easynow
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Popcorn anyone?
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Post by easynow on Oct 21, 2022 13:30:59 GMT
I have family in South Africa, near Cape town, they currently have two 6 hour power cuts per day over there, thats 6 hours on, 6 hours off, repeat....
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agent69
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Post by agent69 on Oct 21, 2022 13:50:03 GMT
I have the same S in my supply number box, but I don't believe it's that. From some research I did last night, I think it can be presented on your bill, as it is mine (Octopus), as "Postcode area alpha identifier: G". So I'd scan your bill for something similar. www.dcusa.co.uk/rota-load-block-alpha-identifiers/Thank you. But nothing like that on my (EDF) bill. There is a capital H in a box above my name though. I'm with EDF and at the top left corner of the bill is your name and address, then immediately below that (before you get to 'Hello Mr *****, Your electricity bill' is a letter in a square box.
If you look at the link in my original post some groups have 2 weekly blackouts, most have 3, but H, P & S have 4.
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agent69
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Post by agent69 on Oct 22, 2022 8:14:49 GMT
I have economy 7, so there is a clock in my meter box that switches the supply over at midnight GMT and back again at 7am. Anyone know how this works in a power cut (I assume the clock must keep running).
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jlend
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Post by jlend on Oct 22, 2022 8:45:56 GMT
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Post by Badly Drawn Stickman on Oct 22, 2022 9:33:21 GMT
I have economy 7, so there is a clock in my meter box that switches the supply over at midnight GMT and back again at 7am. Anyone know how this works in a power cut (I assume the clock must keep running). It would depend on the type (age really). Unless you have the really old mechanical version then yes they would reset. Pre smart meters it was some sort of radio signal magic. I would guess with the smart versions it simply relies on the internet connection.
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Post by crabbyoldgit on Oct 22, 2022 9:35:38 GMT
If your street has three phase, then usually houses take off from each of the phases in turn, so 1/3 are on each.
Well maybe not , about 15 years ago I had an interesting conversation with a distribution engineer when we lost a single phaze to a rural telephone exchange. He just wanted to know if needed 3 different phazes or 3 240v supplys. The fault was under the public highway, expensive to dig up and a road closure required. His perfered solution was tee all the customers passed the fault to a working phaze and abandon the faulty phaze. When I suggested that maybe the substation fuse may not be big enough to supply double number of consumers , he just said. we will just put a bigger one in if it fails .This I was informed was standard practice when faults were indentified in locations where a cheaper location to dig were available for a bodge repair.So it maybe 2 out of 3 disconnected and if the records have not been updated they may not even know until it happens. The network out there is a mess in places.
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keitha
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2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
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Post by keitha on Oct 22, 2022 9:49:57 GMT
I have economy 7, so there is a clock in my meter box that switches the supply over at midnight GMT and back again at 7am. Anyone know how this works in a power cut (I assume the clock must keep running). i believe there is a capacitor that keeps the clock running, also be aware that E7 does not necessarily switch at midnight, there is a randomiser that staggers the switching over 30 minutes. lol and the majority of E7 is 00:30 to 7:30 and that is GMT and most E7 meters stick to GMT. Of course the utility companies don't publicise this they don't want people knowing that the first 15 minutes of the cheap rate may actually be at the peak charge rate, and to make it worse there is no way of knowing when the meter switches
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keitha
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Post by keitha on Oct 22, 2022 9:55:19 GMT
If your street has three phase, then usually houses take off from each of the phases in turn, so 1/3 are on each. Well maybe not, about 15 years ago I had an interesting conversation with a distribution engineer when we lost a single phaze to a rural telephone exchange. He just wanted to know if needed 3 different phases or 3 240v supplies. The fault was under the public highway, expensive to dig up and a road closure required. His preferred solution was tee all the customers passed the fault to a working phase and abandon the faulty phase. When I suggested that maybe the substation fuse may not be big enough to supply double number of consumers, he just said. we will just put a bigger one in if it fails. This I was informed was standard practice when faults were identified in locations where a cheaper location to dig were available for a bodge repair. So it maybe 2 out of 3 disconnected and if the records have not been updated, they may not even know until it happens. The network out there is a mess in places. IF is an appropriate word, on my street a single cable runs down the front of the terrace to a junction box on each house then onto the next. So i'm pretty sure that's not 3 phase.
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keitha
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Post by keitha on Oct 22, 2022 9:58:19 GMT
I'd also make then aware when the scheduled cuts are for their group, many that are on the register thinks it makes them immune to power cuts.
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agent69
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Post by agent69 on Oct 22, 2022 10:10:45 GMT
I have economy 7, so there is a clock in my meter box that switches the supply over at midnight GMT and back again at 7am. Anyone know how this works in a power cut (I assume the clock must keep running). It would depend on the type ( age really). Unless you have the really old mechanical version then yes they would reset. Pre smart meters it was some sort of radio signal magic. I would guess with the smart versions it simply relies on the internet connection. It's a mechanical clock with a sticker saying last checked Mar 05.
I had a good look and no sign of a hamster inside, so I guess there must be some sort of battery or similar that keeps it going.
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Post by Badly Drawn Stickman on Oct 22, 2022 10:29:12 GMT
It would depend on the type ( age really). Unless you have the really old mechanical version then yes they would reset. Pre smart meters it was some sort of radio signal magic. I would guess with the smart versions it simply relies on the internet connection. It's a mechanical clock with a sticker saying last checked Mar 05.
I had a good look and no sign of a hamster inside, so I guess there must be some sort of battery or similar that keeps it going. You can usually see the time it is at, by a small pointed indicator (time shown on disc?) left to their own devices they will wander a little away from accurate over time. In a power cut they could end up quite a way out. Sometimes this can be an advantage obviously. Used to be the case that there were statutory meter changes every 20 years. I suspect that is probably not strictly followed these days.
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Post by Ace on Oct 22, 2022 12:38:59 GMT
I view no idea as to the mechanics of how it works, but prior to having a smart meter fitted my 7 hours of cheap rate used to run from around 8 o'clock in the morning. It was like that for many years.
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benaj
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Post by benaj on Oct 22, 2022 12:51:17 GMT
If there is a power cut this winter, Jan & Feb 23 ….
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jlend
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Post by jlend on Oct 23, 2022 12:51:35 GMT
I'd also make then aware when the scheduled cuts are for their group, many that are on the register thinks it makes them immune to power cuts. You can check which group you are in on this website www.powercut105.com
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Oct 23, 2022 17:54:23 GMT
Thinking about buying a portable generator to plug in during any power cuts. Waste of money or will these things cost double come winter?
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