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319 Topic threads
BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
BPLightlogPlan Zero Hero
Posted in Home and heating
Dashboard for Home UsageBlog

With the raft of online apps and services now in everyday use, I had begun to get frustrated that for some simple things (like thermostats, energy usage and security cameras) it was necessary to open a whole array of different programs. I stumbled across the concept of gathering these together under one service and now have a very easy, comprehensive option via something called Home Assistant (HA). (available on mobile app and pc)Although it has been many years since I did any real programming, I decided to try out this system and have found it a lot easier to put together and operate than I expected.First of all, I need to say that it is often not totally without cost. The system can be run on an existing computer but as the service really needs to be running all the time, most people tend to use some sort of minicomputer. I used something called a Raspberry Pi. This is a small electronics board – which can be bought as a full system or piece by piece – which links to your broadband r

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BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
B
Plan Zero Hero
BeePeePlan Zero Hero
Posted in Home and heating
The Mysteries of LegionellaBlog

I am not a biologist; in fact it is nearly 50 years since I passed my Biology “O” Level. HOWEVER I would like to be re-assured that if I make changes to my heating system I will not compromise my family’s safety and well being.The following I have gleaned from various sources on the Internet. If you disagree great, but PLEASE supply the basis for your differing view. I’m afraid “a mate down the pub said” will not wash.What is Legionella?From the NHS website:Legionnaires' disease is a lung infection you can get from inhaling droplets of water from things like air conditioning or hot tubs. It's uncommon but it can be very serious.You can get Legionnaires' disease if you breathe in tiny droplets of water containing bacteria that cause the infection.It's usually caught in places like hotels, hospitals or offices where the bacteria have got into the water supply. It's less common to catch it at home.Where does it come from?From the CDC Website:Legionella bacteria occur naturally in freshwat

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Chris_OVO
Community Moderator
BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
BPLightlogPlan Zero Hero
Posted in Home and heating
Diary of an ASHP install - Part 2Blog

The Install WeekOn the lead up to our installation date for our Heat Pump (HP), we had everything in place:Space outside clear for the heat pump itself Internal loft space for the pipework and any system parts A clear space inside around the existing boiler for removal Storage space for the pipes, insulation and other equipment (being delivered on the first morning)I got a text message from the lead installer on Sunday evening letting me know that he would be arriving at 8am on the Monday morning. He was actually early and supervised the off loading of the delivered equipment. This can take a little time as there is often quite a lot of items alongside the heat pump itself which need agreeing as scheduled items and delivered.Other trades were due shortly and so we walked the install route around the property from the HP position, through the loft access, existing pipework, boiler, radiators (6 out of 12 to be replaced), gas supply point and electricity supply.One of the things I partic

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BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
BPLightlogPlan Zero Hero
Posted in Home and heating
Diary of an ASHP install - Part 1Blog

As often happens, a second generation of new technology provides better results for the user and so, although installers and training still require some updating, we decided to make use of the offers currently in place and see what was involved for a Heat Pump installation.For qualifying properties and systems, there is a Government grant of £7,500 (BUS) and we went with a scheme which also allowed a ‘free’ survey (£200 payment which either is refunded or goes towards the final cost of install) and an opt out right up to the days before installation.Our survey was arranged in a few days and a surveyor arranged an appointment to measure and review the property. The survey suggested a heat loss just under 9kW and so the plans revolved around a 9kW heat pump installation. We currently use a condensing gas boiler for our heating and hot water and part of the survey looks at the pipework and radiators to check their suitability. Our outcome was that the pipework was ok but 6 out of 12 radia

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BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
Emmanuelle_OVOCommunity Manager
Posted in Home and heating
Solar installed by OVO? We’d love to hear from youBlog

Updated on 20/01/25 by Abby_OVO Solar power is a great way to generate your own renewable energy, and gain energy independence. We’re proud that we’re now offering solar, even if you’re not an OVO customer. If you’ve recently begun your solar journey and had your panels installed by OVO we’d love to hear more about your experience.  Not yet had solar installed but thinking about it? See our solar product page.  Whether you’ve already got solar panels, are interested in getting them installed, or are simply a green tech enthusiast here to find out more – we’ve got a number of topics here on the Forum which may interest you. Find out more about OVO’s solar offering:   Check out this collaborative user guide to all things solar:   Here’s a community members guide to help if you’re planning a DIY-approach to installing solar panels:  We're also looking to get some feedback from customers who have Charge Anytime and Solar, on what they would like to see if we were able to offer both service

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M
Carbon Cutter*****
D
New Member***
DewiNew Member***
Posted in Home and heating
Solar Installation - Lack of Communication

Gone through the survey, agreement and deposit paid phase.And no follow up.Phone number given is out of service and the email address doesn’t respond!Does anyone have contact info that actually works?

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Chris_OVO
Community Moderator
S
Carbon Cutter*****
shetlandCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in Home and heating
RTS meter makes clunking noise every hour, why ?

Ever hour on the hour, the RTS meter here makes a very loud clunking noise you can hear throughout the entire house, has done so for like a decade ever since we moved in.Asked everyone over the years, no one knows if its normal or not.Anyone here know if it is normal, and what it is doing every hour ? 

