High elec bill: settings on my water timer!

windowwindow

Hi,

I have a high electricity bill and I think it may be because of my Horstmann Electronic 7 water heater. I’m confused by the timings on it. There are 3 programmable settings which I set by using a pencil to scroll through the programmes.

What is confusing me is that there is a switch on the front of the unit with some settings, and there is a setting for “On Time” and “Off time”. From the dial it looks like the On and Off switch is to set times for the “Timed boost” but the manual has really confused me and because of my high bill I’m wondering if I’m interpreting it correctly!

Can anyone shed any light on this? Although I have the 3 programmable sessions set to operate for 2 short sessions, I’m afraid this On and Off time setting is setting the whole unit to heat my water all the time. I’ve just asked the caretaker for keys to see the elec meter, so I’m going to experiment with the settings over the next few days.

Link to the manual: http://www.horstmann.co.uk/downloads/ElectronicDocuments/Electric-Water-Heating/Electronic7-UserGuide.PDF

Background: My elec bill is going to be £1000 for the year for 2 people in a <700sq ft flat, and we're out all day during the week. I have elec heaters, I know they are expensive but I'm convinced there is more to it than that. Please help!

espresso

windowwindow wrote: »

Hi,

I have a high electricity bill and I think it may be because of my Horstmann Electronic 7 water heater. I’m confused by the timings on it. There are 3 programmable settings which I set by using a pencil to scroll through the programmes.

What is confusing me is that there is a switch on the front of the unit with some settings, and there is a setting for “On Time” and “Off time”. From the dial it looks like the On and Off switch is to set times for the “Timed boost” but the manual has really confused me and because of my high bill I’m wondering if I’m interpreting it correctly!

Can anyone shed any light on this? Although I have the 3 programmable sessions set to operate for 2 short sessions, I’m afraid this On and Off time setting is setting the whole unit to heat my water all the time.

When the timeswitch is supplying power to your immersion, either the Timed indicator or the Boost indicator will be illuminated, so you can visually check that you have set the time periods correctly.

I’ve just asked the caretaker for keys to see the elec meter, so I’m going to experiment with the settings over the next few days.

Link to the manual: http://www.horstmann.co.uk/downloads/ElectronicDocuments/Electric-Water-Heating/Electronic7-UserGuide.PDF

Background: My elec bill is going to be £1000 for the year for 2 people in a <700sq ft flat, and we're out all day during the week. I have elec heaters, I know they are expensive but I'm convinced there is more to it than that. Please help!

All electric is the most expensive, so all that you can do is make sure that you are on the best tariff for your needs.

..............

1carminestocky

I'm assuming this product heats the water in a tank and is not just a passthrough heater? Make sure the tank has plenty of lagging on it, you can get insulation jackets from B&Q for about £12 (may be cheaper elsewehere, of course). I can't see the landlord objecting to you fitting one of these...

PS There are (wireless) products on the market that can give you a readout of currrent electricity usage, but you may have seen other threads on these devices that usually end in carnage due to the objection of a couple of posters to people extolling their virtues! :rotfl:

windowwindow

Not sure what a passthrough heater is? Its a Coral B 210 litre unit, and its in a big square unit, so I can't put a lagging jacket on it! The unit isn't hot, which makes me think the bolier itself is inside this big square box. I guess I could try and get someone to take it off? Its my flat so no problem doing work - I just want to reduce my bills.

I know elec is expensive but I used 6500 units from 31st Oct - 2nd May - I still think thats a lot, having seached for average family home usage. Its just a small flat!

espresso

windowwindow wrote: »

I know elec is expensive but I used 6500 units from 31st Oct - 2nd May - I still think thats a lot, having seached for average family home usage. Its just a small flat!

Look at your total spend for the year which you can expect to be more than average due to being all electric. Therefore £1000 per annum seems reasonable with electricity being at least three times more expensive than gas per kWh.