E7 meter time wrong

user58

Just moved into a property with a multi rate series s e7 meter and notice that the displayed time is about 3 hours behind the actual time.

Does this mean the night rate will start and finish 3 hours later than it should?

MattMattMattUK

user58 said:

Just moved into a property with a multi rate series s e7 meter and notice that the displayed time is about 3 hours behind the actual time.

Does this mean the night rate will start and finish 3 hours later than it should?

The night rate and the billing will operate based on the meters, what kind of meter do you have, can you upload a picture? 

EssexHebridean

It might…but then again it might not! As Matt says though it does depend on your meter type and setup. 

imeach

I'm guessing until we know your set up, that you may mean you have a separate mechanical timeswitch?
If so then the night rate will start whenever it gets to the pointer.
Suppliers tend to ignore timeswitch differences 2 hours either way.

user58

Meter set up as requested.

lohr500

Have you checked that you are actually on an E7 tariff?
From the wiring picture you have posted there is no visible 5th wire exiting the meter.

The fifth wire on an Economy 7 set up will either be a thick wire (same thickness as the ones in the picture) or a thinner wire going to a relay/contactor box. During the Economy 7 off peak period the 5th wire becomes live and is used to power dedicated Economy 7 circuits in the house.

Without the 5th wire, you would have to rely on timers fitted to the individual devices you wanted to run only during the off peak period. This is then a challenge as you need to keep an eye on the timers to make sure they stay aligned to the off peak time window.

The meter may be recording usage on the Rate 1 and Rate 2 registers, but as per my original question, are you sure you are paying different rates?

This then leads onto the next question. Which, if any devices do have individual timers? Are you heating the water with electricity , are there any night storage heaters and how is the rest of the house heated?

There is no point having an Economy 7 type tariff unless you can shift a sizable chunk of your electrical consumption into the off peak rate.


First job is to establish if you are on an Economy 7 tariff. If not, it doesn't matter what the time says on the meter and what time it switches between the Rate 1 and Rate 2 registers.

If you are on an Eco 7 tariff then further investigation into how you are using it is needed. Which region do you live in as the times for Economy 7 vary around the country. There is a table in this link which shows the different times

https://www.scottishpower.co.uk/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-toolkit/electric-heating

To check if the meter is using it's internal clock (most likely looking at your meter) or a radio telesignal to switch rates, you can watch the Rate Now indicator around the time of change to see when it toggles over. Times in the table are GMT and as far as I am aware, they stay on GMT throughout the year. So as we are now on GMT, the times in the table will match the real time.

Say in your area you should switch from off peak to peak at 07:00. Using the clock on the meter, around 06:50 it should be showing "Rate Now" on 1 or 2. Then at 07:10 it should have switched to the other "Rate Now" number.

Conventionally Rate 1 is peak and Rate 2 is off peak, but sometimes these are reversed. (ours were when we had a faulty Eco 7 meter replaced).

If it doesn't switch over from one rate to the other based on the meter clock, do a similar check using the real time around 06:50 and 07:10 and see if it switches then. 

This test will establish if the meter is using it's own clock or is switching via a remote signal.

But again it comes back to 1st establishing if you are actually on an Eco 7 tariff an if so how it is being used. 

Sorry if I have rambled along, but hope it helps.

jbuchanangb

Having just moved in and read the meter, both R1 & R2, you should have contacted the electricity supplier who already supplied the property and opened an account with them, giving them the readings on the day you moved in. They should know whether they are billing you on an E7 tariff or a single rate tariff. It should be clear from any bill you have received, and possibly also from their web site or app at the point where you can enter meter readings online. As has been stated your installation looks as though there aren't any dedicated E7 circuits in the property, the question about the timing when the meter changes from R1 to R2 may not be significant. Unless you have substantial consumption during the off peak period, E7 is not beneficial as the daytime rate is higher then the standard rate on a single rate tariff.

QrizB

user58 said:

Meter set up as requested.

Looking at that photo, while you do have a 5-terminal meter there isn't anything connected to the 5th terminal.

I can't see any way of switching E7 loads from the meter, and there's no external timeswitch visible either.

If you have E7, it isn't switched by the meter.

user58

I have only just taken over the property and I have set it up on a E7 tariff believing thats what the original set up was, I do not know how it was previously being billed.

I have had no bills as yet.

I am not currently occupying the property so the only meter movement I have seen is on rate 2 (during the day) when I have been in there.

I do not have storage heaters only panel heaters but do have an electric heated water tank which is wired through a time clock.

I was also going to set washing machine to come on during the night.

It still doesn't answer when the night rate actually starts though, if at all.

I guess I will have to wait for a bill to see if there are seperate night and day units showing and whether they correspond to the units on the meter on R1 and R2 and see if it would be cheaper to be on a single rate tariff.

Then start setting the water to heat at different times during the night to work out what time the switch over actually is.

Mobtr

user58 said:

I have only just taken over the property and I have set it up on a E7 tariff believing thats what the original set up was, I do not know how it was previously being billed.

I have had no bills as yet.

I am not currently occupying the property so the only meter movement I have seen is on rate 2 (during the day) when I have been in there.

I do not have storage heaters only panel heaters but do have an electric heated water tank which is wired through a time clock.

I was also going to set washing machine to come on during the night.

It still doesn't answer when the night rate actually starts though, if at all.

I guess I will have to wait for a bill to see if there are seperate night and day units showing and whether they correspond to the units on the meter on R1 and R2 and see if it would be cheaper to be on a single rate tariff.

Then start setting the water to heat at different times during the night to work out what time the switch over actually is.

Ring your energy company, they will be able to tell you

Gerry1

Mobtr said:

user58 said:

I have only just taken over the property and I have set it up on a E7 tariff believing thats what the original set up was, I do not know how it was previously being billed.

I have had no bills as yet.

I am not currently occupying the property so the only meter movement I have seen is on rate 2 (during the day) when I have been in there.

I do not have storage heaters only panel heaters but do have an electric heated water tank which is wired through a time clock.

I was also going to set washing machine to come on during the night.

It still doesn't answer when the night rate actually starts though, if at all.

I guess I will have to wait for a bill to see if there are seperate night and day units showing and whether they correspond to the units on the meter on R1 and R2 and see if it would be cheaper to be on a single rate tariff.

Then start setting the water to heat at different times during the night to work out what time the switch over actually is.

Ring your energy company, they will be able to tell you

Not a good idea.  They don't set the times.  If the agent in the call centre gets it wrong it could be an expensive mistake; what counts is what the meter actually does, not what others think it ought to be doing.

All you have to do is note when the 2 changes to a 1 and vice versa, remembering that it could have a two-hour peak rate period in the middle.