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L
OVO Staff
S
New Member*
sandmarkNew Member*
Posted in Home and heating
Need help with FIT payments

Hi can I get Ovo to pay me what I am owed from my solar panels? Since SSE sold us out without warning I’ve not had a single payment from Ovo. I’m tired of being fobbed off with “expect payment in 10days” It never happens. Since my first readings in September I still haven’t been paid and it’s now nearly February. I’ve also given Decembers readings and been told not to expect payment before March.Why is this? It only took SSE 4 weeks to pay out. I am desperate for money and incurring debts I’ve never had before. We hardly dare put on the heating and we are both in our 70s and very poorly. We couldn’t even afford Christmas presents . I am so dejected. I’ve now got a claims number but have been told it will be (guess what) 10 days before they deal with it. This is the third time I’ve rung about it. Why didn’t they give me a claims number after my first phone call? I could have been well through the process by now. Can anyone help or advise me?

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Chris_OVO
Community Moderator
T
Carbon Cutter****
Tazzyy74Carbon Cutter****
Posted in Home and heating
I think my meter may have been tampered with?

Hi I need help I'm been charged 300 / 400 for electric some months I'm single parent in 3 bedroom house and my heatings been off since it warmed up in Feb 2022 .I've nothing turned on hardly in my house just a freezer fridge that run all day I have no heating we sleep down stairs but I'm still getting outrageous bills .A meter reader said whwn I posted a picture of my meter it's been tampered with but my energy company won't listen they said the locks still on it but theirs more wires than b and q 

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Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
E
Carbon Cutter****
EdinburghFanCarbon Cutter****
Posted in Home and heating
Complex meter: Refused Economy 7?

Hello, we bought our current flat a few months ago and found out that Ovo is our electricity supplier. It is an all electric property, with electric immersion heater for hot water and electric storage heaters. This flat was designed around off peak electricity.There are 2 electricity meters, one so called white meter just for the off-peak circuit (storage heaters plus immersion water heater) and one for everything else, each with a separate MPAN number. The off peak meter turns the off peak circuit on and off, so that water heater and storage heaters only have power at night, it is the RTS type. When we moved in, Ovo created 2 account numbers, one for each meter and put each on the single rate tariff (without consulting or giving options).This means that we have to pay the standing charge twice and we have to pay expensive rate for hot water and heating. I have contacted Ovo multiple times (calls and chat) asking to:have only one account with one standing charge  be moved onto some typ

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Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
S
Carbon Cutter***
SteveaCarbon Cutter***
Posted in Home and heating
Air source heat pump (ASHP) retrofit, running costs and experience of buying and installation?

Hi All, I’m wondering how the experiences have been for people who’ve installed a heat pump to an existing property.  What was the buying experience like?What was the install experience like?How has the performance been?  And what about running costs of the ASHP vs whatever you had before?Cheers in advanceSteve

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Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
S
Carbon Cutter*****
shetlandCarbon Cutter*****
posted in Home and heating
Can you put a plug on a storage heater and plug it in?

Less than 2,000w storage heater, can I put a plug on it without needing to pay an electrican to do it ?Can I plug it into a wall socket without breaking any regulations ?So far, I’ve asked in lots of places, and been told that is fine on both counts, but the other day I asked an AI, and it said it broke a regulation to plug it in.It mentioned that a wall mounted device, must be hard wired into a circuit, and not have a plug put on it, unless it came with a plug from the manufactorurer, or it states in the manual that a plug can be fitted. Does anyone know either way ?  

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Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
F
New Member*
FindamNew Member*
Posted in Home and heating
Where can I get a replacement gas meter box?

Hi all, could anyone give me a website to purchase a gas box 500x420, you’d think it would be an easy find prayer I’m just blind 🫣thank you for any help 😊

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Abby_OVO
Community Manager
Peter E
Plan Zero Hero
Peter EPlan Zero Hero
Posted in Home and heating
A Study into the Economics of Solar Panels and a Home BatteryBlog

This has been a subject that I’ve wanted to investigate for some time because I want to know whether getting solar  panels or a home battery was worthwhile in terms of a good investment. However, the subject is very difficult to  analyse and it was going to take some effort to untangle this particular Gordian Knot and I wasn’t sure if the effort was  going to be worth it. I figured that solar panels would most likely be a benefit. I saw a home battery as being ‘parasitic’  on the solar panel scheme in that it doesn’t generate any power in itself and probably wouldn’t return the value  invested in it. It’s also difficult to analyse but I’ve finally convinced myself that I want to know the answer and that is  why we are here.   Solar Panels – These provide power during the year. They have an average installation cost and a yearly output related  to the installed peak power. Anything produced over and above what is required in the house at the time can be  exported as a Solar Export Guara

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Abby_OVO
Community Manager
B
New Member**
bendenvor111New Member**
Posted in Home and heating
Given the lack of boiler service history, should I also be concerned about the heating system’s energy efficiency?

