A faulty batch of electricity meters has meant that up to 16,000 households may have overpaid during recent power cuts. As the SSE made a statement that the faulty units would incorrectly flick back an hour. They claimed that 'Economy 10' tariff customers. A tariff which aims to charge cheaper rates for off-peak power use may have paid too much because the meters were incorrectly set. Which consequently could have resulted in many customers trying to schedule their energy for off peak times, but still however collecting charges at the peak rate, currently 74% higher. Economy tariffs have plummeted in popularity recently as more advanced energy efficient products like electric radiators have established themselves onto the market. Products which operate more efficiently on standard tariffs using electricity on demand, most often resulting in lower running costs. SSE have stated that they will write to all customers who have been affected to carry out an inspection on their meters. However back in February the consumer group Which? highlighted the major issue of faulty meter clocks, that could affect up to 3.9m households. British Gas said they were 'not aware of any faults of this nature' with its multi rate customers. EDF energy said they were carrying out an in depth investigation as to whether any of its customers could have been affected.