Twin Rate electric (E7 type) savings

Economy_2

Hi All!

I have one year ago switched to a white meter, which is a twin rate meter, and have lowered my electric bill by £20. £240 a year!

It's not a process for the faint hearted, but if you can put, they say, around 1/3 of your electricity use on the night time tariff, you should save money. I manage just over 50%, which is unusually good but it's achievable. Even if you're in all day, as I am.

My cheap rate (00h30 - 07h30 BST) is around 6p a unit, while my 'daytime' rate is more like 25p. You're paying around 12p a unit flat rate normally.

I have the D/W and the washing machine on their own timers to go off during the cheap period (the D/W warms the kitchen nicely first thing, too). I charge the lappy on a timer, I dry washing on a heated drying rack on the cheap rate and heat the house in the mornings on a timer on an oil filled radiator too. We have early showers!

During the expensive time:

Cooking, I have a small combi microwave oven that's cheaper to use than the big oven. I use a slow cooker a lot, and pressure cook a lot, and to make pasta I just bring the water to the boil, drop the pasta in, take it off the heat and jam a lid on. Done in 10 mins. Time to make the sauce on the hot ring. I cook veg in the steamer, all on one heat ring, with the spuds or rice below.

An LCD telly is on most of the day, Sky box and internet modem. Just like any other house, I guess. It's cutting the daytime use down that's as important as shoving as much as poss. onto the night time rate.

I don't have E7, as I don't have storage heaters, btw. Not the same thing.

My bill went from £66 with Scottish Power to £44, just now. With a big fat rebate incoming! The meter was free, and is easy to use.

You do have to be a bit retentive but it does save money and also increases your sustainability. You become much more aware of how much energy you use during the day, which could never be a bad thing.

I'm moving soon to a house with GCH and hot water (oh, the joy! Not had hot water (bar a shower that fills the bath soooo slowly and the bathroom sink ably) at the taps for four years and will switch to a twin rate meter there too, even with a combi using lekky during the da, with a better than 50% night rate, there's movement there for me to still save. And it's a MUCH bigger house, but still, we're used to it being cool (currently heat the whole house with a gas bottle heater, £50 a month max)

Worth thinking about? Just about everything can be put on a cheap, easy to set, timer. Argos and other such sell them for not a lot in three packs.

HappyMJ

Economy wrote: »

Hi All!

I have one year ago switched to a white meter, which is a twin rate meter, and have lowered my electric bill by £20. £240 a year!

It's not a process for the faint hearted, but if you can put, they say, around 1/3 of your electricity use on the night time tariff, you should save money. I manage just over 50%, which is unusually good but it's achievable. Even if you're in all day, as I am.

My cheap rate (00h30 - 07h30 BST) is around 6p a unit, while my 'daytime' rate is more like 25p. You're paying around 12p a unit flat rate normally.

I have the D/W and the washing machine on their own timers to go off during the cheap period (the D/W warms the kitchen nicely first thing, too). I charge the lappy on a timer, I dry washing on a heated drying rack on the cheap rate and heat the house in the mornings on a timer on an oil filled radiator too. We have early showers!

During the expensive time:

Cooking, I have a small combi microwave oven that's cheaper to use than the big oven. I use a slow cooker a lot, and pressure cook a lot, and to make pasta I just bring the water to the boil, drop the pasta in, take it off the heat and jam a lid on. Done in 10 mins. Time to make the sauce on the hot ring. I cook veg in the steamer, all on one heat ring, with the spuds or rice below.

An LCD telly is on most of the day, Sky box and internet modem. Just like any other house, I guess. It's cutting the daytime use down that's as important as shoving as much as poss. onto the night time rate.

I don't have E7, as I don't have storage heaters, btw. Not the same thing.

My bill went from £66 with Scottish Power to £44, just now. With a big fat rebate incoming! The meter was free, and is easy to use.

You do have to be a bit retentive but it does save money and also increases your sustainability. You become much more aware of how much energy you use during the day, which could never be a bad thing.

I'm moving soon to a house with GCH and hot water (oh, the joy! Not had hot water (bar a shower that fills the bath soooo slowly and the bathroom sink ably) at the taps for four years and will switch to a twin rate meter there too, even with a combi using lekky during the da, with a better than 50% night rate, there's movement there for me to still save. And it's a MUCH bigger house, but still, we're used to it being cool (currently heat the whole house with a gas bottle heater, £50 a month max)

Worth thinking about? Just about everything can be put on a cheap, easy to set, timer. Argos and other such sell them for not a lot in three packs.

You have E7. What is the difference? E7 is 7 cheap hours at night somewhere between midnight and 8am. Only the first 2kWh per day or thereabouts are charged at 25 pence per kWh the rest are much lower.

How much do you use at the night rate and how much during the day rate?