Electricity bills-storage heaters etc

furry_tractor

Hi, I moved into a 2bed flat in September. Electricity was already arranged with Eon, with the flat being on heatwise (which I believe is economy 10) and our direct debit was set at £41 a month based on previous usage at the flat. I just had a bill saying we were £232 in debit and that the direct debits would be going up to £76 a month. Basically, I don't trust storage heaters because of all the horror stories of bills that I have heard of so we used halogen heaters, which it seems has ruined us aswell. We're students so money is tight and i asked if it could be left at £41 and reviewed in 6 months time as by then, with the summer months taken into account we will have developed credit or at least clawed some of it back, because obviously we moved in in September so had no chance to build credit. They weren't willing to do this, which is fairly understandable so we had to pay them £250 to keep the monthly d/d reasonable.
Are storage heaters ok to use? There is no timer on them so does that mean that they ONLY charge us the cheap rates at the times specified (1.00-6.00, 13.30-16.30, 20.00- 22.00) and they do not use electricity at other times?
Cheers

Premier_2

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unwarranted horror stories on sites such as this relating to storage heaters and that can result, as it has done in your case, into using very expensive, peak rate electricity for heating.
(This is possibly made fractionally worse in your case as your peak rate on a multi-rate supply is probably slightly higher, perhaps up to 10%, compared to a single rate)

The facts are that storage heaters, if used properly, do not justify the horror stories. Yes gas central heating is the heating of first choice ... but gas central heating is not always possible. Where gas central heating is not possible, storage heating is a very good option usually.

Perhaps this thread will serve as a warning to those who post and read such unwarranted horror stories relating to storage heaters on a site which is otherwise designed to offer moneysaving advice to others.


Your storage heaters are probably wired to a circuit that only comes live when you received low rate electricity ... but that needs to be checked as some installations are not so wired

furry_tractor

Yea the problem we had is you can only go on experience. We had no experience in storage heaters and as such just knew what people had said, as you say on sites like these. However we have used halogen heaters at other places, and they have been fine but that was because it was a house on a standard rate tarrif so it wasn't as if they were a more expensive option. In our case though, our normal rate as you say is more expensive so thats why it nailed us. Oh well, live and learn!

Premier_2

As I said earlier, the difference in peak rate on a multi-rate supply and the rate on a single rate supply is only marginally more expensive (usually less than 10% - sometimes it's even less than the standard rate).

That difference is not the cause of your heating bills, but simply that you are using electricity to heat - a very expensive way that typically costs 2-3 times the cost or more of gas or off peak electricity.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi furry_tractor

There are similarities between Heatwise and Economy 10, in that, both are designed for properties with storage and water heating. However, they have different metering set ups.

Thought it might help if I gave you a brief outline of the Heatwise product.



Heatwise gives 10 hours of storage and water heating per day at a cheaper rate. This is split into three blocks at approx the following times.

• 3 hours in the afternoon between 1pm and 4.30pm
• 2 hours in the evening between 5.30pm and 10pm
• 5 hours at night between 12am and 7am

Heatwise is more of a comfort tariff than an economical one. It is designed so the storage heaters do not cool down and the house and water should stay warm throughout the day.

You can have Heatwise with either a single rate or Economy 7 tariff. Generally, with storage heaters, Economy 7 is the least expensive option.


Units used during the above times are charged at the lower rates as per the night/afternoon/evening sections noted on your bills.


The Heatwise part sits alongside the standard tariff. Electricity used for water and heating outside of the above times is charged at standard prices. These prices are the same as our standard tariff.

Most Heatwise systems are fitted with a boost button. This will give you one hour of electricity outside of the above times and can be used whenever you want a top up.

Units used on boost will be charged at standard rates unless it runs into the Heatwise period. If this happens the cheaper rate will apply.


Make sure the bill we have sent is based on actual rather than estimated meter readings. Give us a call if estimates have been used. Tell us the latest readings and ask for your account to be re-billed to these.


If the billing is accurate you will almost certainly have used the electricity.


I understand you have paid the outstanding balance so your monthly payments can be kept at a lower level. However, going forward I would keep an eye on your ongoing usage by regularly checking your readings.

Make sure your payments are covering your usage so you aren't faced with a similar problem later in the year.


