What kind of meter do I have?

sympatex

Hi all, i'm a little confused and hoping someone can help.

We moved into a flat recently and it has a meter which i'm sure is fairly common but i don't understand how a tarrif works with it.

The meter (for electricity only) has two rates. RATE 1 and RATE 2.

I am not sure what time RATE 1 is measuring and what time RATE 2 is measuring.

This makes it really hard to choose a suitable tariff. I'm with Southern electricity & gas at the moment but they seemt o have 3 differing charges for electricity use at times across the day but no idea how they can charge me three rates when i only have 2 on my meter. Just a little concerned i may be paying higher rate electricity when i dont need too.

Any help would be appreciated in deciphering what type of meter it is and then querying what tarif is suitable for such a meter.

Thanks in advance.

molerat

You need to ask what tarriff you are actually on. The meter is a dual rate (economy 7 / 10) but may be in use as a single rate, there should be a third reading which is the total of R1 & R2. The low rate may be available for 3 periods. You will need to ask them what time the timings are for you. Economy 7 is not generally suitable for a property with gas heating although economy 10 may be. Rate 1 is normally low and Rate 2 peak.

dogshome

Hi sympatex - From what you have posted it appears that you have an ECO7 meter. These are made to deliver 'Cheap' electricity overnight to heat your Hot water and heat up Storage radiators, then during the day it supplies higher priced electricity

It's important that you identify which Rate button does the Night and which is the Day so there is no confusion on the billing - Watch the meter during the day having popped a kettle on to see which Rate is recording the use.

South Elecs tariff has 3 prices because on the 'Day' use they will charge xxx units a year at a high a price to cover the Standing Charge (these are calculated to so many a day and charged for the number of days a bill covers ) All the Day units you use after this are charged at a lower price.
The Night units are charged at just one price

Be aware that Electric heating is much more expensive than Gas and depending on the size of your flat tou could be looking at an annual bill of £1000+ a year

sympatex

Thank you both for your advice.

I think that is part of the problem, we dont have storage heaters, it is GCH and ELEC for all other.

They have always taken the readings except the first one so i assume they aren't confused (hah!) but i will check which is day time thanks. I could well have given them the wrong original ones but i did just read out "rate 1 says this, rate 2 says that".

I think i need to get off this tariff then by the sounds of things.

dogshome

Hi sympatex - WHOA! You have gas Central Heating and an ECO7 meter ?
Unless there are special reasons you haven't posted, this set-up is costing you money.

ECO 7 basically supplies cheap power overnight to heat Storage radiators and a hot water tank, the downside is that the power you use in the day is a lot more expensive than that supplied through a 'Standard 'meter, so if you have gas CH you get no benifit from the cheap NIGHT rate Elec, but pay through the nose for what you use during the day.

When the Gas CH was installed the supplier would have been informed, who would then have added Rates 1 & 2 togetherand charged them at Standard meter rates, so it would seem that when you moved in as a new tenant, this arrangement was 'forgotten'

Get onto your supplier today and tell them you want a 'standard' meter installed or Standard rates charged, and ask them whilst you are about it, why they have been chargeing you ECO7 rates.