Suppliers installing smart meters for new customers

Bark01

Well that escalated quickly....

Couple of points:
If you meter is in an inaccessible place it’s unlikely anyone will fit a smart meter any time soon. In all likelihood your meter will need to be moved to a more accessible location. If it’s dangerous for you to read it, it’s dangerous for a meter worker to change it. Unfortunately this will only be confirmed via a site visit. I’m m not sure who would end up paying for it though. I guess it would depend on whose at fault for it being in an confined space.

On suppliers adding up EC7 rates and charging both at one price. This isn’t something that is used very often, so knowledge of it will be limited. Just ringing up a call centre and asking a random agent may not get you the correct answer. Case in point EDF absolutely do offer it and have done for at least the last decade. There bills even reference it.

On the majority of suppliers not offering it. The number of suppliers offering it isn’t important unless you factor in market share.

Pagett

Well the concidences continue... :cool:

In regards Ovo Energy,

OVO_Energy wrote:

Hi Happy Chappy,

If you wanted be charged to a standard rate the meter would need to be exchanged first. We do charge for a meter exchange (unless faulty) so it might be more cost effective for you if you check with your current supplier first.

Hope this helps

Let us know if you have any further questions.

Thanks- Ovo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4936269/ovo-energy-switching-problems (post#90)

And it's not just the customer service call handlers that do not now what they are doing, it seems the website autors need further instruction too. This from EDF website:

Can I change my tariff from Economy 7 to a standard one?


Yes, but we might have to change your meter. Please contact us using the Chat button on the right.
If we do have to change your meter we’ll check if we can install a smart meter.

https://edfenergyuk.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1107/~/can-i-change-my-tariff-from-economy-7-to-a-standard-one%3F

With pressure on energy suppliers to get every customer they can to have a smart meter installed, who would give up a golden opporttunity handed to them on a plate?

Pagett

Talldave wrote: »

...
To reiterate, I've been buying energy for over 30 years, have never used an E7 tariff and every property I've lived in has had an E7 meter....

You may wish to reconsider that position quite urgently.

I see you have now shared your usage figures here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6003782/uswitch-miscalculation

In short, 3600kWh pa, 21% of which is low rate, in the SE supply region

I understand you are currently supplied by Pure Planet (who charge the same full rate on both registries of on E7 tariff)

I calculate that costs you £611.97 pa

As an example, you could save over 10% by switching to Yorkshire Energy on their E7 Green Weasel tariff . £547.09 pa

By contrast, Yorkshire Energy would charge £562.88 for someone using that amount of electricity in your supply region, based on a single rate meter.

The Yorkshire Energy Green Weasel tariff electricity is 100% from renewable sources, and prices are fixed until June 2020 - but there's no early exit fees to worry about if you want to switch to a cheaper deal later.

There are even cheaper options currently available elsewhere, but I acted on MSE suggestions and scrolled down

Talldave

Pagett wrote: »

You may wish to reconsider that position quite urgently.

I see you have now shared your usage figures here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6003782/uswitch-miscalculation

In short, 3600kWh pa, 21% of which is low rate, in the SE supply region

I understand you are currently supplied by Pure Planet (who charge the same full rate on both registries of on E7 tariff)

I calculate that costs you £611.97 pa

As an example, you could save over 10% by switching to Yorkshire Energy on their E7 Green Weasel tariff . £547.09 pa

By contrast, Yorkshire Energy would charge £562.88 for someone using that amount of electricity in your supply region, based on a single rate meter.

The Yorkshire Energy Green Weasel tariff electricity is 100% from renewable sources, and prices are fixed until June 2020 - but there's no early exit fees to worry about if you want to switch to a cheaper deal later.

There are even cheaper options currently available elsewhere, but I acted on MSE suggestions and scrolled down

The combination I posted was one of a range I was trying, based on predictive guesswork as we've not been in the property for a full year yet and a stupidly large portion of night time electric consumption in winter is from the central heating system.


But the advice of lower break even points led me to this research. The Yorkshire tariff is the cheapest amongst companies I wouldn't be avoiding (see feedback threads!) and has a remarkable E7 break even point of 15.5%. For an old-timer like me that saw 35% break even points back in the 80s that's a real eye-opener.


Now just debating whether to wait and see if SSE put their smart meters in soon or switch right away.

Bark01

Pagett wrote: »

And it's not just the customer service call handlers that do not now what they are doing, it seems the website autors need further instruction too. This from EDF website:

Can I change my tariff from Economy 7 to a standard one?

Yes, but we might have to change your meter. Please contact us using the Chat button on the right.

If we do have to change your meter we’ll check if we can install a smart meter.

Yes, but we might have to change your meter...

Emphasis on the 'might'...

Not all complex meters can be totalised and not all EC7 can be totalised, it is dependant on the SSC of the meter and EC7 has ~100 industry recognised SSCs. Most of these can be totalised by EDF but a few can't. EDF are stating that in a worse case scenario the customer would need a meter exchange.

If the meter can't be totlaised then EDF wouldn't want to put in an old STD meter for a couple of reasons one of which being the push for smart roll out.

EDF didn't use to charge for meter exchanges but I think this may have changed, so swapping to a legacy STD meter would likely cost the customer >£50, where as swapping to a smart meter wouldn't cost them anything.