Economy 7 smart meter working on single tariff

BoyJohn811

I was wondering if someone could provide some advice.

I had a Bulb smart meter installed (generation 2) in Feb 2022, replacing my previous 'regular' economy 7 meter. My usage is mostly on the night tariff, especially in the winter months (storage heaters). I naively thought that everything was OK, but I just realized (almost three years later) that the new smart meter was not configured correctly and has been working on a single (day) tariff all along. This means that for the bulk of my electricity usage, I have  massively overpaid over the past ~three years. Bulb is now Octopus and I have just got in touch with them (they also did not flag it before).

Is there any chance that I could claim the difference back (probably over £1000)? How should I ask for it?

I feel angry with myself as well for not noticing it sooner, nevertheless, I do not think this was genuinely my mistake.

Anyone had a similar experience?

Thank you very much.

DE_612183

Is it the meter thats faulty - or did they put you on a single rate tariff?

They are two different things.

Can you provide some detail of your bill - readings etc

How did you "realise" this now - don't forget a smart meter has three sets of readings - high, low & total

BoyJohn811

I am still finding out the details, Octopus stated that it was set to single-tariff and never reported night usage.

I seldom check my bills (which I now know is a mistake) and and I realized it when I noticed that my latest bill showed 0 kWh for night usage and ~400 kWh for day, even though I know that I am not even home during the day and most of my usage is the storage heaters that run overnight.



Now I am checking my past bills and occasionally, I see a little charge for 'night' (e.g., £3 - 5).

Gerry1

As your statement shows two kWh rates, you seem to have a good case that they haven't applied the meter readings correctly.  If you were on single rate, the day and rates would have been the same.

DE_612183

Interesting that the night rate is stuck at 2721 - was that the reading when it was installed ( if you have the info )

BoyJohn811

Prompted by your questions, I have looked into my bills, and it appears that the 'new' smart meter was reset to zero when installed and it was measuring night rate usage correctly (I hope; I see about 40%-60% day-night usage in winter) for quite some time. However, recently it stopped and was just reporting the same night rate stuck at 2721. I will contact Octopus again, I believe this was the time when I switched to a new Octopus 15M fixed tariff. Somehow that change reset the meter to single-tariff as I do not see changes since then. So perhaps not all is doom and gloom as it involves only the last few bills (still over £100 difference).

Thanks for the help.

Scot_39

BoyJohn811 said:

I am still finding out the details, Octopus stated that it was set to single-tariff and never reported night usage.

I seldom check my bills (which I now know is a mistake) and and I realized it when I noticed that my latest bill showed 0 kWh for night usage and ~400 kWh for day, even though I know that I am not even home during the day and most of my usage is the storage heaters that run overnight.



Now I am checking my past bills and occasionally, I see a little charge for 'night' (e.g., £3 - 5).

Your bill is 2 rate, so they should know, your meter should ge configured for it - but are those rates current ?

Check by payment method and region here - Remember to add vat 5% if those rates on bill exclude it and check cf table here

 https://octopus.energy/blog/energy-price-cap-oct-2024/

If could be that the block tariff TOU control tables are corrupted in some way.  A meter reconfigured for single rate will often iirc fro some who have requested it be done  - simply freeze the other register.

It's very very strange to read zero if set properly for e7.


My base load without freezer active is 30W overnight - 6kWh per month - and during off peak when ff active 100W - 7 hrs of freezer daily rating - probably another 10kWh per month.  16kWh at 12p = £2, but I would also be watching tv or have lights on for some of the off peak - but £3-£5 and occassional use wouldn't seem a silly number if excluded hot water.  My hot water tank and it doesn't feed shower would add another c80-90kWh per month (1/3 rd of that that just losses) - so £9-10 at 12p.

Do you have a meter controlled restricted circuit for hw and nsh - and judging by your 400kWh both been on this month -  are they switching in and out at expected times ??  Suggesting at least those - and i believe they are different timing tables - the meter alcs tables are OK.

Octopus should be able to check your detailed meter configuration.  

I'd phone them urgently and ask them to investigate.  Oops you already have.

And try to find out how often been wrong from past bilking records - I'd try downloading the old bills from on line system if you don't already keep - sone suppliers - probably all - tend to remove bills with errors when reissue.

They may be able to trigger an ota settings update to take place very quickly to try to fix.

And ask for compensation for billing errors.  But I am not sure how that will work if you only just spotting now after 2 years so no real baseline peak off peak split.

Do you have any long term bills showing your actual annual splits - peak off peak ?

On e10 - and I'm not a big heat user - my off peak is around 75-80%  annual - in summer more like 50% but in winter over 90% when most units used.

Even at 50% you should have been averaging 19.72p/kWh
At 75% - c16p

You could as a quick  compromise ask to be rebilled at single rate for total use for duration of problem - but that's normally achieved at around 35-40% of peak ' very low for conventional heating IMO (*).

But Octopus themselves might offer something more generous when prompted in line with typical e7 with conventional heating splits.

(*) Octopus DD rate  current table suggest c6p/kWh cheaper than e7 day - 24.5p cf 30.5p - around 20% - regional average -  if it is as seems likely faulty meter / configuration.  But I think you could easily deserve more.

But it needs sorting before pay for even more several 100kWhs per month for next few months of heating at day peak rate. 

That extra 15p (27-12) will be  a good few £s per day in cold weather.

Scrounger

BoyJohn811 said:

Prompted by your questions, I have looked into my bills, and it appears that the 'new' smart meter was reset to zero when installed and it was measuring night rate usage correctly (I hope; I see about 40%-60% day-night usage in winter) for quite some time. However, recently it stopped and was just reporting the same night rate stuck at 2721. I will contact Octopus again, I believe this was the time when I switched to a new Octopus 15M fixed tariff. Somehow that change reset the meter to single-tariff as I do not see changes since then. So perhaps not all is doom and gloom as it involves only the last few bills (still over £100 difference).

Mrs Scrounger had a similar problem at the start of November.  She had joined Octopus on the E7 15M fixed tariff  (quote and welcome pack received).  After few days of joining noticed in the app that she was being billed on single rate (costing about double what it should as she has storage heaters).

Email complaint to Greg, matter was sorted within 2 days with £30 goodwill + £30 for the overcharges (I calculated about £17).

@BoyJohn811 - you need to go straight to the top if you want a quick resolution: greg@octopus.energy


Scrounger

BoyJohn811

Just an update for those who might be interested; it was indeed the switch to a new tariff (as Scrounger also highlighted). Octopus got back to me and they will monitor my usage for the next few weeks to see my 'night' usage and will adjust my credit retrospectively - so, I hope everything will be sorted soon.

I just need to remember from now on to check my bills carefully

Scrounger

@BoyJohn811 thanks for the update, good to hear its getting sorted.

The Octopus app is useful for monitoring daily kWh vs cost (especially at E7 switchover times).

Apply for a free 'home mini' for near real-time energy monitoring:

http://octopus.typeform.com/to/B5ifg5rQ


Scrounger