon Cutter*

Hello, we bought our current flat a few months ago and found out that Ovo is our electricity supplier. It is an all electric property, with electric immersion heater for hot water and electric storage heaters. This flat was designed around off peak electricity.

There are 2 electricity meters, one so called white meter just for the off-peak circuit (storage heaters plus immersion water heater) and one for everything else, each with a separate MPAN number. The off peak meter turns the off peak circuit on and off, so that water heater and storage heaters only have power at night, it is the RTS type. 

When we moved in, Ovo created 2 account numbers, one for each meter and put each on the single rate tariff (without consulting or giving options).

This means that we have to pay the standing charge twice and we have to pay expensive rate for hot water and heating. 

I have contacted Ovo multiple times (calls and chat) asking to:

  1. have only one account with one standing charge 
  2. be moved onto some type of off-peak tariff (Economy 7 or something else)

I was told that neither is possible. I was told that they cannot merge the two accounts and that they cannot put me on Economy 7, because I have the two meter set up (complex meter).

Also, I wasn’t offered migrating to a 5-port smart meter with Economy 7 as a solution - I only came across it on this forum. 

I don’t understand this. Why can’t they offer some kind of peak / off-peak tariff to me?

I know about the shut down of RTS signal next year and the push to smart meters. However, switching to a smart meter is not useful for us if they refuse to change our tariff.

Also, I think we should only be paying one standing charge, as these two MPANs are associated (it is one household). 

Can you please advise? What are our options?

Best answer by Firedog

You should hear shortly from OVO about arrangements for replacing your meters with a new smart meter, if you haven’t heard already. Until then, I’m afraid you’re stuck with the current tariff: OVO doesn’t have any that can apply one high rate to one of the supplies and a low one to the other, and I don’t think there’s any other supplier that could do this.

 

No-one with a complex metering arrangement (what the industry calls a Restricted Meter Infrastructure, RMI) should have to pay two standing charges if the tariff is single-rate. I would think that the artifice of two separate supplies is immaterial in this respect: you are being penalized in the way that this condition (SLC 22G) is intended to avoid. You should submit a complaint in writing about this, expecting to have any extra standing charges you may have paid refunded. Other customers who went all the way with complaints like this were also given compensation for OVO’s failure to comply with their licence conditions. Read about Ofgem’s decision on this sort of situation. 

 

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Firedog
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  • August 26, 2024

You should hear shortly from OVO about arrangements for replacing your meters with a new smart meter, if you haven’t heard already. Until then, I’m afraid you’re stuck with the current tariff: OVO doesn’t have any that can apply one high rate to one of the supplies and a low one to the other, and I don’t think there’s any other supplier that could do this.

 

No-one with a complex metering arrangement (what the industry calls a Restricted Meter Infrastructure, RMI) should have to pay two standing charges if the tariff is single-rate. I would think that the artifice of two separate supplies is immaterial in this respect: you are being penalized in the way that this condition (SLC 22G) is intended to avoid. You should submit a complaint in writing about this, expecting to have any extra standing charges you may have paid refunded. Other customers who went all the way with complaints like this were also given compensation for OVO’s failure to comply with their licence conditions. Read about Ofgem’s decision on this sort of situation. 

 

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. |
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  • August 27, 2024

@Firedog thank you for your reply and for the suggestion to submit a formal complaint about paying two standing charges. I will do that. 

It does seem that the best approach at the moment is to be on a single-rate tariff, and to ask to only pay one standing charge. 

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  • EdinburghFan
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  • August 27, 2024

I have done more research and I think I identified exactly what type of meter we have here. I think it is ComfortPlus Control (CPC), and it was installed by Scottish Power when this building was built. 

It is quite a complex set up and I am wondering whether it can be switched for a smart meter with Economy 7 tariff.

https://web-content.scottishpower.co.uk/files/pdf/tariffs/2017/Supply_Area.pdf

This tariff has a Daily Standing Charge which applies regardless of usage and two different kWh rates. These are Heating kWh rate and the Other rate. 

Heating rate applies to all electricity supplied by the heating meter and is made available on three circuits which operate as follows:

a) The controlled circuit supplies storage space heating and is energised for periods having an aggregate daily duration between 0 and 14 hours chosen by ScottishPower on the basis of forecast weather conditions.

 b) The storage water heating circuit supplies storage water heating and is energised for periods formally defined as being at ScottishPower’s discretion totalling 4.5 hours per day, but in practice would normally be 04:00 to 08:30 Local Time.

c) The direct space and water heating circuit supplies direct acting space and water heating and is energised 24 hours per day.

So there are in total four electric circuits, two of these go live only at certain times of the day. I can see this physically in the electric meter set up, there are four cables for the four circuits labelled as follows.

“Restricted water HTG supply”: circuit for immersion water heater that switches on at night

“Restricted HTG supply”: circuit for storage heaters that switches on at night, but for longer / different time than the one for hot water

“Unrestricted HTG supply”: unrestricted heating, this is boost function for water heater and wall-mounted panel electric radiators, can be used any time of day

Consumption from these three circuits is measured on the meter labelled “Heat”.

“24HR supply”: this is everything else, available any time, measured on the main meter labelled “Domestic”.

So at some point the previous owners must have switched from Scottish Power to Ovo, but the meter is still the original one, so different circuits still go on and off at times determined by Scottish Power.

Can this be replaced for a smart meter with say Economy 7 tariff, while still having those two night circuits (hot water and storage heaters) be switched on at night? I am worried about ordering a smart meter installation and then we end up without hot water (as happened to some people). 

 

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Blastoise186
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Hi @EdinburghFan ,

ComfortPlus Control is basically a re-badged THTC for the most part, albeit even more stupidly complicated than THTC.

OVO should be able to handle it, but you may need to wait a bit longer - I have ways I can dig into this via the resources we have here. Please bear with us.

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