Electric Wet Central Heating - Choices!

njdsap

Hey all,

I would love for some opinions on what me and my partner should do.

In short - we moved into rented accommodation (2bed house in terrace) and found that the Heatrae Sadia Electromax combi boiler (hot water and central heating) is wired up for off peak electricity however the meter that was installed is a standard rate one..

Atm we flick a switch to use a booster that heats 1/3 of the hot water tank over an hour (as it is not being done during off peak hours since there is no off peak service coming in).

Come winter though, the central heating will require switching on..

Would you stay on a standard tariff, switch to economy 7 and use dishwasher/washing machine etc over night (central heating obviously no use) or switch to economy 10 - knowing that there is no competition in that market and it will take 2 months to get sorted?!

molerat

Staying on standard is a big no. E10 is possibly a better system for an electric combi to give you some heating in the evening. How is it wired up, are there 2 sets of tails wired into a junction box, you may need an electrician in to correctly wire the heating into an E7 or E10 system.

njdsap

What I might do is phone up the energyhelpline and see what suppliers run economy10. The obvious being that economy7 wouldnt provide me with any heating as it appears it stores hot water however it is on demand for central heating (:mad:).

[STRIKE]Photos should be attached of the wiring for meter and for the boiler[/STRIKE]

Not allowed to post links as new user.. doh!

njdsap

Try going to (first two pictures):

s42.photobucket.com/albums/e347/faze_932/mobile/

Terrylw1

Are you aware that E10 exists under many guises e.g. Heatwise, Warmwise, etc?

Of the E10 category, they split into 2 types:

- E10 single MPAN Day/Night rate. These are the same as E7 other than the pattern of hours. Also, these E10's have been available in every region for a long time so switching will be easier.

- E10 dual MPAN Day/Night/Heat rate. These are the more complex regional based ones that include the 2 guises mentioned above. These require an additional MPAN so there is admin time between the supplier and the distributor. 2 months though is inaccurate. Its far quicker than this and its your suppler that would be causing delays in set up as the distributor end is done in a matter of days. Supplier backlogs basically. These are harder to switch as not all suppliers want them despite the fact their licence ensures they can register them,

Both are likely not to qualify for the varied products suppliers offer as they are classes as non standard.

So, if you want to go E10, you could consider if the first options is better. It would be in place within 10 working days as only a meter change is needed as long a you are wired or E7. Changing back to E7 is just a meter change, hence there is some flexibility.

With the 2nd option, converting is more complicated and requires rewiring at your end.

Another thing to consider is the OP element. With single MPAN E10, you get all power in the off peak time at off peak rate. With dual MPAN E10, you don't and your off peak times could be less than 10 hours (often 5 hours) because your heating is wired desperately to the Heat rate.

You also need to consider the fact one has 2 rates, the other 3...and such as Warmwise have 4 as it includes a 2 tier heat due to a 4th register.