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Hi
What happens to the people who were on Day and Night rates (10 hours , 20.30 to 06;30 overnight cheaper leccy) and still have the old meters and timers, but are now billed on E7.
Originally posted by AlanG
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Hi,
I think this is where people often get confused and their Suppliers don't help in not explaining things properly.
This is how it works in the elec industry:
- each region has a list of meters they can fit. Often these meters are available in many regions e.g. common E7 or single rate credit metering are often found with the same manufacturer brand in many regions.
- however, some regions from prior to privatisation (often referred to as market start up) still have meters from years ago that were individual to their region only
- under privatisation, ALL Suppliers must have the ability to support any type of meter, no matter what type of region
- Suppliers have a list of tariffs that should be the equivalent to the type of meter
The Supplier cannot change the times on the meter timeswitch unless they request an engineer go out to do so. Now, they can't simply change an 8.5hr off peak meter to a 7hr off peak if the manufacturers meter type will not support it. Otherwise, you get a black whole in data between agents and Suppliers and it can prevent you from changing Supplier later.
So, in your case you still get your full 10 hours at off peak on the meter. Now, the Supplier may have you on say E7, but unless they come out to you and either change the clock times on the timeswitch from 10 to 7 hours (if possible by meter type) or they have to send out an engineer to actually change the whole meter. If they do this, you would change meter and tariff and go onto 7 hours off peak.
If they don't come out and just accept you in the switch, you continue to have a meter with a timeswitch that will click over and give you 10 hours off peak. These meters are usually 2 rate, which means that all the off peak elec usage goes onto the off peak dial. This doesn't matter whether it's 2, 7, 10 or 18 hours. Your Suppliers gets the readings in and then just bills the off peak dial against the off peak part of your bill. The same applies to the day rate.
So, to a Supplier it just dosesn't affect how they bill you at all where the tariff has the same number of rate (so, if the meters got 2 dials and your bill is day rate & night rate it bills easly no matter what your off peak hours)
Does that make sense?

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