Is my meter inaccurate?

Gurn_2

This R1 and R2 business is a real problem.
Scottish and southern energy (Southern Electric, swalec, hydro etc etc) we install our meters so that all the off peak is recorded on R2 and normal is R1.
Now lets say you are in a SSE distribution area, that is how your meter is set up, ie R1 normal R2 off peak, now you change suppliers to EDF? and your saying that on there website they say the rates are the other way round??

If i was you, i would request access to the meter during the day, so that you can see the meter, stick the cooker on or something to give it some load, and see which register it is recording to.

deviruchi

Thanks for the info. I haven't switched to EDF - just their page on 'how to read your meter' states that rate 1 is the night rate (and other sites are saying this as well).

I guess the only way to make sure is to do two readings during the day like you suggest, and see which has gone up. As I'm not allowed access to the meter myself, I'll have to see if I can arrange for someone from the landlord's office to come out on a weekend and hang around for a bit whilst I turn the oven on or something. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of it soon!

Gurn_2

Yes if you stick the oven on it will give it enough load to be able to tell straight away which dial is recording at what time of day.
Ive worked in metering for 23 yrs for southern electric, now SSE, and Rate 1 has always been day and rate 2 night!

JennyR68

If it's a digital meter with only one rate showing at a time whatever rate you see is what is being used at that moment. My meter was rate 1 day, rate 2 night. If I checked it during the day rate 1 was on view, checked it during off peak hours and rate 2 showed.

I had no end of trouble with BG who insisted rate 1 was night and rate 2 was day!

dander

Just wanted to echo the person that suggested getting an Owl - it would be really easy for the landlord to fit the bit that goes on the meter and you'll be able to monitor your usage from the flat.

mattcanary

It depends which part of the country you are in, as to which reading is day and which is night

spiro

Even some of the old analogue meters have an indicator which shows which register is active. Given that access is very limited and there is possibly more that one meter in the basement (you says its a conversion) you go to the basement and get a mate to go to your flat. When you are down there get him to turn on the cooker and one meter should start 'speeding up' (if you have old style you can see the disc spin) and then when he switches it off it should 'slow down'. This will confirm 99% that you are looking at the right meter. Then just check which register is recording and what the current reading is for that register and the other one. This will prove that either (a) EDF have been billing day and night back to front or (b) your consumption pattern is completely wrong for E7.

deviruchi

A further update: I am arranging with the landlord to test the rates early next week. I'll have to send a relative as it'll be during working hours, but the landlord has agreed to allow them to go into the basement to see the meter for themselves. Then they will take a reading whilst nothing is switched on, and then another once the oven has been switched on to determine which rate is the day rate (I am in West Yorkshire if all the rates are the same in that area?).

I believe the meter has a digital display from what the member of staff I spoke to yesterday said - that he pressed a button to alternate between displaying rate 1, rate 2 and the total.

They've also said they will install an OWL monitor, which I'll buy over the weekend. I'm hoping the upcoming readings will show that I'm being billed the wrong way round for day and night, but whichever it ends up being I'm sure the OWL monitor will be very handy.

Thanks again for everyone's help!