E7 meter only set to 5 hrs over 24 hr period

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  • AdHoc's Avatar
    Level 1

    On checking the national grid meter - E7 actually starts to cheap rate 1:30 am and switches back to higher rate 6:30 am. (in summer end switch time was 7:30am), so never previously bothered to check beyond end switch over as it was always spot on to the minute (naively presumed it was set for seven hours, but have now checked the start manually upteen times outside in freezing cold in the middle of the night).

    Only 5 hours power use are registered on E7 over span of 24 hours

    14kw hours are missing from night rate (3 x approx 2. x 2.1Kw and 1 x 2.6 kw storage heaters), they do not fully charge unless set to seven hours storage, and I begrudge paying £27 a week for nothing on day rate as EON can't be bothered to set up correct time setting.

    THIS IS NOT A FAULTY METER, IT IS THE TIME SETTING (as the end times are precise to the minute for well over a decade).

    I use storage heaters, never took any notice when I was paying a rate of 12 day, 9 p at night previous years - but with EON next, it’s 42p during the day and 14 p at night, this every beyond a joke to be cheated of 2 hours every night in effect nearly 14 Kw per day (over charged for 2 hrs that should be at cheap rate).

    I have had no response from hi@eonnext.com or unhappy@eonnext.com

    I pay for economy seven rate, and have not been receiving that - am not interested in the blag on smart meters, I know how much I use as all electrical appliance are rated in Kw.

    Therefore I would like to know how to get my E7 meter time setting corrected.
  • 11 Replies

  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @AdHoc

    have a look at a recent bill. Not the summary one but a full PDF version.

    Find the meter supply number. It looks a bit like this.

    Name:  download.png
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    Give us the first five digits of your top row and the first two digits of your second row. Economy 7 timings are a function of the local DNO region and your meter time code pattern. From that we can work out exactly when the meter says your off peak hours are.

    The information you have got from 'the national grid meter' or whatever is incorrect. Time settings for E7 are a function of the meter itself, not your supplier.

    Last edited by retrotecchie; 11-12-22 at 11:23.
    Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player. I DON'T work for or on behalf of EON.Next, but am willing to try and help if I can. Not on mains gas, mobile network or mains drainage. House heated almost entirely by baby dragons.
  • AdHoc's Avatar
    Level 1
    @AdHoc

    have a look at a recent bill. Not the summary one but a full PDF version.

    Find the meter supply number. It looks a bit like this.

    Name:  download.png
Views: 867
Size:  6.2 KB

    Give us the first five digits of your top row and the first two digits of your second row. Economy 7 timings are a function of the local DNO region and your meter time code pattern. From that we can work out exactly when the meter says your off peak hours are.

    The information you have got from 'the national grid meter' or whatever is incorrect. Time settings for E7 are a function of the meter itself, not your supplier.

    REPLY; my bill is not in the standard format... these are the numbers from the box. Furthermore the outside meter is correct as it registers No 1. to what is being used and No 2. night rate... it flashes to on either number to which is active, and further to this, very easy to prove which is active on what is being used, put the tumble dryer on a heater etc... and it is very apparent to which rate is active. I have 10 years of bills with other suppliers. This is the numbers given in the boxes.

    s 2 811 31
    1610010287391

    All my bills show day and night rates, so am charged on what is being used.

    Thank you I know I am only getting five hours.
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    Ok, your meter time code pattern is 811 which means 00:30 to 07:30 GMT should be your normal E7 hours for a straight 7 hour pattern.

    However the DNO code, 16, shows North West England. This means you should have a straight 7 pattern. Some DNO's split the 7 hours across 2 blocks of time. Not in your case.

    In summer your E7 times will be 01:30 to 08:30 BST

    These times are physically hard coded onto the meter and cannot usually be modified by the supplier.

    Can you please explain what you mean by 'your Bill is not in the standard format'?
    Last edited by retrotecchie; 14-12-22 at 22:45.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    I’m always careful on these matters. How does one easily prove that the meter ( as opposed to any other separate device) is actually giving 7 hours of the lower rate?

    if an old style electric clock cold be wired into the off peak supply it would only run for 7 out of 24 hours, assuming all was working correctly. I doubt that is easily doable now, but what would work nowadays?
    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.
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @meldrewreborn

    The Live and Neutral coming off the meter are not separate between peak and off peak usage, unless you have a 5 terminal meter where the extra Live is only energised during off peak hours, for immersion heaters or storage heaters. The only thing that is different is the registers in the meter that record usage in the different time blocks.


    If the OP has a 5 terminal meter, as may be the case if they have storage heaters, it's not too difficult a task for someone with electrical experience to indeed wire a motor driven electric clock across a storage heater spur and indeed time the E7 period. Another trick I have used is to replace a 'blind' storage heater outlet with one that has an integrated neon indicator and manually observe the E7 period.

    Something else has just occurred to me.

    @AdHoc

    If this is a really old installation that was originally installed with HeatSave, Flexiheat or one of the other complex heating systems, then this could be a whole new can of worms. Those older systems did indeed have a 5 hour heating window at night, with a second 'boost' period about lunchtime.

    If this is the case, then E.On Next should not be the supplier.

    Any chance of a picture of your electricity meter, preferably showing make and model, plus the incoming and outgoing meter tails?

    I'm suspecting this 'may' be a legacy system that has been incorrectly migrated to E.On Next and possibly should not have been. Only SSE and OVO have the correct tariff and procedures to manage these systems.
    Last edited by retrotecchie; 11-12-22 at 14:21.
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    No, the meters run on GMT. BST is one hour ahead, so midnight BST by your watch is 11pm GMT on the meter..
    Last edited by retrotecchie; 14-12-22 at 22:29.
  • Crunchie66's Avatar
    Level 1
    Now I'm more baffled than ever. The meter is in GMT. It switches, say, at 00:30 GMT which is when my watch says 01:30 in BST. Surely the meter just carries on in GMT, but the clock time is plus 1 in BST. Our E10 times have always been an hour later in summer
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    Sorry you're right yes. Brain fried...I've had no sleep for three days. Yes, the meter switches later by your watch in summer. My bad. I've edited my original post accordingly, thanks!