Exotic leccy meter? what switch options?

M1llh0use

Afternoon all.

tried to switch to a different electricity tariff earlier this month via the SSE website and all seemed well. i log in again today to check that everything has gone though and plan name is the same.
So i call the cust services number to be told that the switch was not possible because i've got an "Exotic" meter setup (not E7 or E10) and there are no other options other than "Standard & Off peak E"

anyone heard of this before? if so what options do i have?

Thanks in advance, andy

zaax

That's SSE for you. Maybe you should try a cheaper supplier

M1llh0use

I would, except all the comparison sites ask about an E7 meter. this, apparently, is not one. hence the question about "exotic" meters....

Better_Days

So exactly what tariff are you on now? I think you need clarification from SSE - calling a meter exotic is not sufficient.

Does it have different day and night rates, and if so do you know what time it changes between the two? Do you have storage heaters?

Have you asked your SSE to change the meter to a bog standard rather than exotic?

When we moved into this house we had an E7 meter. Daft as we have oil heating. By coincidence we had a letter from the energy company that they were changing the meter as the old one was obsolete. They wanted to replace like for like, and you would have thought I was asking for the blood of their first born by asking for a standard meter. Persevered and got one in the end.

molerat

What is the name of the tariff are you currently on, how many different rates does your bill show ?

M1llh0use

tariff is "Standard & Off peak E" and shows 2 rates. (also shows on the SSE website that the tariff is no longer available for sale)

Wolf3

What you have described and the tariff description you have given will most likely be dual MPAN meter, ie a seperate supply number for each part of the meter, a single rate meter for your normal electric usage and an off peak meter for your heating and hot water, which only charges at certain hours of the day.

So whilst you have 2 readings, you do not have a standard E7 meter to be able to switch to these alternative tariffs. The term "exotic" will be SSE and possibly other suppliers way of describing your meter setup.

It will be difficult, if at all possible to switch to other suppliers as well with this meter setup. If you did want to broaden your options you could inquire with SSE to change your meter to an E7, however this might be at cost, I've no idea if SSE charge for this exchange and will most likely mean the time your heating charges for will be reduced. AFAIK most off peak meters run for between 10 and 15 hours, this you should be able to check with SSE aswell.