Total Heating Total Control (THTC) all electric home tariff monopoly by OVO (formally SSE)

David_in_Moray

I've been tied into an SSE Total Heating Total Control (THTC) all electric domestic tariff since moving into my modest 3-bedroom detached bungalow in a rural coastal village of NE Scotland since 1997.  Over the years I have upgraded the heating (Quantum storage and Monteray panel heaters), water heating storage, double glazing and insulation as best I can, but my annual energy bill has risen to around £3400 (THTC 13483 kWh and Standard 6441 kWh).  Despite 80 odd offshore wind turbines on the Beatrice field (in sight) contributing to the grid and accounting for 54% of the supply recorded on my latest bill, OFGEM seem impotent at challenging this monopoly by SSE subjecting Moray to the highest rate of mainland fuel poverty at this time.  Our MSP and MP are both aware of the problem.  Can any of you THTC twin controlled meter tariff users help please!

Carrot007

It's hardly SSE's fault that the govenment deciced that legacy tarrifs like yours were obsolete and need to be discouraged. Believe me SSE would rather they did not have to supply you (on such a tarrif) either!

Your options are changing to an E7 (which is 8.5 hours in Sctoland but let just ignore that) tarrif and changing you property to deal with it. Yes this is likely to be expensive. Probably not something you could have forseen since 1997 was the offical start of de-nationalisation and no thought to future changes had yet been made. It's just bad luck.
Which brings your view on the wind turbines into focus now, even if those turbines are owned an opereated by SSE (they do play a large parrt in the generation side), it is a colpetely differnet company run seperate and SSE Supply still has to pay SSE Generation the agreed rates which are no different to what they charge any other suppler. (It just depends on time of purchase as energy distrubution is a futures market, pay cheaper in advance or take the change on the cost when you need it! However as and end user you do not see this side)

I am of the opninion that at some point there will be government help for upgrading such homes, but since the majority of what they care about (London and the South West) are on fairly normal tarrifs the point will take at least anopther few years until they take action (maybe more).

On the other hand, it is also possible that comples smart meter tarrifs will become available to replace such things. Although again, I would not hold my breath.

For complex places likeyourself I am not sure what would be a good option. E7+Battery storage may become more viable soon since the government wants to wean those that have it off gas completely. And while in the short term this will be for the hoseholder to implement, the distrobution companies may go that way in time. Of course without complex TOU charging with a smart meter no one will see the benefits.

In my view you are paying around twice what would be reasonable.

It a horrible situation to be in and I hope it changes for you. However the only people resonsible for lack of foresight into this situation are the government.

molerat

With an E7 tariff you could likely shave up to £1K off that bill, even a single rate could cut £500+. As you have upgraded to modern storage heaters you may not need the daytime boosts that come with the Total Control.

danrv

Similar post here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5957327/sse-thtc-monopoly

Rosie1001

I’ve had a legacy tariff similar to you , I’ve got night storage heaters and was tied to n power for over 25 years as no one would take my type of meter on ...

I spoke to EDF in December , I spoke to complex metering team , got a great deal so I switched to them on jan 13 th ... I’ve worked out I still save approx £ 700/ £ 800 per annum on my new tariff 

give them a ring and see if they can help ..you need to speak to the Complex  meter team As they are trained in these meter types 

[Deleted User]

The future is smart meters. SMETS2 meters have a port that allows suppliers to set complex time-of-use tariffs using what is known as the Automatic Load Control System (ALCS). I know that Octopus has been trialling ALCS use. I suspect that use of this will become increasingly important if the RTS service is turned off as planned next year.

Carrot007

[Deleted User] said:

The future is smart meters. SMETS2 meters have a port that allows suppliers to set complex time-of-use tariffs using what is known as the Automatic Load Control System (ALCS). I know that Octopus has been trialling ALCS use. I suspect that use of this will become increasingly important if the RTS service is turned off as planned next year.

The RTS was due to be switched off in 2008, then 2012, then... etc... ;-) I doubt that next year will be the one either. It will come though. Unfortunatly things like this hurt tboth he end customer and the supplier.

David_in_Moray

Thanks to all who replied with comments and provided links to other contributors going back as far as December 2019, all very interesting.  There only appear to be two successful complainants, particularly of interest was the thread by 'sashampton on 10th December 2019 at 10:40pm' which I shall look into further.  However, for most little has changed since the advice I gleaned from 'Ofgem Analytical Report 133/13 dated 26th July 2013 pages 23 and 37' which stated that THTC was the best tariff for homes such as mine.  That report and a consultation with Dimplex resulted in upgrading our THTC heating and hot water system back in in April 2014 and consistent consumption figures ever since then.  SMART metering is not yet available to me, so I submit both THTC and Standard meter readings to SSE monthly online to keep track.  This severe winter weather will have cost £490 per month to keep this home between 18 - 20 degrees during waking hours!  

David_in_Moray

Hi again THTC consumers out there, anyone still out there?
Like most SSE customers I was migrated to OVO in August 2023 and their own forums have generated as many threads as the MSE Energy Forum on the cost of legacy tariffs and inability to switch to any other supplier due to the delay in providing SMART meters, recently further extended to March 2025.  The past six winter months has for me averaged out at  £570 per month and there is no relief in sight. My threads on the OVO Forum have mysteriously disappeared so it seems 'the bad news messenger has been shot' or at least silenced!

Scot_39

David_in_Moray said:

I've been tied into an SSE Total Heating Total Control (THTC) all electric domestic tariff since moving into my modest 3-bedroom detached bungalow in a rural coastal village of NE Scotland since 1997.  Over the years I have upgraded the heating (Quantum storage and Monteray panel heaters), water heating storage, double glazing and insulation as best I can, but my annual energy bill has risen to around £3400 (THTC 13483 kWh and Standard 6441 kWh).  Despite 80 odd offshore wind turbines on the Beatrice field (in sight) contributing to the grid and accounting for 54% of the supply recorded on my latest bill, OFGEM seem impotent at challenging this monopoly by SSE subjecting Moray to the highest rate of mainland fuel poverty at this time.  Our MSP and MP are both aware of the problem.  Can any of you THTC twin controlled meter tariff users help please!

From another thread that turned into users attacking Ovo for THTC replacement

"And at one stage Ovo did clearly have a process to support the request the removal of dual rts meters - this example from their forum actually thtc - provided customers would provide a qualified electricians report saying house circuits would remain supplied by other meter. That is - consumers accepted responsibility for their part of the shift  - according to this post from Nov 2023 on their own blog

https://forum.ovoenergy.com/my-account-140/thtc-meter-removal-16526

"

Have you tried pursing that path.

If not glad to reed EDF may have options.

You do not pay the price of wind renewables unless you have a contract with a pure green supplier. And if you did exclusively right now - that might be at price premium.  And equally there may be times when your lights are off - if enough of us really could do so.

Renewables - your visible example of a FoS Wind farm in particular - if not the Beatrice field itself - being the most expensive developed mass wind source in earlier auctions - are potentially actually increasing our bills again right now anyway. For those installed on CFD contracts after 2015 - at up to £12p/MWh wholsale (2012 indexing standard for Cfd auctions) - and subsequent license auctions).  

In total renewables CfD supplies - a realtively small proportion of total electric generation - are adding c£20 to the current cap (last quarter £16).

Renewables only electricity - from pure 100% green energy providers - used to carry a big (well into double digit %) price premium in the early days of green energy.  The few fully true green suppliers (not REGO offset model used by many big suppliers) remaining were I believe therefore exempt from Ofgem cap pricing (still ?).