Am I stuck with Eco 7 - can I remove storage heaters and switch to better plan?

Monkey_Joe

JennyR68 wrote: »

I personally found it cheaper to switch off the E7 based on my usage. i.e the last week before meter change cost me £34.24 on E7 if it had been single rate would have cost £30.07. It all depends on your tarrif though on how it works out, I'm with EDF.

We changed the tank to a direct unvented and now run a shower of it instead of using electric shower so need a steady supply of hot.

Thanks for your advise.

When you say £30.07 was that for a month?

Also, who did you contact to have your immersion tank switched over to a direct unvented? What was wrong with the immersion, more expensive?

Monkey_Joe

Katie-Kat-Kins wrote: »

I'm sure it is possible but I guess it depends upon your house, your heaters, your comfort level and the tarriffs available to you. It is easy to compare on the comparison sites and that is what I'd suggest the OP does.

It can be more convenient to do it your way too especially if you are out all day.

I'm just saying the OP needs to consider his options carefully, it can be expensive to heat a house on panel heaters alone, but if he is in a small flat then maybe it will work out better.

Its a house, midterrace, 3 bedrooms, two living rooms and a kitchen. Just my self and my wife will be living in it for now.

I am totally confused at what to do in regards to this. I have looked at comparison sites and the standard rates are a lot cheaper then the Eco rates for the year.

However, your not the first person to tell me that panel heaters cost more to heat up a house then storage heaters.

What to do!!!?

Its nearly summer now and so if I do a trial run on Eco 7 it wont be a fair reflection of how expensive it could be come winter.

Owain_Moneysaver

JennyR68 wrote: »

Not sure, you would have to check building regs to see if you can change the sockets yourself or have to get an electrician in.

You can change the connection units to sockets if you want, but it would be better to leave them as connection units and hardwire wall-mounted panel heaters to them.

No building regs approval required

JennyR68

Monkey_Joe wrote: »

Thanks for your advise.

When you say £30.07 was that for a month?

Also, who did you contact to have your immersion tank switched over to a direct unvented? What was wrong with the immersion, more expensive?

A month? If I could get away with spending £30 a month in an all electric house in winter I'd be ecstatic! No it was a week. This quarter last year cost me £401 (on the E7 equivalent of tariff I'm on, it actually cost me £428) still 5 weeks left till same quarter over and it looks like I'll be coming in at around £40-50 (£67-77) less than that this year. That incidentally is in a 3 bed semi, with heating on 24/7. Comfort levels far higher than with the E7.

Though as katie kat kins rightly says it all depends on your area and tariffs available how it will work out.

The tank change was part of bathroom refurb, the plumber dealt with it. We changed tank becuse we wanted to ditch the electric shower, and with an unvented tank you can run a thermostatic mixer shower with the hot water delivered to it at the same pressure as the cold in your mains. Which gives a fantastic shower experience! Wish we had done it years ago!

JennyR68

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

You can change the connection units to sockets if you want, but it would be better to leave them as connection units and hardwire wall-mounted panel heaters to them.

No building regs approval required

What about kitchen/bathroom? are you all right fiddling yourself with them too?

We're hardwiring our panel heaters, only mentioned sockets as OP indicated use of portable heaters.

dunloadin

If you have storage heaters and Eco7 dont change untill the heaters are removed, I dont have the time to explain, look at previous posts.

If you have two meters then it aint Eco7, again look in other posts.

Cardew

As indicated above, getting rid of E7 and having a 'normal' 24/7 tariff with 'normal' heaters is often a better choice if you are out at work all day.

However it is a more difficult decision if you are at home during the day. The big problem with storage heating is that of leaked heat during the day, and if you are at home during the day that is not so much of an issue as you 'use' that heat.

On the other hand you say that much of your electricity use is during the day - on what?

Also the cost of hot water doubles when not on E7.

Not a clear cut decision!

macman

OP, you need to look at your last year's bills and total how much is on cheap rate and how much is on peak rate? Those percentages should be the main factor in your decision.
If you are not using at least a third on cheap rate then E7 is probably not right for you.

JennyR68

Cardew wrote: »

Also the cost of hot water doubles when not on E7.

Not a clear cut decision!

with my tarriff the difference is only 47% more or 2.39p and funnily enough the single rate is 2.39p cheaper than the E7 day rate.

Owain_Moneysaver

JennyR68 wrote: »

What about kitchen/bathroom? are you all right fiddling yourself with them too?

We're hardwiring our panel heaters, only mentioned sockets as OP indicated use of portable heaters.

You are allowed to replace accessories etc in kitchens and bathrooms. It's only new wiring that 'needs' to be notified.