Night time storage heaters meter chsnge

helpneeded1212

We have had a call from our energy provider letting us know that our economy 7 tariff will end in June which as we have storage heaters our bills will go up. The person on the phone said the only way to get a cheap night time tariff is to move to a smart meter. I do not want a smart meter. There must be an alternative tariff that does not need a smart meter??

Mark_d

Your tariff is coming to an end because the Radio Teleswitch Service is being switch off - your meter won't be able to switch between peak and off-peak rates.  Suppliers don't need to fit traditional meters now so your only option is a smart meter.  What is your phobia of smart meters?  If you don't want your supplier to get your half-hourly data, you can opt out of this.

MattMattMattUK

helpneeded1212 said:

We have had a call from our energy provider letting us know that our economy 7 tariff will end in June which as we have storage heaters our bills will go up. The person on the phone said the only way to get a cheap night time tariff is to move to a smart meter. I do not want a smart meter.

Why do you not want a smart meter that will allow you to have the cheapest energy available?

helpneeded1212 said:

There must be an alternative tariff that does not need a smart meter??

All suppliers are required to switch customers over to smart meters, you might be able to drag it out for another year or two at most, but ultimately there is nothing to be gained by not having a smart meter installed. 

FrugaiMacDugal

helpneeded1212 said:

We have had a call from our energy provider letting us know that our economy 7 tariff will end in June which as we have storage heaters our bills will go up. The person on the phone said the only way to get a cheap night time tariff is to move to a smart meter. I do not want a smart meter. There must be an alternative tariff that does not need a smart meter??

Refuse the smart meter and just pay the higher costs for self satisfaction.

Do you have any smart gadgets like phone, tv, or are you  adverse to them as well?

Scot_39

There a whole series of meters that rely on radio signals to switch tariffs at accurate times.

Some even have the switching times updated periodically in winter.

The suppliers are no longer confident all will work - and the timings of those who do - may drift.

And they are required to have that switching stay iirc within 2 hours of local DNO times.

So yes they will be replacing 100,000s of such meters in the near future.

There are still some meters reliant on electro-mechanical clocks - many now lose time - not only regularly - but freeze in power outages - so can be hours out.  Again most suppliers will no longer offer multi-rate electric deals on them - or new suppliers wont take you on - unless upgrade.

 

And yes - as it's all covered by Ofgems revised guidance for End of Life replacement - they will almost inevitably be be by smart meter.

EssexHebridean

Hey OP - what are your concerns about having the meter changed? It’s a really quick process, it will all be done pretty much before you know it and you’ll then know that you have a nice updated meter which should see you good for another 10 years or so. It will also have the functionality to enable you to get cheaper energy as well which surely isn’t a bad thing? The only thing you need to be sure of with being on Economy 7 is that the installer fits a replacement meter that’s compliant with your requirements for making sure your E7 circuit energises when needed, but they will almost certainly be fully aware of that long before you mention it - When I had an E7 meter changed years ago that was all in hand well ahead of time. 

If you want to share your concerns with us there is every chance we’ll be able to set your mind at rest - there’s a lot of nonsense and fearmongering talked about smart metering, and most concerns are based on that misinformation, sadly. 

Gerry1

EssexHebridean said:

The only thing you need to be sure of with being on Economy 7 is that the installer fits a replacement meter that’s compliant with your requirements for making sure your E7 circuit energises when needed, but they will almost certainly be fully aware of that long before you mention it

I wouldn't be too sure about that, especially if it's British Gas!

Are you sure you even have a Radio TeleSwitch?  Some suppliers have been known to use the proposed end of the RTS service in June to bamboozle non-RTS customers into agreeing to having a smart meter.

Before you let him into your property, check that he has a 5-terminal meter, or a 4-terminal meter with an external contactor.  Otherwise tell him to go away and return only when he has the correct hardware, and claim £40 compo for a broken appointment.

Edited: Compo now £40.

EssexHebridean

That is a fair point where BG are concerned Gerry!  As I said though - with E7 changes it’s my view that the customer should always check, regardless!