Confused about what wiring is required for using Economy 7

Richie-from-the-Boro

Both are using timers / plumtreebabe Back Boiler & HappyMJ - non Part L - non E7 Cylinder

£200[ish] would get a full part L compliant straight swapout proper [direct] E7 spec 120ltr insulated cylinder with top [boost immersion] & bottom [E7] elements. Going this way will mean you should never need the 'boost' immersion and the Part L jacket will ensure it stays hot all day and evening.

plumtreebabe

Thanks Richie - we'll take that on board, as our hot water seems to have got 'hotter' in the last few months even though we have put the thermostat to 60, and we want to relocate it. The house was extended in 1981 which is when the last significant work was done, and not to a good spec as it was only a holiday cottage. Everything needs replacing/upgrading/removing etc!

jalexa

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

£200[ish] would get a full part L compliant straight swapout proper COLOR="Red"]direct[/COLOR E7 spec ...

I agree that might be a good upgrade, however an indirect model would be required if a back-boiler connection was wanted (as the OP stated).

grahamc2003

plumtreebabe wrote: »

hi folks,

thought I had it sussed - I've just bought 4 storage heaters from ebay, ordered Economy 7 meter from EDF, and rang electrician to install heaters on separate wiring circuit as advised in my earlier thread. I had also hadplans for using the immersion, washing machine, tumble dryer etc at the cheaper time. However, my electrician has told my husband (I wish now I'd taken the call) that any appliances intended for economy 7 including water heater and washing machine would have to be wired separately into the Economy tariff. I thought this was how it used to happen not how it happens now? Will I have to choose which tariff my sockets are wired to?

Thank you!

It could be possible that the message from the electrician got a bit garbled on the way to you, due to misunderstandings.

Are you sure your electrician wasn't simply saying that each storage heater has to go on a separate circuit? (which is the case), and not all on just one new circuit as your post seems to say?

For a retrofit, the standard e7 meter will simply record all use in the day at day rates, and all use at night at night rates, and additionally switch on the extra ciruits (in your case the storage heater circuits) at night. Your current water heater would keep on its existing ciruit, therefore available all the time, but if you wanted a new e7 compliant tank, you'd have a new cirucit only on at night to drive a new immersion (at the bottom of the new tank), and your existing immersion circuit would stay as it is, driving your existing immersion situated at the top of the tank, whenever you wanted.

Make sure you go on a real e7 tariff, and not any other type of cheap rate tariff, where the description above will not apply.

Are you certain you can get any electrician to fit your meter? I would have thought it would have to be done via your supplier who would instruct the meter operator who may use their own electrician or instruct a subbie on their books. I'm not certain of that though.

plumtreebabe

Thank you Graham; EDF is supplying and fitting the E7 meter, and it will be running on their E7 tariff within the current fixed rate that I'm on now; around 19p daily charge, 16p unit for day rate and 5.54p for night time rate. I will show OH the comments posted on here tonight and see what he thinks the electrician said in light of this. In any case the meter is being fitted in advance of the storage heaters so the EDF man will know what's what!

As for the back boiler, I think we will investigate getting it plumbed to a radiator/towel rail in the bathroom, as there is awful condensation in there, but if it supplies too much hot water am I right thinking it will have to be put into a separate holding tank or something like that?

verydeeppockets

Your plumber will advise, but any solid fuel appliance needs a correctly sized heatdump, to dump excess heat to - usually a rad. Your bathroom towel rail may not be large enough to dump the boilers energy when the water cylinder is fully heated - this depends on the rating or output of the stove - so you might need something bigger - a big rad upstairs somewhere as well as the bathroom rail. Free heating either way!