Economy 7 Multi-rate meters

[neilp]

I am having some Storage Heaters fitted in a small house and have just had a new meter installed. The meter is a horstmann multi rate meter and it only has one set of tails which are connected to my old consumer unit. There is no provision for a second set to go to a separate consumer unit.
Any ideas as to where my storage heaters are connected so that they only use the cheap rate? If they are wired to the existing consumer unit they will be on day and night. Do I have to have a timeswitch installed to match the one on the meter?

 

[lookinn]

The meter is radio controlled. There is no need for a switch because the meter does a rate change. The whole house is on cheap rate at night.

 

[neilp]

If the storage heaters are connected to this meter without a separate time clock what stops them being fed during the expensive rate period?

 

[lookinn]

Sorry I misread your post you should have two cu's as it it is switched from the two rate meter

 

[Roo]

There is a 5th port on the horstmann that will only become live at the correct times.
Your DNO should have left you some way to connect to it without cutting the seals.

I suggest you phone them back up, tell them what you are planning to do and ask for a 3pole isolator or a way you can connect to the off peak port.

It may be they will pop round and reseal when the work is done, I know some DNO's do this.

 

[neilp]

Thanks for that. Yes, there is a third output. I tried to talk to the DNO about a 3 pole isolator, but gave up as my life isn't going to be long enough to get through to her to what I intended to do. I gave up when she told me that she was trying to fill a dark grey FAX form with a black pen.

When the second consumer unit is fitted for the economy 7 only supply does the neutral tail have to be split before it enters the current consumer unit??

Does anyone know if there is a single consumer unit that will cope with both a 24 hour supply and an economy 7 supply??

 

[Roo]

Spoke to DNO or your supplier?

My fault, When I said "THEM" I meant your supplier.

All work has to go through your supplier as different suppliers use different companies to do certain jobs in certain areas, all to pot now IMO but I suppose it is stopping the monopoly the DNO's have (bang goes my pay rise )

I would of thought asking for an isolator was a fairly common request.

Sounds like you just got through to a dope or someone new on the other end.

Try again, don't explain too much to them as it would just complicate the issue, try just saying your having some electrical work done and the electrician has said they need a 3pole isolator fitting before they can start work.

As for a CU that will cope with the 24hr and off peak loads there are split load boards available and I'm sure one of the sparks on here would tell you more about them.

And yes the neutral would need to be split before the CU's.

 

[Lectrician]

You should have had a pair of tails ready for connection when the meter was fitted. Even if the CU was simply empty.

Your electrician will leave a pair of tails hanging, and then send in a connection notice to the DNO, who will connect the tails. In some areas the DNO will pass this request onto the metering dept, in others it will be done in house.

 

[Roo]

Your electrician will leave a pair of tails hanging, and then send in a connection notice to the DNO, who will connect the tails.

Not round here Lec, I can get disciplined for doing it.

But don't know about neilp's dno.

I still think it is safest to ask his supplier for an iso, and it's there for future use too.

 

[JohnD]

if you don't get a good result on the phone, I strongly recomend a brief letter (calm, businesslike, polite, to the point). Letters are tracked and passed on until they reach someone who understands. Don't include a complaint in your letter or it will be passed to the fobbing-off department.

Just write to your supplier, it's their responsibility to know which company deals with the work

Does anyone know if there is a single consumer unit that will cope with both a 24 hour supply and an economy 7 supply??

Yes, it's called a dual-rate CU (not split-load which is something different). they are uncomon and fairly expensive so most people would just use two CUs which are also probably easier to understand.

 

[Roo]

Yes, it's called a dual-rate CU (not split-load which is something different). they are uncomon and fairly expensive so most people would just use two CUs which are also probably easier to understand.

My fault

Thats why I left that bit for you fella's to explain

 

[Lectrician]

Your electrician will leave a pair of tails hanging, and then send in a connection notice to the DNO, who will connect the tails.

Not round here Lec, I can get disciplined for doing it.

But don't know about neilp's dno.

I still think it is safest to ask his supplier for an iso, and it's there for future use too.

Bloody iso'a - BAA!


Why would you be disciplined? How do you normally connect tails to the meter? You surely do not fit an iso every time?

 

[Roo]

Yup, Isolator everytime!

One reason being we do no testing of any kind on the installation.

Something could be wrong (loose connection, wrong polarity etc) I connect up and the customer doesn't get it checked afterwards.

I'm then to blame

My DNO like fitting isolators and our responsibility stops at the top of the isolator.