Remote Switch Meter to Single Rate Tariff

Boscobel

My old meter was Economy 7 but I don't have storage heaters so when I had my new smart meter fitted, I requested a Single Rate Meter (I was already on a single rate tariff for day/night readings). I was told that there is only one smart meter and it can be set at either single rate or dual rate & it can also be remotely switched.

After my new meter (Kaifa MA120) was fitted, I discovered it was still showing 2 reading so I contacted my energy company & asked them to remotely switch it to single rate. They said that they cannot remotely switch my meter and I would have to have a new single rate meter fitted at a cost to me.

A few weeks & several emails later, they then said that they can remotely switch my meter from dual rate to single rate after all but now they have changed their minds again and have told me that I do need a meter exchange. They said I need 2 appointments - the first one to change my dual rate smart meter for a classic single rate meter and then the second appointment is to change the classic single rate meter for a smart single rate meter. I have never heard of anything so ridiculous! 

I really feel that my energy company is giving my the runaround as this has been going on for several weeks now. Can the Kaifa MA120 be remotely reconfigured from Dual Rate to Single Rate and vice versa as I was originally told?

WiserMiser

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you've been sent a nonsensical reply generated by AI.

Many companies (probably most) will happily bill a multi-rate meter at single rate with no meter change.  It's just an accounting exercise: you'll still see two sets of readings, but they'll both be charged at the same single rate.

Is it Octopus by any chance?  They seems to be trying out AI responses, and the results haven't always been good.

Try phoning a real person and you'll probably have better luck.

If all else fails, try SO Energy who will definitely bill at single rate if you contact them.

victor2

People I know who have gone from E7 to single rate with a smart meter reporting two readings still get statements showing the two sets of readings but the same rate for both.
Not ideal, but since they're smart meters, the users don't have to bother submitting readings anyway. Does mean that they have to add both figures together to get total usage over a period.
Don't know if two rate meters can be remotely set to a single rate, but maybe someone will be along who can say...

QrizB

Boscobel said:

I really feel that my energy company is giving my the runaround as this has been going on for several weeks now. Can the Kaifa MA120 be remotely reconfigured from Dual Rate to Single Rate and vice versa as I was originally told?

Assuming that it's connected to the communications network (ie. it's properly smart) then yes, it can. That's part of the smart meter spec.

There will always be a reading on the second register but it will only record future use on the first one.

Scot_39

Its messy - and not so much for the current - but for the future - with that register 2 number sitting there frozen.

If you definitely want to move to single rate - e.g. you have changed heating and hot water - you ideally should get the meter profile class changed from 2 / 02 to 1/01 on your address MPAN as well as going onto single rate tariff.

Its strictly tied to the meter - not to the tariff applied - so the meter can revert to MR billing on say a supplier change if stays 02.

In some situations on a switch - users have from some posts here gotten into a mess - when suddenly a frozen register - say 2 = off peak say (but not always that order) is brought back into the equation on a switch.

I am not sure if thats because the users - or suppliers have - gotten confused between total import and register 1 say on billing / readings.   

My meter for instance has two different button sequences to view total import  or import 1 (in my case peak) and import 2 (off peak) in sequence - only those on MR contracts like E7/E10 etc are told to use that second button on at least one suppliers forum.  The others to use the total import button.

Certainly in one post I remember the poster saying was told that to prevent a repeat of such a problem - the cleanest route - is to swap the meters.  So that any new switch starts with a zero register 2 - and total always matches register 1.

But switching to digital, back to smart - just means double the costs - and thats surprising given suppliers are often hesitant to replace functioning smart with functioning smart - for obvious cost reasons (travel time, job time and materials).