Is this an RTS meter - I am not on a dual fuel tariff

opethpoppy

The house was built in the 80s and had economy 7. No storage heaters ever. Combi boiler.  I contacted Octopus a few years ago and went onto a normal single tariff. I definitely do not use economy 7. I have that in writing from octopus. I do t want economy 7 as I use very little at night. But the meter does have day and night rate so it currently can be used as economy 7. 

Octopus are saying I have to upgrade to a smart meter as I have an RTS. 

I understand from the detail I have an Ampy 5254E which has a lifespan of 20 years. It was installed about 10 years ago. 

Sorry about the cobwebs 

Keep_pedalling

No it’s not, but I would still get it replaced with a smart meter as that will give you access to far options than you currently have. It’s the certification date that is important not the install date. 

QrizB

As above, that's not an RTS meter.

It's also not wired for load switching, so doesn't support the most common way of running an E7 system.

I suspect the meter before this one was an RTS meter and the database didn't get updated when the current meter was installed.

Gerry1

Octopus seems to be adopting a blunderbuss technique, assuming that everyone who is Profile Class 2 (top left box in your S-Number is 02) has an RTS.  It may help to make sure that everyone with an RTS is notified, but it's causing a lot of confusion for those that don't.  And of course, it'll persuade some people to accept a smart meter when they don't want one.  Perhaps there's method in their madness !

Check your bills and make sure that the kWh rates are both the same, that will confirm you are being billed at single rate.

opethpoppy said:

I am not on a dual fuel tariff

• Note that 'dual fuel' means having the same supplier for both gas and electricity.  Did you mean to say 'I am not on a two-rate tariff'?

Reed_Richards

Doesn't "certified 02 08" mean it was certified in February 2008?  So "about 10 year ago" is 17 years?

QrizB

Reed_Richards said:

Doesn't "certified 02 08" mean it was certified in February 2008?  So "about 10 year ago" is 17 years?

Yes to the first part.

The meter might not have been brand-new from the factory when fitted.

There would normally be a card or sticker next to the meter saying when it was fitted. Maybe the spiders are it?

Ildhund

Gerry1 said:

Octopus seems to be adopting a blunderbuss technique, assuming that everyone who is Profile Class 2 (top left box in your S-Number is 02) has an RTS.  

We've been here before. I think it's more likely that it's the MTC, the SSC or the TPRs that cause Octopus to raise the RTS red flag. We saw somewhere an Octopus data sheet for a meter point, which gave the TPRs. If a TPR is bigger than 999, it's assumed to be an RTS system. It may have been at some stage, but if the RTS was removed but the time patterns remained the same, suppliers didn't bother to change the TPRs. 

Scot_39

E7 without major electrical loading is certainly interesting choice - but often comes with just oht water tank storage these days in many flats etc.  (HW alone can be 40% plus annual - over 50% of my daily some days in summer - for those with low heating demand - as many modern flats are)

[Old E7 type homes used to have so called restricted circuits - actually switched by meter or associated time switch - live for only say 7 hours in e7 case - more modern installs only have 4 port meters like yours with no such restricted output switching  - and reley on external or device timers to keep heavy use at off peak times.]

As above - its the 2008 certification date not any install date that metters - so 2008 + 20 = 2028.

The chances are you may well be given another economy 7 meter - as it is the meter details and not the current tariff that generally drives that decision on install day.

Unless you have had Octopus - change the meter details to make your supply single rate - and I suspect they havent - as you are getting the RTS mailshots.

The good news is I suspect a quick call to Octopus will quickly have you being billed at single rate on the new smart meter too - from a few but distant posts here (And Octopus aren't quite as good as they used to be either - as rapid expansion often leads to).

But I'd certainly check in advance of the switch that that will be the case - in writing - so by email or online chat with a transcript record.

Anyone know if a supplier would modify the records in advance - as has potentially 3 years before swap - or would the Op have to wait for a smart meter to be reconfigured as single rate - and then have the databases updated ?

PS - An email to Octopus quoting the meter tpye - maybe with a photo - might get the RTS / smart swap police off your backs.  But you wont be able to avoid smart in 3 years time.

They may even be glad of the temporary reprieve.  Or if cynical - able to tick meters like yours off to make it look like accelerated / artifical progress against June target.

Accoring to Elexon - Octopus - as of cFeb report - still had over 100,000 RTS meters to swap.  But as above they are one of the suppliers who seem to be catching a lot of non RTS in these mail shots - so perhaps a gross overestimate.

https://www.elexon.co.uk/data/trading-operations-report/metering-data-trading-operations-report/

Octopus are second in that chart - MPID = MRCY (why ?) - on 121,000

https://assets.elexon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/28161932/Supplier-ID-Table-2017.pdf

QrizB

Scot_39 said:

PS - An email to Octopus quoting the meter tpye - maybe with a photo - might get the RTS / smart swap police off your backs.  But you wont be able to avoid smart in 3 years time.

It took LL123LL a lot of back-and-forth with Octopus but they eventually convinced them that their electronic meter wasn't RTS. They have a thread (or part of a thread) about it.

Scot_39

QrizB said:

Scot_39 said:

PS - An email to Octopus quoting the meter tpye - maybe with a photo - might get the RTS / smart swap police off your backs.  But you wont be able to avoid smart in 3 years time.

It took LL123LL a lot of back-and-forth with Octopus but they eventually convinced them that their electronic meter wasn't RTS. They have a thread (or part of a thread) about it.

Thanks - remembered the posts - but not the poster's "name".

Spoonie_Turtle

QrizB said:

Reed_Richards said:

Doesn't "certified 02 08" mean it was certified in February 2008?  So "about 10 year ago" is 17 years?

Yes to the first part.

The meter might not have been brand-new from the factory when fitted.

There would normally be a card or sticker next to the meter saying when it was fitted. Maybe the spiders ate it?

Indeed.  Our previous meter was manufactured and certified in 2015, installed in 2019.