 If the boiler hasn’t been serviced in years, it could be running inefficiently—costing more to operate or even leaking carbon monoxide. Would it be worth requesting an efficiency check (e.g., a boiler’s ERP rating or combustion test) alongside the GSC, or is that overkill for a non-renovation purchase? If they refuse, does £2k still cover potential inefficiency risks, or should I adjust my retention?

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Nukecad
Plan Zero Hero
A
New Member*
Alex299New Member*
Posted in Home and heating
I've got no gas supply, what can I do?

I have no gas supply

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Ben_OVO
Community Moderator
A
Carbon Cutter****
AndiCarbon Cutter****
Posted in Home and heating
EDF Economy 20:20 - is this an RTS meter?

Hi wondering if anyone can tell me if this meter will be fine after the switch off? I submit two readings for it. It's a 5254e single phase. Thanks.  I

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Ben_OVO
Community Moderator
Y
Carbon Cutter***
YazSunCarbon Cutter***
Posted in Home and heating
Smart meter couldn't be installed. Is it an RTS?

Hello as per title my smart meter couldn't be installed because I have a neutral fuse cutout. Currently trying to get this rectified but if it's not sorted out by rts switch off date will my meter still be okay? Pictures attached. Thanks 🙂 

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Y
Carbon Cutter***
P
New Member*
peaveyNew Member*
posted in Home and heating
Immersun power diverter issue after smart meter installation

We had our old meter “upgraded” to a smart meter last week. We have solar panels and an Immersun power diverter which sends PV energy to the immersion heater . After installation of the smart meter the Immersun seemed to be acting the wrong way round. Although the IHD and the solar anel invertor would clearly show us exporting energy when it was sunny, the Immersun display showed the opposite; taking energy from the grid when sunny and exporting during the night! It also failed to heat any water.  Investigation eventually found the reason.. The immersun has a sensor that clamps around the incoming live wire. The engineer temproarily removed the sensor and had refitted this the wrong way round. Simply unclipping and reattaching the sensor the other way round seems to have fixed the problem and it is working now. I mention this in case anyone else has met this problem.

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Ben_OVO
Community Moderator
O
Carbon Cutter*****
oldunCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in Home and heating
We're economy 7, our water heater is too large & energy is being wasted- do we consider fitting a supplimentary timer to reduce the hours the power is on?

I live in an all electric apartment that has qan Economy 7 electricity supplyWe have a Gledhill water heater with an internal heat exchanger which is far too larger for our use and I am looking at ways to uce the high cost of heating too much water that we never use.I have consider fitting a supplimentary timer to the water heater supply to reduce the hours the power is on.I would like youur views on this possible modification and any other ideas that I can use to save money.My wife and I are both 86 so we do not think a complete rebuild is worth condering.Thank you

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Chris_OVO
Community Moderator
G
New Member*
gb hollandNew Member*
Posted in Home and heating
RTS switch off - is the Landis + Gyr 5246C meter affected by the turn off?

I have a Landis + Gyr 5246C meter that was installed in October 2014 and runs Economy 7 in my flat. There’s no radio teleswitch label on the meter and no separate box with a radio teleswitch label. Does this mean RTS isn’t used to switch between peak and off-peak? I don’t want to upgrade to a smart meter unless i absolutely have to. OVO have sent various letters about upgrading to a smart meter but none of them have mentioned the RTS switch off. 

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Chris_OVO
Community Moderator
N
Carbon Cutter****
NJ001Carbon Cutter****
Posted in Home and heating
How do I take export readings from my emlite emp1.av?

Does anyone know if I can get half hourly reading from our export meter - emlite emp1.avAccording to google it can but it doesn't make it clear how to do it. Any help would be greatly appreciated - Thank you 

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Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
F
Carbon Cutter***
felsteadukCarbon Cutter***
Posted in Home and heating
Excess solar to heat water or to sell - which is best?

Hi.I have a 14 panel array with a battery and generate more energy than I use.  I added an Eddi unit to divert excess energy to heat the water tank, however……The price of gas is 6p kWh.My export rate is 15p kWh. Assuming the gas is less efficient than the eclectic at heating the tank, say 85%, then the cost to heat the water is 7p kWh.Assume it takes 1 hour to heat the tank:Using gas cost 7p and I can sell the excess at 15p so I am 8p better off.Using excess means I save 7p but I dont sell at 15p so am 8p down.Have I got this right, or am I going mad? 

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BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
A
Carbon Cutter****
andykelpCarbon Cutter****
Posted in Home and heating
Are air to air heatpumps noisy?

These air to air heat pumps, I’ve heard they’re noisy. Is that right?

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Chris_OVO
Community Moderator
R
Carbon Cutter*
RobseanCarbon Cutter*
Posted in Home and heating
I'm getting my RTS meter exchanged for a smart meter- economy 10 or economy 7, what should I choose?

I am getting a new smart meter installed in a couple of weeks to replace my old RTS meter. On the phone call I hurriedly picked economy 10 as the tariff I wanted to go on. But I have old style storage heaters which heat overnight so I think economy 7 would be better. I'm panicking my bills will shoot up on economy 10. Should I contact ovo to change to economy 7? Help please. 

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Chris_OVO
Community Moderator

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