High usage - help!

grahamc2003

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

Not being evasive, my hubby got him from yellow pages. I didn't deal with it.

Can't be evasive as I know nothing about it! I just did as I was told:o Only problem so far has been miscommunication and my lack of knowledge of the intricacies of electrics.

That's not the only probelm I'm afraid.

Forgetting about the lack of knowledge of how you get your water heated ( ... that is likely to be costing you a lot), and the rather strange decision to replace storage heaters with full price heaters without realising the implications (... which are they'll cost you much more to heat your house typically), there is quite a confusing problem with the electriciam you used. These days, they are regulated to death, and it's strange that you can get one (qualified) to come and unseal and tamper with a meter belonging to someone else, let alone steal it!. What the hell did he do with the wiring connected to it? The reason for the regulations are safety and also these days systems are interconnected - and this is the crux of your problem with your supplier not switching you off e7. If you wanted to come off e7 and have your meter removed, then your supplier should have contacted your meter operator to do the work. The meter operator would then inform (electronically I expect) the supplier that the meter has gone and that you should be put on a different non-e7 tariff (from a certain date, with a certain night termination rate meter reading). Trying to bypass that system and the notifications flying around between various computers leads to the problem changing tariffs imv. It may simply be the supplier needs a final meter reading from the meter operator (or his agent).

There was no need to have your night rate meter removed anyhow - why did you want it removing? It would have been easy to switch to e7 had you not done so imv.

If I were you, I'd try to get an uptodate bill (not statement or estimated bill) by phoning in two meter readings, a day rate (read off your meter) and a night rate (using the termination reading) and see what happens. And a timer on my immersion heater. And look into getting a non-peak rate heating system installed.

gunsandbanjos

I gave them the final meter reading in September. I asked if they needed anything else and they said no that was fine.

HappyMJ

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

I gave them the final meter reading in September. I asked if they needed anything else and they said no that was fine.

So what are you going to do? We have worked out your usage is quite reasonable and it costs you £125 per month. Are you going to install off peak electric space and water heating or continue to use peak rate electric heating and paying £125 a month for it. Can you use gas for heating or would the cost of installation and maintenance be too high?

gunsandbanjos

HappyMJ wrote: »

So what are you going to do? We have worked out your usage is quite reasonable and it costs you £125 per month. Are you going to install off peak electric space and water heating or continue to use peak rate electric heating and paying £125 a month for it. Can you use gas for heating or would the cost of installation and maintenance be too high?

First thing: switch suppliers should be done this week
Second thing: look at water heating, see if we can fit a timer. Just about to go and drag daughters bed out the way to get in cupboard and see whats what. The heaters don't bother me, they are only on for maybe 3 months per year.

No gas in entire building so that is not a feasible option unfortunately.

jalexa

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

Just about to go and drag daughters bed out the way to get in cupboard and see whats what.

Look in the cupboard for a switch which appears to be connected by cable to the cylinder. It may have a red neon on. If so switching it off will *probably* switch off the water heating, in which case until you have decided how, where and if to fit a timer you could manually control your water heating.

Does the kitchen "boost" control have a On/Off switch as well as a " boost" control? If so switching Off *may* switch the water heating off. (Obviously I don't know how the dodgy electrician transferred the supply).

Regarding switching supplier, my strong advice is not to attempt to switch until Scottish Power has resolved the metering registration.

gunsandbanjos

jalexa wrote: »

Look in the cupboard for a switch which appears to be connected by cable to the cylinder. It may have a red neon on. If so switching it off will *probably* switch off the water heating, in which case until you have decided how, where and if to fit a timer you could manually control your water heating.

Does the kitchen "boost" control have a On/Off switch as well as a " boost" control? If so switching Off *may* switch the water heating off. (Obviously I don't know how the dodgy electrician transferred the supply).

Regarding switching supplier, my strong advice is not to attempt to switch until Scottish Power has resolved the metering registration.

Thanks. Will look now.

Boost doesn't have on off, just a start and a cancel button.

gunsandbanjos

jalexa wrote: »

Open forums cut more than one way. Your "Yellow pages" electrician has stolen someone elses property and given a particularly uninformed client p*ss poor advice about the consequences of transferring the water heating from a restricted supply to an unrestricted supply.

I believe the electrician's accreditation is questionable and in an open forum there is a learning experience there for others.

I understand that now thank you. However I don't know who he is so can't go back and speak to him.

HappyMJ

As you are willing to pay the same rate for all your electric you may as well leave the immersion heater on 24/7 and turn the water temperature down to the lowest setting of 50C to 60C. Once the cylinder has reached the temperature the immersion will turn off and not come back on again until the temperature of the water falls which in a well lagged tank will take quite a while. The cost and the benefit difference is minimal compared to timing the water and risking running out. As the temperature if the water is at the lowest setting it will also be much safer as temperatures above 60C can be dangerous but are required in an E7 system to prevent the water running out as more cold water is used to reduce the temperature keeping more hot water in the cylinder to use later in the day.

jalexa

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

Boost doesn't have on off, just a start and a cancel button.

OK, I know the general type. In that case the boost button *may* be connected to a top element on the cylinder. Without the main water heating a 1hr boost will be fine for sinks but not enough for a bath. Does it light up when you press boost?

gunsandbanjos

jalexa wrote: »

OK, I know the general type. In that case the boost button *may* be connected to a top element on the cylinder. Without the main water heating a 1hr boost will be fine for sinks but not enough for a bath. Does it light up when you press boost?

Yes, a little red light comes on when I press start and disappears when I cancel.