Economy 7 electricity consumption

lou031205

HI

I am an economy 7 user. I have just phoned Lloyds TSB Ideal, and asked for my annual consumption:

12596 KWh!

4388 day rate
8303 night rate.

No wonder we are in arrears!

I asked for last meter reading: 10/10/2006 - 773 day rate, 1370 night rate
Today's meter reading stands at: 1904 day rate, 2059 night rate.

So, in 9 weeks, we've used 1131 KWh day rate, and 689 night rate
We live in a 3 bed mid terrace 1970's.

Usual appliances: Washing machine, tumble dryer, tv, video, dvd player, oven, microwave, but not anything out of the ordinary.

We have one of those old central brick-filled storage heaters, which rely on convection to heat the entire house.

Any ideas?

irnbru_2

lou031205 wrote:

Any ideas?

Your day rate sounds huge, nigh on 3 times what I've used in the same period.

Do you have an analogue or digital meter?

I'd check your hot-water heater isn't on during the non-E7 period.

Bernie

We've been a long time user of Economy 7 (or White Meter) since our first home that used storage heaters many, many moons ago.

When in the military, we had a succession of homes and had a white meter fitted whenever there was not one - indeed, having just bought our own home recently, we've had one fitted here too. A white meter is fitted for no charge - it is free, just ask your power supplier to install one.

What for? Our washing machine and dishwasher go on every night in the magic 7 hour cheap rate. The cost is one fifth of the day rate. Each morning, we unload the machines, the washing goes out to dry and all the clean dishes and stuff gets put away.

We use a plain old mechanical time-switches to work the machines (you need to have machines with plain old mechanical on/off power switches rather than the electronic ones).

In our last home, there was only a single drain pipe into which I stuffed both waste hoses. The time switches were set to ensure that the machines work out-of-synch to ensure both didn't pump out at the same time.

This has probably saved us a fortune over the decades we've been doing this.

Cardew

Well for a start 10/10/06 to date is not 9 weeks. By my calculations it is less than 8 weeks!

Secondly why do you feel 12596 KWh pa(4388 day rate
8303 night rate) is high for someone on storage heating?

The average cost of gas/electricity for a household is in the region of £1,000 pa and yours should be less than that figure.

Cardew

Bernie wrote:

We've been a long time user of Economy 7 (or White Meter) since our first home that used storage heaters many, many moons ago.

When in the military, we had a succession of homes and had a white meter fitted whenever there was not one - indeed, having just bought our own home recently, we've had one fitted here too. A white meter is fitted for no charge - it is free, just ask your power supplier to install one.

What for? Our washing machine and dishwasher go on every night in the magic 7 hour cheap rate. The cost is one fifth of the day rate. Each morning, we unload the machines, the washing goes out to dry and all the clean dishes and stuff gets put away.

We use a plain old mechanical time-switches to work the machines (you need to have machines with plain old mechanical on/off power switches rather than the electronic ones).

In our last home, there was only a single drain pipe into which I stuffed both waste hoses. The time switches were set to ensure that the machines work out-of-synch to ensure both didn't pump out at the same time.

This has probably saved us a fortune over the decades we've been doing this.

Bearing in mind that you pay more for daytime electricity on Economy 7(white meter) than a normal tariff, it is not easy to make Economy 7 save money unless you have storage heating. It can be done but it is marginal.

I doubt your night rate electricity is one fifth of the daytime 'normal' tariff. Perhaps you would give us some more details - don't just take the price of the first 225 kWh per quarter.

paul_h

Cardew's right - 12500 kWh per annum doesn't sound too far out for partial storage heating.

However, you recent daytime using is much higher pro-rata than the annual figure you have given. Any reason for the big increase in daytime usage?

chas1937

I have storage heaters,2 downstairs and 1 up at top of stairs.Just checked my yearly consumption and its 13044 econ 7 and 1580 day rate.Thats 2 bed,mid terrace with just myself in it.Has anyone got idea what percentage I,m using for econ 7 as thats asked for in comparison sites

martinbuckley

chas1937 wrote:

I have storage heaters,2 downstairs and 1 up at top of stairs.Just checked my yearly consumption and its 13044 econ 7 and 1580 day rate.Thats 2 bed,mid terrace with just myself in it.Has anyone got idea what percentage I,m using for econ 7 as thats asked for in comparison sites

13044+1580=14624

13044/14624 = 89%

Usage is therefore 89% night rate and 11% day rate. A very good ratio and one I wish I could get even half-way to!:T

Xbigman

martinbuckley wrote:

13044+1580=14624

13044/14624 = 89%

Usage is therefore 89% night rate and 11% day rate. A very good ratio and one I wish I could get even half-way to!:T

Which makes me think there is an estimated reading mucking up the calculations somewhere. The op should start monthly meter readings to monitor consumption. Maybe in the first month write them down daily.
Thats the only way to really know.

If thats too much then dig up the old bills and find two that are actual readings and do the usage calculation again. If you can find 2 that are about a year apart that would be best.
Regards


X

chas1937

These readings are actual readings as I have been taking them weekly for past year so from 5/12/2005 till 5/12/2006 that is the correct readings with no estimates along the way

lou031205

I thought my consumption was really high because the national average is about 4,000 kwh, and the report stated that it was highest in the regions that had no gas, and their consumption was approx 6,000. Mine is 12,596.

I definitely do not have my water heater on day rate. I am just desperate to get our fuel bill down, but don't know how.