Economy 7 heating

ovy_2

Hello.

I know that a lot of people have been complaining about the heating costs with electric heating and people are getting hight bills per month.

I have been very weary about using my heating, due to these costs people have been getting..

But now that it's getting cold I did some research into the storage heating in my living/dining area and found that it's an 850w storage heater.

Now if I'm correct from 2300 - 0600 hours the heater will store the energy ready to be used, that's:

0.850 Kw/hour @ £0.06 = £0.051 x 8 hours = £0.408 per day.

So for a month it's £0.408 x 30 days = £12.24 a month.

I only need the one heater in the living room, the kitchen get's it's own heat from cooking, bathroom gets the heat from a shower/bath, spare bedroom isn't used, office uses the PC heat and in the bedroom - enough said.. :whistle:

Am I correct that the heating is going to cost £12.24 a month?

Premier_2

Storage heaters come in various sizes, so it is possible you have a 850W storage heater.

However this sized heater is designed for small bedrooms (about 8 sq. m max) which require less heat than living areas.
To expect 1 small heater to adequately heat an entire flat is a little optimistic although you suggest you get heat from other sources, like an oven, which is not allowed for in your heating costs.
If your pc is heating a room on it's own, you ought to get that appliance checked out for safety!

Having said all that, your basic calculation is correct except:
(a) it's only 7 hours, not 8, the clue is in the E7 name
(b) the heater may not consume the full 850W for all 7 hours per night as it will be thermostatically controlled. Once it reaches it's maximum loaded heat, it will cut out.

ovy_2

It's an 850W storage heater with a 1500W heater / blower, which i do not use.

This is only heating for a Flat, I have tried the heating today, and it's keeping the whole room warm (at a temp that I find good), which is more then 8 sqm.

I'm only wanting the living area to be heated which is enough for me.

The oven isn't in the costs, but that's just an example of keeping the small kitchen warm, which isn't necessary.

The PC room is only small, enough for a warm pc to keep me warm enough to my satisfaction.

That's good then, so it would be even cheaper. Thanks!

paceinternet

I would suggest you confirm that usage by taking readings from your E7 meter. Do it one night without the heater on, then the next night with similar things consuming electricity plus the heater.

As is said many times in the forum, a problem with an E7 tariff is that daytime units cost more than a std tariff.
So, you often need to be using around 50% of your electricity during the E7 period.
Your 5-6 kw a night may not be enough, but do some sums.

Premier_2

paceinternet wrote: »

...As is said many times in the forum, a problem with an E7 tariff is that daytime units cost more than a std tariff.
So, you often need to be using around 50% of your electricity during the E7 period.
Your 5-6 kw a night may not be enough, but do some sums.

E7 day units are usually only slightly higher than normal single rate units.
About 25% night time usage is typically about the break even point.
But sometimes it's cheaper to be on E7 than the comparative non-E7 tariff no matter what you use
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1207887
(unit prices may have changed since then, but it's still equally valid today)

tripled

Premier wrote: »

E7 day units are usually only slightly higher than normal single rate units.
About 25% night time usage is typically about the break even point.
But sometimes it's cheaper to be on E7 than the comparative non-E7 tariff no matter what you use
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1207887
(unit prices may have changed since then, but it's still equally valid today)

Depends what tariff you're on... I'm switching to a BG tariff for the winter where the day rate is about triple the night rate, I'll switch away again come the spring.

Premier_2

tripled wrote: »

Depends what tariff you're on... I'm switching to a BG tariff for the winter where the day rate is about triple the night rate, I'll switch away again come the spring.

Yes, the day rate is normally about twice or thrice the night rate, but the difference in E7 day rate to single rate is not so great.

Some companies will not simply allow a change from E7 to single rate without a change of meter, for which a charge may apply.
BG is one of the companies that do however allow a single rate tariff on a dual rate meter, as you quite rightly say.

paceinternet

"sometimes it's cheaper to be on E7 than the comparative non-E7 tariff no matter what you use "
What you mean is Scottish Power had a tariff that was similar cost for E7 and Single Rate, but both tariffs would give you a higher bill than some other suppliers on single rate.
The situation is made worse because you may not use storage heating for 6 months of the year, so you have to do as "tripled" is doing to get the lowest annual bill.
So, as always, put your numbers into a switching site, and compare the bottom line.

ginnyknit

I have had economy 7 for many years and don't particularly love it. However I had a disabled shower fitted for hubby recently so decided to turn off the hot water and just heat it up for an hour or so every couple of days, i am amazed the water is as hot as if I had it on for the full cycle - how much extra has that cost me over the years???

Premier_2

paceinternet wrote: »

"sometimes it's cheaper to be on E7 than the comparative non-E7 tariff no matter what you use "
What you mean is Scottish Power had a tariff that was similar cost for E7 and Single Rate, but both tariffs would give you a higher bill than some other suppliers on single rate.
The situation is made worse because you may not use storage heating for 6 months of the year, so you have to do as "tripled" is doing to get the lowest annual bill.
So, as always, put your numbers into a switching site, and compare the bottom line.

What I mean is what I said.

...sometimes it's cheaper to be on E7 than the comparative non-E7 tariff no matter what you use ...

Not everyone wishes to pay monthly by DD, thereby allowing the supplier to collect what they want, and even less are happy with paperless billing.

You need to compare like with like.

Swipe

ginnyknit wrote: »

I have had economy 7 for many years and don't particularly love it. However I had a disabled shower fitted for hubby recently so decided to turn off the hot water and just heat it up for an hour or so every couple of days, i am amazed the water is as hot as if I had it on for the full cycle - how much extra has that cost me over the years???

Yes it mounts up. Always worth checking to see if your Water heater controller has a built in timer and just set it to come on for the last hour or so of the E7 window