Economy 7 Smart Meter on Wrong Switching Times!!

Boogins

Good morning,
This is a strange situation to complain about!!
We have recently changed supplier from Utilita to E.
We have a smart prepayment economy 7 meter with storage heaters which worked fine with Utilita. The problem is the switching times/rates. Our cheap rate is from 06:17am until 11:17pm and day rate is 11:17pm until 6:17am!
Basically we are getting cheap rate all day and if I want to charge the storage heaters over night then it's at the day rate.
I'm hoping this makes sense as when I contacted E they didn't seem.to comprehend what I was saying,. I've emailed them a picture of meter showing the rates and time, etc to prove my point.
Most people wouldn't complain about all.this cheap (6.6p per unit) electric all day but it has left our new Quantum Storage heaters useless as I refuse to.pay 23p per unit to charge them!
As it stands we are heating the house with oil filled rads and the built in boost heaters in the storage heaters.
What I'm really worried about is E eventually realising the problem and then trying to make me pay extra for all.the day units I'm using at the night rate. As I've made them aware of this I'm hoping they can't.
If you've managed to get this far in the post thank you!!
Any advice greatly received.
Any advice greatly

jk0

Sounds like they've just got the readings reversed, doesn't it? This happens on ordinary meters occasionally.


Just keep asking for the person's supervisor, until you get through to someone intelligent.

[Deleted User]

I agree that it more likely transposed day/night readings rather than the switching times on the meter, although the switch timings appear out of synch a little too but they can vary for different areas but an 11 .17 pm start of the cheap rate is nt normal for a new meter which should nt have drifted much at all.
Transposed readings on Eco 7 are very common and anyone with night storage heaters will suffer due to the heating costs outweighing the gain having cheap rate through the day

Boogins

I'm an electrician and have a little knowledge on this subject!! Yes the day readings are being charged at the night rate and vice versa.
As far as switching times go these are all done through the supplier now! With Utilita it was 12:30-730 all year and didn't change with the clocks, since going with E the switch times were 12:17-7-17 in BST and have now stayed the same with the clocks going back (which as far as I was aware was the norm) so have changed in real time to be an hour earlier eg 11:17-6:17.
At the moment from what I can tell we are heating the house at a comparable cost to Eco 7 using standard electric heaters in the day and not using the storage heaters at all and we get to do washing in the day rather than over night!
Not sure if this will continue to be comparable once it starts to get cold!

[Deleted User]

Boogins wrote: »

I'm an electrician and have a little knowledge on this subject!! Yes the day readings are being charged at the night rate and vice versa.
As far as switching times go these are all done through the supplier now! With Utilita it was 12:30-730 all year and didn't change with the clocks, since going with E the switch times were 12:17-7-17 in BST and have now stayed the same with the clocks going back (which as far as I was aware was the norm) so have changed in real time to be an hour earlier eg 11:17-6:17.
At the moment from what I can tell we are heating the house at a comparable cost to Eco 7 using standard electric heaters in the day and not using the storage heaters at all and we get to do washing in the day rather than over night!
Not sure if this will continue to be comparable once it starts to get cold!

When the meter is a smart meter the switching times are regulated correctly by the meter and adjusts for the BST/GMT hour back ... Its now back to being just a normal dumb meter (until the DCC go s active ) and it stays in GMT like all digital meters other than radio Teleswitched meters.. In my area in South Yorks , official Eco 7 time is 12.30 am to 7.30 am in GMT but these times will vary around the country..Probably yours are 11 pm to 6 pm and the digital meter clock has drifted 15 mins..

AndyPK

charge the storage heaters during the day. It will be fine

Gerry1

Presumably there's a risk that a meter reader will enter the readings correctly and then you'll be back billed for 12 months' worth of any underpayment, which could be expensive !

Takmon

Boogins wrote: »

Good morning,
This is a strange situation to complain about!!
We have recently changed supplier from Utilita to E.
We have a smart prepayment economy 7 meter with storage heaters which worked fine with Utilita. The problem is the switching times/rates. Our cheap rate is from 06:17am until 11:17pm and day rate is 11:17pm until 6:17am!
Basically we are getting cheap rate all day and if I want to charge the storage heaters over night then it's at the day rate.
I'm hoping this makes sense as when I contacted E they didn't seem.to comprehend what I was saying,. I've emailed them a picture of meter showing the rates and time, etc to prove my point.
Most people wouldn't complain about all.this cheap (6.6p per unit) electric all day but it has left our new Quantum Storage heaters useless as I refuse to.pay 23p per unit to charge them!
As it stands we are heating the house with oil filled rads and the built in boost heaters in the storage heaters.
What I'm really worried about is E eventually realising the problem and then trying to make me pay extra for all.the day units I'm using at the night rate. As I've made them aware of this I'm hoping they can't.
If you've managed to get this far in the post thank you!!
Any advice greatly received.
Any advice greatly

You do realise having it this way around makes it much cheaper for you even with storage heaters. Most people want their heat in the evening anyway so charging your storage heaters during the day ready for the evening will work out cheaper due to less heat loss compared to charging them throughout the night.

Boogins

AndyPK wrote: »

charge the storage heaters during the day. It will be fine

Unable to do this as the Eco 7 is a switched supply and only active at night

Boogins

Houbara wrote: »

When the meter is a smart meter the switching times are regulated correctly by the meter and adjusts for the BST/GMT hour back ... Its now back to being just a normal dumb meter (until the DCC go s active ) and it stays in GMT like all digital meters other than radio Teleswitched meters.. In my area in South Yorks , official Eco 7 time is 12.30 am to 7.30 am in GMT but these times will vary around the country..Probably yours are 11 pm to 6 pm and the digital meter clock has drifted 15 mins..

I'm not sure it's gone back to a normal meter at all.
It's a prepayment meter and I'm able to top up via an app and the credit goes to the meter. Also when I first joined E they'd put me on the wrong tariff and when I rang they were able to change this from their end and my meter then shew the new correct tariff.
They are definitely able to communicate with the meter as all the rates etc changed when they took over supply!

Boogins

Takmon wrote: »

You do realise having it this way around makes it much cheaper for you even with storage heaters. Most people want their heat in the evening anyway so charging your storage heaters during the day ready for the evening will work out cheaper due to less heat loss compared to charging them throughout the night.

With out altering the consumer units it isn't possible to charge the storage heaters in the day only at night on the higher tariff.
We had found that the Quantum Storage heaters worked well at retaining the heat until the evening and were surprised at how little heat was lost through the case and how cold the rooms were at 5am unlike traditional storage heaters!