Ovo Metering Query E10 to single rate.

macman

A relative has had her night storage heaters removed and replaced with convectors. Aargh, but too late now to reverse that. The tariff has not been altered, so the meter is a dual-rate meter on a E10 tariff. Will Ovo totalise the 2 reads if she switches to a single rate tariff, or is a new meter install required?
It is not a smart meter.
I've suggested that the best course of action is to request a smart meter install, and then immediately request a switch from E10 to a single rate tariff, which can be done remotely.

Gerry1

Do the sums first.  E10 might well work out cheaper, especially if she can minimise usage of high power appliances during the evening peak (4pm - 8pm or whatever).  If she changes from E10 and finds single rate too expensive she probably won't be able to switch back.

Might be worth considering changing some E10 outlets to 13A sockets so that a convector can be plugged in and never use peak rate.

Scot_39

AFAIK - SR billing is pretty much integral part of Ofgems requirements for RMI (E7, E10 and other complex metering solutions) customer migration support.  So should be able to get them to single rate bill - at least as a precursor to a meter upgrade.

And when that happens - if haven't already altered e/g HW immersion away from meter switched circuits - you might then be forced to.

But it's not a clear cut decision whether SR would in fact end up cheaper or more expensive overall than E10 metering - but they have certainly made it more difficult by getting rid of NSH.

Assuming that is it is a genuine single meter E10 install - so billing the whole house at off peak rates for 10 hours a day.

A forumite here - @QrizB - has done some interesting cost comparisons for E7 vs SR using NSH and panel style heaters - and interestingly of late - some have come in slightly cheaper on his assumed E7 composite pricing cf SR - but both of those are far cheaper than running convection panels purely at E7 peak rates (hardly surprisingly).

See

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78557202/#Comment_78557202

Arguably the same comparison is well worth looking into for E10 - as for me - I can boost heat in afternoon (1-4pm) - and late evening (8-10pm) - at off peak rates (and if out all day at work - that might well suit many users).  As well as run washing machine, oven etc.

But I am not even sure how others E10 times and rates compare.

(Right now EDF only ones to publish E10 rates nationally.)

QrizB

I'm going to agree with the previous posters. Do the sums and try to avoid any high loads during peak periods.

It's going to be more expensive than storage heaters, but E10 might still work out cheaper than single-rate.

molerat

Scot_39 said:

AFAIK - SR billing is pretty much integral part of Ofgems requirements for RMI (E7, E10 and other complex metering solutions) customer migration support. 

E7 is specifically excluded from the RMI regulations

Relevant Restricted Metering Infrastructure
means Restricted Metering Infrastructure, excluding any Economy 7 Metering Infrastructure, Smart Metering Infrastructure or Prepayment Metering Infrastructure.

Scot_39

Thanks for the correction.

macman

I'm putting the smart meter switch on hold because Ovo's website advises that the smart meter does not support E10, and the only dual rate option would be E7, :which would I'm sure be more expensive.
Her account was allegedly £900 in arrears, but upon checking the last bill against actual meter reads, it transpires that Ovo have overbilled by an incredible 6,000 kWh on the peak rate register since February. Off peak is fairly accurate. All billing reads this year are estimates. 
My calculation is that she is actually in credit by around £1,000. So we are going to get the billing and DD revised before any decision about a switch to single rate metering. Thanks to all for the advice on E10, which I knew little about until now.