[Stevie010]

Hi Both.

So, I have NO economy 7 hours at all? Well that sucks. I have been used to having that facility for nearly thirty years. Can this be rectified with a different smart meter or something? Or do I have to switch suppliers and also have a different meter fitted?

I must admit, the one thats fitted now is barely readable anyway the LCD display is terrible.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

[theunknowntech]

All smart meters are capable of handling Economy 7 to at least manage the tariff rates. There's no need to switch out the meter to make that functionality work.

However, some smart meters are far superior to others. I'm guessing you've got a pesky Landis+Gyr E470, because no-one else makes a meter with such a terrible LCD on it?

[Stevie010]

Thanks for the reply.

Maybe if Eon provided a live chat service this could have been cleared up weeks ago, I have tried calling lots of times but I end up waiting that long that the call just times out!

I also feel it's time we made the tafiffs more streamlined now, there are so many and some are so confusing, it makes you wonder if the confusion is intentional?

In relation to my main question though, if there is no need to switch the meter then how come I'm not getting any economy 7 hours at all? is it related to a specific tariff type?

[Stevie010]

Anyone ! It's hard trying to get info thats not confusing regarding economy 7 snd if it's worth it or not, however I do use my washing machine, dishwasher and imersion heaters all on off peak times . . well, I used to at the previous address.

[theunknowntech]

You do need to be on an Economy 7 tariff in order to use it with your smart meter. Let me ask @Beki_EONNext to do some digging real quick. She has access to a bunch of systems that I don't. :)

[Beki]

@Stevie010 Do you know what your heating system is in this property?

[Stevie010]

Thanks theunknowntech

Hello Beki.

I'm on Gas central heating, which can do the hot water as well, but, I prefer to use the immersion heater because it's quicker, but then I have the washing machine and dishwasher too which all go on around three of four times a week.

The immersion heater will be on a timer and will come on at 04:00 to 07:00 which covers my shower time in the morning, then the tank will be heated up again before it goes off and will stay hot the rest of the day. It seems strange putting on a boiler that costs around £1,800 to heat just the hot water as opposed to the immersion for a couple of hours.

Thanks in advance.

PS I get confused with all the different tariffs, unless you are in the trade it's confusing, like talking to a tax advisor 😲

[Beki]

@Stevie010 Thank you so much for that information. It's always a good idea to get all the info before replying.
It's not as easy as just changing your tariff to an Economy 7 because it would need a timer switch fitted and possibly a new meter.
(Thanks for reminding me @DebF_EONNext) So it's not impossible but these appointments would be chargeable at around £158.

[theunknowntech]

Woah! Slow down there hot shot!

Downgrading the smart meter like that probably isn't the fix. At very most, replacing the meter may as well be done with another smart meter. I would NOT recommend attempting to fit any kind of radio teleswitch at this late stage, the RTS Service is basically dead after all!

[Stevie010]

Well, now I AM confused. So it's not just a case of putting me on a different tariff that has economy 7 timings built into it? I was under the impression that a certain tariff would have the feature built into it that at a certain time of the night between say 12 and 7 it would be cheaper then revert back to normal charges after that.

Is this not right then ?

It seems to me the whole "Smart Meter" thing is missleading, and yet they are being installed everywhere now by default and we have no choice, however that should not negate the customer suffers because of a lack of operational useability surely? I would have thought these features would be built in.