Related electric meter unable to switch online - how to fix?

mac.d

I'm trying to help someone sort out their energy bill, and the TLDR version is that when putting their details into a comparison site, it says "you have a related electrical meter we are unable to switch your electricity supplier".

Is the simple fix for this to ask the current supplier to combine the readings to a single tariff and update the system to show this, and that would then allow us to compare prices?

I haven't seen the meters yet but have a couple of bills a year apart and have established that for some reason, although they have gas central heating, they have a off-peak electric meter next to their standard electric meter (only one daily charge), but there has been usage on it within the past year. I'll try to get a photo of the meters and add them later if that's any use?

Looking at the bills, it just says its the basic variable tariff with Scottish Power, rates showing on the bill are 24.594p day rate and 21.475p off peak, with 54.560p standing charge. I'm not sure what that is with VAT included?

I can see that on the single rate standard tariff with Scottish Power, the current VAT inclusive tariff would be 24.533p and 54.25p standing charge. So not a huge difference. I can't find comparable prices for E7, or domestic/off peak (and nowhere on the bill does it state what the meter set-up actually is), it says it doesn't have any tariffs available for them on the website when I put in the address.

DE_612183

meter set up may be crucial - may be based on radio teleswitch which will make things complicated.

photo of meter set up would be good.

QrizB

Agreed, this sounds like a dual-MPAN setup with a legacy complex metering arrangement. Photos will help.

EDF should have been in touch repeatedly over the past 3-4 years encouraging the account holder to have their meters replaced with a smart meter. Have they ever taken EDF up on this offer?

mac.d

It's Scottish Power not EDF, and it's not a smart meter as they have to supply meter readings and they think it's an old set-up they have. (Edit - they were contacted 2 or 3 years ago about smart meters but declined at the time and haven't been chased up on it since). I've asked for a photo showing the whole meter set-up and I mentioned about the possibility of extra boxes/switches next to the meters and that they may have heard of the RTS meters in the news recently, they just replied to say they'll take a photo and send me it tonight. I'll add that later tonight or tomorrow. 

Scot_39

Related meters - classically thats some eletro mechanical time switch or RTS systems using two meters - to give peak and off peak rates and commonly seperate restricted hour circuits for ceretain devices.

(*) I would suspect if not being blasted regularly regarding RTS swithc off - the metering will therefore be quite old - and its often a mistake anyway for people with such old meters to not engage with replacement offers - the meters could be old and out of calibration lifespan. 

You have two rates and although there quite a flat balance - neither seem over SR SVT July cap (others would be like 14 vs 30p on E7 vs c25 flat rate - see e.g EDF's current E7 rates as they are one fo the few that publish them for all regions, Octopus also do so = https://www.edfenergy.com/sites/default/files/2025-06/DM1903-STANDARD-VARIABLE-DEEMED-AND-WELCOME-JULY-RATES.pdf)

But each supplier sets their own see saw balance even on E7 - and often do so differently in different supply regions in some cases.

With gas heating and hot water you might not want E7 / multirate at all.

You need to find out what they use electricity still for - and if can figure out which meter is active when and also potentially if both still active - which meter is driving what devices (***) - and what their current balance is.  On EDF style rates you might need say 33-40% of use on the night rate to offset the premium on the day rate.

So if getting a photo of meters - ask about how their consumer units (fuse boxes) arranged.

I am guessing there might be an old one fed from a restricted meter feed - say for old electric HW tank immersion or storage heaters as a minimum. 

That might have become effectively redundant when added GCH - but bits of it might still be active (eg if retained HW tank with a back up immersion heater - not all GCH comes with HW even - Combis normally rip out HW tanks. 

Some really old SP / others multirate systems were even more complex.  

(*) SP only currently list one old legacy active 2 meter tariff setup - and thats  Central/Souther Scotland region 18 only - comfort plus control (which uses weathercall - my first guess was that might also by rts based as seasonal variable timing - so should really have been on the list for replacement - but google AI says otherwise if can trust it (**)). And as such lots of nagging emails / letters.

https://www.scottishpower.co.uk/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-toolkit/electric-heating

But SP might have a queue for meter appointments - as they were running meter appointments at least to late Aug for RTS replacement.

If dont want E7 - its probably easier to ask the current supplier to bill them on single rate pending a smart meter upgrade.  You could call up other suppliers and ask if they would too.

(**) Google AI tells me that weathercall doesn't in fact use the same RTS signal transmissions if thats the meter / tariff type.  But the linked sources like the CAB page no longer mention weathercall at all - so worried thats incorrect / out of date information.  Its been wrong in the past too.

So I think a phone call to SP and a conversation with relatives about any more recent ignored RTS switch off correspondence might be required to clarify.

(***) And you might also need to ensure everything will still be supplied after the meter upgrade - if still need the two feeds from both meters to power some devices. If noth are still showing energy use their driving sometinhg I would hope.  Anything your side of meter is homeowners responsibility.

(In my case the meter fitter used a simple Henley block to drive 2 seperate off peak CU meter tail feeds - one for HW only - one for NSH only - from the old RTS's independendent outputs - to the one restricted from the new digital meter - which has since gone smart)

mac.d

They think there could possibly have been storage heaters at some point in the past, but many years ago, as the combi-boiler has been replaced at least once that they know of. The only person who would know has passed away.

There's no point in them having E7 as there is no usage at all on the off-peak meter, it hasn't moved in the past year (in fact two years, as the annual summary on the bill from June 2024 states - Actual energy used in the last 12 months: 2,383 kWh - All/Day, 0 kWh - Off Peak).

It's an old set-up and meters probably could do with being replaced.

Off-peak meter with time-switch top, and the main meter below.

QrizB

Those two meters were certified in 1988. They're long overdue for replacement.

The account holder needs to get SP to fit a smart meter and have the second MPAN deactivated. Then they can switch to their heart's content. Until then, they're probably stuck with SP.

DE_612183

yes, thats not E7 thats off-peak heating - the 2nd meter is probably just for the heaters that have since been removed.

as @QrizB says get the metering removed and standard meters installed.

Spoonie_Turtle

QrizB said:

Those two meters were certified in 1988. They're long overdue for replacement.

Clearly the setup needs to be changed to allow freedom to switch - but those are actually within certification for another 3 years, just for accuracy and so as not to alarm the person OP is helping