Economy 7 Smart Meters - Current Status?

CashStrapped · 28 November 2017 at 2:15PM

What is the status of Economy 7 Smart Meters?

Caveat: I know all about the delay to SMET 2 meters.

A friend is considering switching from the existing E7 with tele-switch, storage heaters etc. to a E7 Smart meter. Last time I checked they were not available, but that was a while ago and have not kept fully up to date with developments. I would normally advise them to wait till smet 2 meters are being distributed and installed anyway.

But:

1) how available are E7 smart metres? I see a few companies seem to offer them, ovo etc.

2) How do they cope with E7 with tele-switch set-ups? E7 properties can often have different circuits for storage heaters. They are often activated after a certain time. How does the Smart meter interact with these? I know there can be some variation as to how E7 set-ups can be installed. Any cause for concern with this?

Stubod · 28 November 2017 at 10:54PM

We are E7 and I asked my supplier a couple of months ago for a smart meter. They said there are none available for E7 systems at the mo.....maybe sometime in the future?...but no date given

stewie_griffin · 28 November 2017 at 11:48PM

E.ON definitely fit them as I've been offered one. They also fit Smart Economy 10 meters.

I'm sure they can't be the only supplier to fit them. In fact I'm 99% sure OVO do too.

House_Martin · 29 November 2017 at 12:02AM

stewie_griffin wrote: »

E.ON definitely fit them as I've been offered one. They also fit Smart Economy 10 meters.

I'm sure they can't be the only supplier to fit them. In fact I'm 99% sure OVO do too.

I think but I can t be sure , that only suppliers using the Liberty Secure meters are offering smart Eco 7 .That will be suppliers such as Ovo, Utilita and recently Eon who have moved from fitting smart Landis and Gyr to Liberty Secure.
So far I have`nt seen any multi rate smart meters in use by BG who use Landis Gyrs except the free weekend 8 hour tariff on Saturday or Sunday so they have the capability to do it
Its a long time coming and very odd that smart Eco 7 is nt in use by now with all suppliers.BG have been fitting smart meters for many years now but only single rate
The smart meters have their own very accurate timers built in and they should not drift out of time like older digital meters do. They could even move to BST and maintain the same time for the night rate instead of going on an hour later like the digital meters do now
.Radio Teleswitch and other timer switches I think would be removed

Carrot007 · 29 November 2017 at 12:16AM

CashStrapped wrote: »

1) how available are E7 smart metres? I see a few companies seem to offer them, ovo etc.

I would have thought all suppliers could offer a simple 2 rate meter. (note many 2 rate meters are not that simple!).

CashStrapped wrote: »

2) How do they cope with E7 with tele-switch set-ups? E7 properties can often have different circuits for storage heaters. They are often activated after a certain time. How does the Smart meter interact with these? I know there can be some variation as to how E7 set-ups can be installed. Any cause for concern with this?

Smart would be timeswitched so the period of E7 is likely to be different. eg. Not split and always at GMT.

I doubt they provide switching notification, AMR meters in the business market certainly did not without an addon, that made fitting one probably cost innefective unless the customer was on a 5 year tie in, which domestic Users cannot do. SO you would probably be on your own with the signaling.

CashStrapped · 29 November 2017 at 12:56AM

From what OVO told me - it would operate the same way as the standard E7 meter i.e two time periods.

My concern was how would a digital meter interact with an analogue tele-switch to activate the E7 circuit.

In my head the smart meter would begin charging at the E& rate based on it's own internal digital clock. The analogue tele-switch may not always correspond to the change in tariff on the smart meter.

But, I am not an expert in meters, that is just my assumption

baldelectrician · 29 November 2017 at 1:33AM

The radio tele switches are being phased out as they rely on an old long wave transmitter which is becoming redundant

The smart meters will switch according to internal programming and may be externally switched according to demand (I don't hold much hope on this as smart meters were rushed in and not thought through)

I had mine taken out as I don't like them (they can put you on to pre-pay if you forget to pay the direct debit- or their system makes a mistake), previously they had to get a court order to break in and fit a pre-payment meter. Now they push a button

Economy 7 Smart Meters - Current Status?

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