I would also suggest having a chat with our Energy Efficiency team. They will be able to give good advice about your storage heaters. They will also give you more general advice about ways to save money by saving energy.


Hope this is useful furry_tractor. Give me a shout if you need any more info as will be happy to help.


Malc

furry_tractor

Yea ll the readings were right and I was told by E.ON that it was because of the halogen heater. I have since started using the storage heater but I have to say it is rubbish in my opinion. It is hot to the touch but doesn't actually heat the room let alone the rest of the flat. I have spoken to the energy efficiency team and they have told me about using storage heaters so it makes more sense now, but on other ways of saving money I have no power as it is a rented flat so insulating/windows etc is down to my landlord!

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi furry_tractor

I do understand, as a tenant, you are limited to the amount of energy saving measures you can take.

However, there may be little things you can do on a daily basis to help cut down your total electricity usage. We can help with this, too.

Ask for a copy of a booklet called '100 ways to save money by saving energy.' It's free and contains lots of useful tips on how you can cut down.

Check out our website; particularly the interactive house. :cool: Lots more useful info here.

The 10:10 campaign might also be of interest. This is a climate change campaign aimed at helping customers reduce their usage by 10 per cent by the end of 2010. Again, details are on our website.

Going forward, if you register your account with our website, you will be able to see a monthly picture of how your usage is going through our Energy Tracker. I find this particularly useful in keeping a handle on my own consumption.

Hope this is useful. Let me know if you need any more info as will be happy to help.

Malc

furry_tractor

Hi again folks. Bit of advice needed relating to what has been said previously. I am looking at changing suppliers as I find the storage heaters ineffective. They do not heat the house, however using another heat source (ie halogen heaters) has caused ridiculous bills due to the different rates of at eon, these being: Normal first units at 20.02p per kwh
Normal next units at 10.05p per kwh
Standing charge at 9.16p per day
Boost at 13.04p per kwh
Afternoon at 5.81p per kwh
Night/evening at 5.81p per kwh
The last 3 are for the use of storage heaters etc. EDF have come up on uswitch saying they will do a standard rate of 6.98p per kwh with standing charge of £79.059 per year. Would this be better for our situation and what heating device would be more efficient and effective on this tarriff?
Any help would be well appreciated.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi furry_tractor

Just a quick heads up. Our Heatwise tariff is not shown on the comparison sites because it is somewhat of a hybrid product.

As I said previously, it is specifically designed for all electric properties with storage heaters. To take advantage of the off peak times, the Heatwise part of the set up will be wired into your heating/water circuits.

To compare with other suppliers, it is best to contact them individually to see what tariffs they are able to offer.

It is possible to have Heatwise replaced with a standard meter so you are able to take advantage of the range of different products available, both with us and other suppliers.

However, I always advise caution before doing this. As I said above, because Heatwise is wired into your circuitry, removing it may have implications for your heating/water. Therefore, I would always recommend an approved electrician checks out the set up before going down this route. There may be work needed to facilitate a move to a standard meter.

We would also charge £50 to replace the meter as it will be classed as a non-essential change; although I believe other suppliers might not make such a charge. Again, you would need to ask them individually.

Sorry if this appears a bit negative furry_tractor but thought it best to let you know a bit of background to Heatwise. Let me know if you need any more advice as will be happy to help.

Malc

MrsBartolozzi

Hi there Eon rep Malc.

I'm currently on Scottish Hydro's Total Heating with Total Control. Is your heatwise tariff the same thing and if so could you point me in the direction of the prices for this tariff please.
Thanks.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi MrsBartolozzi

To be honest, I know very little about this product. I have had a quick look through Google and it looks a bit similar to Heatwise.

However, I suspect, like Heatwise, there may be a certain amount of specific wiring through the heating/water circuits involved. Consequently, I would advise you to talk directly to Scottish Hydro about this tariff.

Also, tariffs like Heatwise and Total Heating with Total Control tend to only be available in the host region of the electricity provider.

For instance, Heatwise is only available in the East Midlands region. Similarly, I believe Total Heating with Total Control is only available in the North of Scotland.

If you are in the North of Scotland, you will not be able to have Heatwise. Therefore, I'm afraid there aren't any meaningful prices available in this instance.

Sorry if this is all a bit vague MrsBartolozzi but I hope I have at least given you a couple of pointers. Give me a shout if you feel I can help further as will be happy to try.

Malc