Overcharged for electricity due to time clock/ E7 meter problems.

EssexHebridean

SAC2334 said:

EssexHebridean said:

SAC2334 said:

QrizB said:

Do you own your flat, or is it rented?

Can you share a photo of your electricity meter and any associated equipment?

carlsouthlon said:

My meter has readings, a day rate and night rate, as I believe there were Economy 7 storage heaters in the past. There are now standard electric radiators installed.

It would have been better to have chosen a different flat, one which still had storage heaters (or even one with gas central heating) but that's in the past.

With electric panel heaters, you should probably be on a single-rate tariff not Economy 7.

carlsouthlon said:

 I have been providing the day rate reading monthly to the supplier (British Gas), which changes each month.
The night rate reading has never changed and the dial on the clock has not moved 

If your meter has a dial, it must be ancient. Electronic (digital) meters have been standard for 20+.years.

Has BG ever asked to fit a smart meter?

carlsouthlon said:

The night rate reading has never changed and the dial on the clock has not moved 
... What I do know is that one of the previous owners of the flat removed to meter time clock (E7 meter). 

A pghoto of your meter will help us diagnose the problem here.

carlsouthlon said:
What has gone wrong here and what can I do about it?

Most likely, you can do two things:

- Ask BG to switch you to a single-rate tariff.

- Ask BG to fit a smart meter.
You should also think about whether you're likely to stay in your flat for the long-term, or not. If you're staying, getting storage heaters re-fitted could be a good Idea.

As an ex meter reader for 20 years I can tell you that once someone starts to get very cheap electricity bills from meter faults ( or fiddles ) they will constantly refuse a smart meter to the bitter end .Even if the meter has reached end of life they will either will  not open the door or refuse to allow meter fitter access when a fitter calls .
Only way BG can get in to switch meters to smart meters would be to get warrant and a locksmith .Many suppliers are very reluctant to spend money on warrants although BG are usually not one of them 

I'm not sure how this is relevant to the OP:
- their whole point is that their bills aren't "very cheap"
- They have already asked for a smart meter and BG have refused - unless you think that BG are the ones who are fiddling or aware of the fault, that makes your point here irrelevant
- pretty sure that if BG had been willing to replace the meter the OP would have welcomed them in with open arms, possibly even put the kettle on, allowing that they had made the request! 
- the OP has already stated early in the thread that they do intend to stay in the property for the long term. 

This feels like a snarky attempt to accuse the OP of fiddling their meter - which is both inaccurate and unfair allowing for the information given. 

ok..You been on here a long time like me .Why don't you give him some advice to get much cheaper electricity rates with a single rate meter  plus switching to the best supplier by a country mile and get £50 referral fee with Octopus .
Once with a proper supplier unlike the current utter dross we have in the UK ,Octopus will fit a single rate smart meter where he can then move to Octopus Agile with its 30 minutes rate or if he's not keen on being a smart user he can pick the Tracker tariff with its single rate per 24 hrs .
.I m averaging 13 p per kWh over the whole of 2025 with lots of super low times and free and plenty of times where  they pay  me to use electricity .
That's my advice to the OP .dump BG and move to Octopus .Three people locally who followed that advice got their smart meters in a few weeks . I got mine in two weeks because I accepted a cancellation from meter fitters working locally .Octopus put you on the cancellation list .

BIB - what, you mean like earlier in the thread when I said ...

EssexHebridean said:

It sounds to me like a change of supplier and an immediate request for a smart meter is probably going to be the solution here. 

Out of interest, is there a sticker/label on the current meter which has the year of certification on it, by any chance? 

...Yes, I wonder why I didn't do that, hmm?

I didn't specifically refer to Octopus because another poster already had and the OP had acknowledged that suggestion. It seemed pointless to just repeat that suggestion for the sake of typing... 

Sometimes actually reading the thread is helpful... 

SAC2334

It's important to specifically mention  the Octopus smart tariffs Agile and Tracker  and why they would suit him. There's not much to choose between all the others as it's same old same old with that lot .Not much in the way of true innovation .That's why Octopus are the leading suppliers for electricity and now Gas . 

EssexHebridean

SAC2334 said:

It's important to specifically mention  the Octopus smart tariffs Agile and Tracker  and why they would suit him. There's not much to choose between all the others as it's same old same old with that lot .Not much in the way of true innovation .That's why Octopus are the leading suppliers for electricity and now Gas . 

Yes, I imagine that is why the third person to post on the thread specifically mentioned their own experiences with Agile.

That being said, Agile and indeed smart tariffs generally aren't suitable for all. 

WiserMiser

We can't be certain because there's no photo yet, but the problem seems to relate to stuck mechanical rotary time switch rather than a very old rotating hands meter.  If so, don't change the installation or supplier now because all the evidence will be lost.

As it's a flat, start by doing the Meter Sanity Test, especially if it's in a meter cupboard or meter room rather than inside your flat.  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78850409/#Comment_78850409

It's theoretically possible you've been paying for another flat's usage.

Then get a radio, preferably DAB, tune it to Radio 4 just before 1pm and take a short video showing the meter number, the rotary timeswitch and the radio display as it changes over from 1259 to 1300.  That will be the smoking gun you need !  The radio will show the time and date, also confirmed by the sound recording of the headlines.

Do the same thing later on at 1659 as the 'PM' programme starts.  If the time shown by rotary time switch hasn't changed, then that's proof positive.  As it's a video with sound no-one can suggest it's been photoshopped.

You then have a rock solid case to insist on a refund for the extra costs if you were charged peak E7 rate 24/7 from the date of possession, and (from the date you had asked) for the extra costs of E7 when this tariff was clearly not appropriate.

(Edits: typos, grammar, layout)

bob2302

SAC2334 said:

.I m averaging 13 p per kWh over the whole of 2025 with lots of super low times and free and plenty of times where  they pay  me to use electricity .

People should bear in mind that most of the average prices quoted by Agile users are meaningless for comparison purposes - they involve additional electricity use at cheap times that isn't load shifting. If you make use of this average, it's possible to choose Agile over a cheaper flat-rate fix.   

Peter999_2

bob2302 said:

SAC2334 said:

.I m averaging 13 p per kWh over the whole of 2025 with lots of super low times and free and plenty of times where  they pay  me to use electricity .

People should bear in mind that most of the average prices quoted by Agile users are meaningless for comparison purposes - they involve additional electricity use at cheap times that isn't load shifting. If you make use of this average, it's possible to choose Agile over a cheaper flat-rate fix.   

I only ever load shift - I haven't got any additional usage and I got 15.3p per kWh average last month.  It's certainly worth it if you can load shift - I just have my dinner either before 4pm or after 7pm which doesn't cause me any hardship.

I'm getting solar and batteries next month so I should save even more.

SAC2334

bob2302 said:

SAC2334 said:

.I m averaging 13 p per kWh over the whole of 2025 with lots of super low times and free and plenty of times where  they pay  me to use electricity .

People should bear in mind that most of the average prices quoted by Agile users are meaningless for comparison purposes - they involve additional electricity use at cheap times that isn't load shifting. If you make use of this average, it's possible to choose Agile over a cheaper flat-rate fix.   

Not in my case .When it's free I dont use any more than what I need and don t burn electric just for the sake of it .I always load shift using washing machine and dryer only and pick the very cheapest times for electric shower using my " mariners shower " technique and only switch the 8 KW shower on for approx 40 secs.If it's free what's the difference it's still load shifting  .My 13 p kWh is a true reflection of whats possible .I don't have batteries to charge up neither or have solar 
I am still using in the peak hours and watch telly with lights on but keep off the kettle and use my gas cooker to boil water .