Single rate tariff / 2 rate digital meter / stuck with EON

E.ON_Company_Rep_Chris

Hi SteveNotts and redfrock

I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to comment on this thread.

It’s true that if we find, or a customer’s asks us to check if they’d be better off without a 2-rate electricity meter. We will switch them to a 1-rate tariff without any need to change the meter.

This is because on our current Economy 7 rates you’d need to use around 40% of your electricity overnight for it to be of benefit. Family circumstances do change, for example lots of people still have 2-rate meters in their homes long after storage heaters have been removed and replaced with gas central heating.

We still need both meter readings but when we send your bill, we charge you the same price for your electricity regardless of what time of day you used it. Just like we do with 1-rate meters.

I understand that not all energy suppliers will do this and that the percentage you need to use overnight on Economy 7 rates will vary across the board. I do recommend that you ask us for your annual use to be broken down into day/night. That way you can use the comparison sites to find the best deal for you, whether this be Economy 7 or what we call an “unrestricted” tariff.

In terms of updating the Profile Class with the distributor following your change of tariff, this is not something that we do.

I don’t like to disagree with Terrylw1 as he clearly knows his stuff, but my understanding is that Profile Class 2 relates to a Domestic Economy 7 meter with ‘switched load capabilities’. Changing the tariff does not alter the function of the meter itself, only the way that we choose to bill you.

I have double-checked this of course and we’re happy that what we do is not only in the best interests of our customers but is also compliant with sections 1.62, 4.1.1 and 4.2 of BSCP516 from the Elexon Balancing and Settlement Code.

Hope this helps guys

Amanda[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

Terrylw1

E.ON_Company_Rep_Amanda wrote: »

Hi SteveNotts and redfrock

I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to comment on this thread.

It’s true that if we find, or a customer’s asks us to check if they’d be better off without a 2-rate electricity meter. We will switch them to a 1-rate tariff without any need to change the meter.

This is because on our current Economy 7 rates you’d need to use around 40% of your electricity overnight for it to be of benefit. Family circumstances do change, for example lots of people still have 2-rate meters in their homes long after storage heaters have been removed and replaced with gas central heating.

We still need both meter readings but when we send your bill, we charge you the same price for your electricity regardless of what time of day you used it. Just like we do with 1-rate meters.

I understand that not all energy suppliers will do this and that the percentage you need to use overnight on Economy 7 rates will vary across the board. I do recommend that you ask us for your annual use to be broken down into day/night. That way you can use the comparison sites to find the best deal for you, whether this be Economy 7 or what we call an “unrestricted” tariff.

In terms of updating the Profile Class with the distributor following your change of tariff, this is not something that we do.

I don’t like to disagree with Terrylw1 as he clearly knows his stuff, but my understanding is that Profile Class 2 relates to a Domestic Economy 7 meter with ‘switched load capabilities’. Changing the tariff does not alter the function of the meter itself, only the way that we choose to bill you.

I have double-checked this of course and we’re happy that what we do is not only in the best interests of our customers but is also compliant with sections 1.62, 4.1.1 and 4.2 of BSCP516 from the Elexon Balancing and Settlement Code.

Hope this helps guys

Amanda[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

You need to check the Market Domain Data (MDD) because where you charge the meter based on PC1, you alter the profile of the meter in terms on consumption. If you check out the correct MDD table, you will see that there are meters that operate on PC1 or 2, however this is because the Switched Load Indicators also change to show it has no switched load, it also changes the fraction uses to split the EAC.

The problem is that MDD is hard coded in some supplier systems so if you do this, they switch and the meter is PC2 only, the new supplier cannot bill it on anything other than E7 and they will advise the customer they will need a meter change.

Other suppliers alter the PC in these circumstances. So, you could inherit them which suggests you switch them back to PC2.

The problem tends to come from the issue of switched load capabilities which in terms of PC is 2, however some old regions chose to create metering that could operate without switching a load despite being wired to and these are the PC1 versions.

The problem is that BSCP516 doesn't match to the MDD that suppliers are allowed to use and the Elexon have allowed these to still be used and that fact that both Elexon & the SVG are allowing suppliers to create new combinations with both PC1&2.

On this board we can see that:

- Eon charge single rate on all E7 meters but retain the PC2 as 2, hence the new supplier would see a mismatch between the customers single date contract vs their PC held in SMRS.

- SP won't do this at all and force the customer to pay for a meter change when the MDD allows for it, hence the opposite of the Eon way.

- Npower will change the tariff and the PC together hence will only do it on those meters allowed in MDD and change the rest onsite. Which per BSCP516 is incorrect but is compliant with Elexon's MDD (and as stated above, endorses it) as the Switched Load Indicators change. So, they are an example of a supplier that would experience a mismatch in switching.

- Bgas do the same as Eon but unsure on the PC part.

The thing for me is that if the customer has no storage heating, by changing it to a PC1 version, it corrects the % per register in the EAC to be inline with the alterations to customer usage. But, as you pointed out...this isn't complaint with BSCP516's narrow statements.

Confusing eh?

Not sure what the others do.