Two meters one rate

  • Tripehound's Avatar
    Level 1
    I have two meters one for standard rate with one with a time clock for storage heaters when we had them.
    Please can someone tell me why I am paying the rate and standing charges for both meters now. Name:  IMG_20220505_224733174.jpg
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  • Best Answer

    theunknowntech's Avatar
    Level 80
    Best Answer
    Well, I'll tell you one thing. You've probably just scored the record for the oldest timeswitch that me and Blastoise186 have ever seen!

    I think the reason you have two standing charges, is because this particular setup has two completely separate meters and therefore two MPANs. It's often known in the industry as a Related MPAN setup. Because you have two MPANs, you are liable to pay standing charges against both of them individually and in fact, this can also prevent you switching to any supplier that can't handle them properly.

    Your best bet to solve this would be upgrading to a smart meter, which is probably worth doing anyway due to the age of the existing meters and the fact they're probably due for recertification anyway. Not only would this tidy up the mess of cables, but it would cause the second MPAN to be decommissioned and therefore terminate the second standing charge. Switching to single rate will NOT fix this issue, because you'd still have two MPANs.
    Just another guy passing by... The unknown tech way...
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  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Tripehound

    Your supplier isn't a mind reader and will continue to supply you in the same manner unless you tell them that your requirements have changed.

    If you have told them to change you to single tier tariff then they may owe you money, if single tier tariffs would have charged yo less than the two tiers tariffs for the period since you told them.

    I'm far from certain, but from the time clock it appears that you get two on off periods per day and, if that is correct (I'll ask the @theunknowntech to verify), its not inconceivable that the arrangement is actually beneficial to you.



    As you probably already know, when you have a two tier tariff the charges for daytime electricity go up and the night time rates go down. You also pay different standing charges. The breakeven point will be individual to each user.
    Current Eon Next customer, ex EDF, Zog and Symbio. Don't think dual fuel saves money and don't like smart meters. Chronologically Gifted. If I offend let me know by private message, but I’ll continue to express my opinions nonetheless.
  • Tripehound's Avatar
    Level 1
    @meldrewreborn This was installed in 1966 when my parents had storage heaters put in and a completely separate system to the normal house wiring. It was kept when they had gas central heating put in as it offed reduced rate power for the washing machine, tumble drier, etc provided it was used enough to offset the standing charge.
    When I was moved to Eonnext from Npower I went for a price fix I did not notice that it was for the same rate across both system meters.
    I would like to get back on the reduced rate for the offpeak system as I am not keen on smart meters.

    Regards
    Dave
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Tripehound

    Hi Dave

    So you know the reason for the two charges well enough. These type of arrangements were rare in 2015 (.6M installations) and are probably even less common now. You are probably looking for an economy 7 or economy 10 tariff and you'll need to speak to Eon Next customer services to identify if you can switch to one of those tariffs now, or whether you need to wait until your fix runs out. Prices have increased so much recently that it may well be beneficial to you to stay on your fix until it runs out - do the sums and make an appropriate decision. You could also investigate whether you can switch to another supplier that supports the dual meter systems, you may find that difficult.

    You'll need to have some rewiring done (not the whole house just adjacent to the meters) to go to a single meter (even if its economy 7/10) so it'll need a bit of planning to achieve the best result in a short period of time.
  • theunknowntech's Avatar
    Level 80
    My understanding is that only a handful of suppliers can swallow this type of meter setup without choking, and you're primarily limited to the "Big Six" because of it. A lot of the younger suppliers - especially those launched in 2010 or later - may not be set up for it and could have to reject a switch attempt.

    Let me ask @HannahD_EONNext if she's able to help though. This kind of issue is pretty painful to fix but it's worth a try. As you've mentioned that you'd rather not upgrade to smart meters though, I'll try to avoid recommending them to you again from now on as I am to respect your wishes.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Tripehound

    It means there is a big question mark whether your move from Npower to Eon next was handled correctly in that you had economy 10 beforehand and now you don't. The move should have carried the old economy 10 tariffs over and then you would have been offered a fix. Was the fix offer misleading at all? You may have grounds for a complaint here.