E7 storage heating with smart meter

Usatoday

I've recently changed elec supplier to Outfox The Market and I have a smart meter which was installed by another company.

Since turning on a storage heater my smart meter is making me aware the heating elec consumption does not align with the E7 low use time which ends at 07.15. My meter was showing amber at 8.30am. 

I've queried this with OTM and waiting their reply. Posting here to ask if anyone has had a similar issue & if so how it got resolved to ensure storage heater elec consumption is only during E7 low rate times. 

southone

My smart metre says that day rate starts at 7:30 in the morning as it's still sets the Greenwich mean time its starts at 8:30, when the clocks go Back an hour at the end of October it will be back to how it should be

EssexHebridean

Can you confirm the make and model of the heater? Some can be remotely programmed with their charge times, and it is incredibly easy for this to become messed up. If that happens, it can in turn be incredibly expensive! 

Scot_39

I assume by amber your talking about the green low, amber mid and red high consumption on your ihd (tge little few inch square display) and not the meter itself.

There is a chance OFTM may have changed your old default timings when they took over the meter just as they have probably sent their new rates to it.  Some regions default e7 time ranges can go to 8am gmt - 9 am bst.

Uncle used to have 730 am gmt 830am dst  in his e7 install. 

My legacy  e10 times are split 3 ways - 12-5 am, 1-4pm and 8-10pm  gmt so less anti social hours to check afternoon or evening timings operating. 

Are you sure the only moderate current draw would be the storage heater.  My largest draws 3.6kW - the smaller ones 1.8kW  - more than less than kettle / toaster or oven etc.

In theory the tariff switch and the meter e7 alcs nsh, hw switching if using that mode should always be together - however a couple posts have worringly suggested users suspected otherwise.

Often suppliers websites etc will only have a generic timing - and tgat may be all thatcan OFTM custumer service rep knows - when they respond - that is not always your actual meter timing.

Some were set offset deliberately  - iirc the max may even have been 15m - to avoid 100,000s hones switching xkW demand at once for instance.

Old analogue and early non rts digital drifted over time etc.

Not sure I have ever seen 715am tabled as a standard setting for any region - but SWest, SWales and on some sites parts of Scotland have no fixed time slot - just a longer DNO window in which 7 hrs  must start and end.

So always best to check your own actual times  if manylualky setting timer to match..

Intetnal options

Visiual - Do any of your restricted spur switches have an led ?

Keen diyer - Do you have a voltmeter or safer a non contact live wire pen or multidetector device to verify times restricted feed is live ?

If not and as I suspect you do have the ihd (many dont use theirs, some in flats etc dont even get one isdued if have remote meters etc) and better still as means can be inside house in my case - my ihd only tells me the current charge rate in p per kWh for electric in real time - not both rates - but may help if you check that - as that rate switches within about 10 sec when my meter switches tariff.

Similarly the IHD themselves also often have advance indication of rate switches.  Only seen mine and one other on multirate though - so maybe not all.

Some a countdown gauge and showing 60,45,30,15 mins  - mine actually changes time display to minutes until next switch and the tariff change + for off peak to peak next or - from 90m before - so know e.g. if time to do a washing load before high rate kicks in.  Or the time to wait before sticking washing on or putting dinner in oven etc. In evening etc.

Possibly external
Some meters - the physical meter - have displays that tell you what the curent rate is --say a little 1 or 2 or r1 or r2 or a marker (bar, arrow chevron etc) on display that moves and r1 r2 etc on case etc.

Activation time easier at times - my hot water often switches in so see the 3kW on use - and in winter again my nsh often start drawing power.

Easier for me to check as happens 3x per day - switching off times trickier - they are seldom drawing power by end of off peak cycles.

But if worried I'd use my non contact pen as I have one as a quick check.

Ildhund

Scot_39 said:

Visiual - Do any of your restricted spur switches have an led ?

I asked about this earlier without getting a response (that I noticed, anyhow).

A 'switch with an LED' presumably shows a red light only when power is running through it. That will be helpful in many circumstances, but I can't work out whether switches like this also show a red light when the switch itself is off, so long as there would be power if it were switched on. In other words, the circuit itself is live, but whatever appliance is connected to the switch will only get power if the switch is on. 
This would indeed be a useful visual clue: Aha! We're into offpeak time, so I can turn the tumble dryer on.

I'm asking because I have a 4-socket power bar at my feet that has a red indicator lamp (LED or neon?) that lights up when the socket it's plugged into is live, regardless of whether anything's plugged into the power bar itself or whether anything that is plugged in is itself switched on or off. I have another that has a switch of its own, so the light goes out when that switch is off. Two different arrangements.

There are obviously variations in what causes these indicator lamps to light up, so I would think it's important to know. In my case, the answer to your question is No. 

Scot_39

The restricted feed is time switched.

And the OP heater is he suspects drawing power - amber not green etc.

It is dead 17 hrs a day so  i assume no led.

Whether they need active current draw I realky don't know.  Gut says no - but cannot test here.

I would have to check a sockets circuit to be sure though  etc as mines aren't led.

I would assume led might simply be switched live - rarher than incoming live as per a socket strip - but not 100% sure.  Sure I have seen switches where the led was on the switch not the socket and so near invisible when off.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mk-logic-plus-20a-1-gang-dp-control-switch-white-with-neon/13014?tc



I don't trust them as an ultimate arbiter of live of not - as some of the leds on old 4 way extensions and even more so sockets have bwen known to die in past.

I learned not to trust even switch positions or remote indicators for mv and hv. 

But as a quick visual...

It's an @Gerry1 MSEr common suggestion.

And serms logical given op thinks is not only live to switch but seeing power draw via amber on  ihd I assume.

Gerry1

Scot_39 said:

Some were set offset deliberately  - iirc the max may even have been 15m - to avoid 100,000s homes switching xkW demand at once for instance.

Correct, the label on mine states ±15 minutes.