Landis meters and day / night tariff

Buster_Danog

I am thinking of signing up for a British Gas one year fixed electricity only tariff which seems to be cheaper with day / night readings. However I can't seem to find out if the meter allows me to do day and night readings. On my past tariffs they have only had a single rate so I never needed to. It is a Landis E470 meter like this one. Doe anyone use this meter for both readings?




Also, is it a good idea to fix electricity for a year the way the market is at the moment, or would it make more sense to try and go for a two year fixed rate deal?

Verdigris

All L&G domestic meters are call E470, confusingly. The actual model is 5236J-Y.

"The meter has up to 4 time-of-use registers. Each TOU register will
become active according to the TOU switching plan configured into the
meter"

https://www.smartme.co.uk/documents/5236UserManualVersion1_8.pdf

So, yes, you can have up to 4 rates on it.

pokora

I have this meter and pressing the blue button you could see both readings. 

If you decide to lock a fixed rate now please do it without exit fee. If something better came in the market at least you could switch.

macman

No fixed rate at present will be cheaper than BG's SVT, but they may 'forget' to offer you the latter-you need to insist.

EssexHebridean

Martin Lewis has had a lot to say about the current position with switching providers/changing tariffs, and the advice right now is “don’t” - you aren’t going to get anything cheaper than your provider’s variable rate.

it sounds as though you are looking at an Economy7 type tariff - as a rule these are more expensive per unit for the day rate but a lot cheaper overnight, and they are designed for people who use a high proportion of their electricity overnight. We’re on E7 - heating via storage heaters which charge overnight, and our hot water also heats during the cheap overnight period. We maximise this by also running appliances overnight too, but this doesn’t work for everyone. 

Curiousgirl1

You can’t change from a 1 rate tariff to a 2 rate tariff yourself. If your meter is currently a 1 rate, you will not be able to see day & night readings. 

Are you currently supplied by British Gas? If so you will need to contact them to go through a quote & they will change the meter remotely should you decide to go ahead. 

If you are not currently supplied by British Gas you will need to contact your current supplier to go through the above before you can change 

Buster_Danog

I don't know that EDF who I am currently with offers a 2 rate tariff. I thought British Gas could change the meter to allow for a two rate, but how could EDF not let them do that?

I am thinking of switching to the "zero fixed oct 2022" tariff with BG. The day and night unit rates are cheaper than the Standard Variable Tariff and it has no standing charge. I found it because someone on MSE was looking for a tariff without a standing charge in another thread.

Verdigris

The meter "belongs" to whoever currently supplies your power. EDF definitely do multi-rate tariffs. BG can change the meter set-up if they think it's worth their while.

I don't know where you are getting your information from but I don't see how anybody can be offering a lower unit price than SVT and no standing charge and not go bankrupt. Are you sure you are not mixing SC up with no early exit fee? The standing charge for multi-rate tariffs is normally significantly higher than for single rate tariffs.

Curiousgirl1

Buster_Danog said:

I don't know that EDF who I am currently with offers a 2 rate tariff. I thought British Gas could change the meter to allow for a two rate, but how could EDF not let them do that?

I am thinking of switching to the "zero fixed oct 2022" tariff with BG. The day and night unit rates are cheaper than the Standard Variable Tariff and it has no standing charge. I found it because someone on MSE was looking for a tariff without a standing charge in another thread.

EDF definitely do 2 rate tariffs. 

You can’t change to British Gas on a 2 rate tariff if you’re currently on a 1 rate with EDF. You would need to either change to a 2 rate with EDF beforehand or go over to British Gas on a 1 rate & change to a 2 rate once your account was set up with them 

Buster_Danog

Verdigris said:

The meter "belongs" to whoever currently supplies your power. EDF definitely do multi-rate tariffs. BG can change the meter set-up if they think it's worth their while.

I don't know where you are getting your information from but I don't see how anybody can be offering a lower unit price than SVT and no standing charge and not go bankrupt. Are you sure you are not mixing SC up with no early exit fee? The standing charge for multi-rate tariffs is normally significantly higher than for single rate tariffs.

The British Gas website and MSE forum https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6270847/no-standing-charge-electricity-tariffs-in-2021/p3

Curiousgirl1

That thread is from August