Economy 7 meter

sevenredpoppies

I have an economy 7 meter installed - I've always had this because up until a year ago I had white meter heating installed in the house. This was replaced and I now have gas central heating which is sooooooo much better. This was done by the contractors (cowboys) through the local housing association but thats another story.

Anyway, after it was installed I queried with Scottish Gas as to whether or not I needed my meter changed as I no longer had the white meter heating and they informed me I could have the meter changed but it would cost me £60-£70 to do so :eek: and "to be honest it wouldn't make any difference as it works itself out as being the same anyway".

So after reading up on all this I'm led to believe economy 7 is only better value if you have storage heaters and that in fact it costs more that a normal one rate meter would. Is this right? And if so are Scottish Gas within their rights to charge me for the meter change? Its not like it would belong to me - it would be part of the property. Maybe (probably) I'm being a bit thick over all this but I've read other companies change meters free of charge but in the long run would it be worth getting it changed even at the cost of £60 assuming I wouldn't be moving in a long time?

Advice and info needed from experienced folks out there please!
xx

Cardew

Many companies do not even change the meters when you move fro Economy 7 to a normal tariff e.g. a 24/7 tariff.

I am with British Gas and when I changed I kept(and still have) my original Economy 7 meter. All BG do is add the two readings together and they are treated as the one total. e.g. 500 units(kWh) on the Economy 7 meter and 2,500 units on the daytime units are treated as 3,000 units for billing purposes.

Several others have posted exactly the same experience as myself.
I have also not heard of a charge for changing meters if that is deemed a requirement.

As for which is better value. Whilst it is generally true that you need storage heating to make Economy 7 pay, it is not always the case. It depends where you live, which company/tariff, and how good you are at using electricity in the middle of the night - washing machines, dryers, dishwashers on timers etc.
In general terms you need to use approx 25% to 30% of your total electricity to break even;(i.e. the savings on E7 cancel out the extra you pay on daytime electricity) and that is quite hard to achieve.

Terrylw1

Suppliers are allowed to charge for these services and have been for many years however some didn't have an invoicing ability for it and others just thought it would be unpopular.

You could always switch to someone else and get it done free if you shop around. They don't all charge. The charge you have posted is reflective of how much it costs them in some cases, some regions are £40 approx but they won't pass that saving on.

It is possible as Cardew is saying to get your internal tariff amended instead. This means that you get 2 registers and readings on your bill but just at the day rate. However, unless they disable the timeswitch it will still affect everything wired to the offpeak circuit.

So, if you storage heaters were removed then the offpeak circuit is really redundant.

So, you could opt for Cardew's method and it would just update for your next bill. Just makesure it works out best for you first. You could easily swap it back via calling them to E7 anyway if it didn't work out as long as the meter remains in place.

Garz

If its an old type of meter you can accidently 'damage' the meter and ask for it to be replaced (you did not hear this from me). Damage warranting a replacement can be just broken/cracked glass, you either just noticed it or the builders must have done it . Whilst they are in the process of replacing, stress that you no longer have Economy 7 as it has been ripped out by an electrician some time ago. This is an option that may sound obsurd, I suppose there is a chance of them asking for a fee but you can stand your ground I have heard it does work.

They may plonk on another E7 digtial type but if you dont have the setup there chances are the installer will fit a new 1-rate jobby. You do not have to do this it's just another option.

Mr_Proctalgia

Depending on how much electricity you use and how you use it it is still possible to save money with E7, it may require minor lifestyle changes but it is possible.

These are my real life figures from when the meter was brand new and only showing a few test units. It was installed 10 and a bit months ago and my supplier is Equipower.

Night Units Total 1854 KWh
Day Units Total 2059 KWh

Total units 3913 KWh

Cost of Night units @ £0.0373 = £69.15
Cost of Day units @ £0.1097 = £225.87

Total cost on E7 = £295.02


Using the same number of units on a standard day tariff works out thus.

Total Number of units used = 3913 KWh

Times the unit rate of £0.0936 = £366.26

A saving of £71.24 or approximately £85 pa

This achieved by simply using heavy loads overnight, some cheap timers, and you are sorted! My washing machine, dishwasher, immersion heater and some electric heaters are all timed to run when I am asleep and I wake up to a warm bedroom and bathroom (Well warm enough to get me out to work in the mornings). I do not scrimp during the day and cook normally and run two freezers and all the other usual stuff.

HTH

Terrylw1

Garz wrote: »

If its an old type of meter you can accidently 'damage' the meter and ask for it to be replaced (you did not hear this from me). Damage warranting a replacement can be just broken/cracked glass, you either just noticed it or the builders must have done it . Whilst they are in the process of replacing, stress that you no longer have Economy 7 as it has been ripped out by an electrician some time ago. This is an option that may sound obsurd, I suppose there is a chance of them asking for a fee but you can stand your ground I have heard it does work.

They may plonk on another E7 digtial type but if you dont have the setup there chances are the installer will fit a new 1-rate jobby. You do not have to do this it's just another option.

They can fit the E7 regardless of the storage heaters as the tails may be there or they could fit the day tails only (which they are not supposed to do thesedays).

If the off peak tails where not there for some reason, they may be inclined to do it.

The OP could just opt for the internal tariff change which can be done easily and not risk the opportunity of being reported for meter damage. If it's outside then that might be easier to gte away with, if inside who knows.

Garz

I have never tried it but theres no harm in asking them to change your tariff, if they impose a fee then you could try mentioning that a competitor has negotiated the tariff change for free if you sign up with them.

This puts them under more pressure and could lead to them waiving the fee altogether. Good luck in whatever option you choose.

ramrod

My Econ 7 meter is an old type meter and i have now noticed it giving me the night rate during the day and the day rate at night as i pay my electricity bills to the gas board and should i report it to them. as i dont have storage heaters the dear rate at night would not effect me ramrod

Joyful

I would inform them ASAP as you will get a higher bill so it's better to advise them now rather than in months.

dunloadin

Originally posted by Terrylw 1

They can fit the E7 regardless of the storage heaters as the tails may be there or they could fit the day tails only (which they are not supposed to do thesedays).

If the off peak tails where not there for some reason, they may be inclined to do it.

Engineers will not change a multi rate meter to single rate because the occupant would like one, the customer must contact BG to get the job properly authourised and to ensure correct billing.

When changing faulty meters engineers will always change the meter 'like for like'. Unless you can produce evidence (i.e. a recent bill) showing you are on a single rate tariff an E7 meter will be fitted. If there is no tail connected to the E7 terminal a 4-terminal multi-rate meter will be fitted in lieu.

mohclips

Just tried to swap my dual meter out, from Economy 7, as i wanted a standard tarriff (well one cheaper than E7 as we don't use the cheap rate at night).

Scottish Gas have told me they want to charge £52.89 towards cost of the new meter.

I did ask that i definately needed a new meter if i didn't want E7 they said yes.

I told them that i will think about it.

What do you guys think?

Best Regards,

Mohclips.