E.ON E10 EnergyPlan 8

winelight

I'm currently on Economy 10 and I'm wondering whether I would be better off on Economy 7. The unit cost overnight is much lower on that plan.

Yes I understand that the storage heaters and water heater are directly wired into the "low rate" circuit. What I don't know is whether Economy 7 meters work the same way. Do they have two output circuits?

I can see the benefits of Economy 10 are that I can run washing machine, dryer, dishwasher in the "low rate" afternoon or evening periods (yes, I have installed an indicator neon so I know when low rate is active) so there should be very little left at full rate. My understanding (at least this was what I was told 12 years ago when it was installed) is that during low rate periods all electricity on both circuits is charged at the low rate. I wonder however whether this is actually true.

However obviously on Economy 7 the cost for the heating and water heating is much lower than on Economy 10.

Any advice appreciated - thanks in advance.

Wywth

winelight wrote: »

I'm currently on Economy 10 and I'm wondering whether I would be better off on Economy 7. The unit cost overnight is much lower on that plan.

Yes I understand that the storage heaters and water heater are directly wired into the "low rate" circuit. What I don't know is whether Economy 7 meters work the same way. Do they have two output circuits?

I can see the benefits of Economy 10 are that I can run washing machine, dryer, dishwasher in the "low rate" afternoon or evening periods (yes, I have installed an indicator neon so I know when low rate is active) so there should be very little left at full rate. My understanding (at least this was what I was told 12 years ago when it was installed) is that during low rate periods all electricity on both circuits is charged at the low rate. I wonder however whether this is actually true.

However obviously on Economy 7 the cost for the heating and water heating is much lower than on Economy 10.

Any advice appreciated - thanks in advance.

You need to do the sums, including the possible cost of meter changes, possible installation changes (i.e. wiring) and even possible appliances, but on the face of it, the loss of cheap rate electricity for 3 hours per day doesn't sound like a saving.

winelight

I see what you're saying, but if 7 hours is enough to charge the storage heaters, then on economy 7 I'm paying about 4.5p per unit to heat the house instead of 7.5.

That's going to make a big difference - as you say I'd need to do the sums but there are probably too many unknowns.

I may carry on this winter with E10 but see if I can manage what I use when better (or at all).

Appliance changes aren't really an issue - I could swap the storage heaters for nothing (people would even pay you to dismantle theirs and take them away).

Wywth

winelight wrote: »

I see what you're saying, but if 7 hours is enough to charge the storage heaters, then on economy 7 I'm paying about 4.5p per unit to heat the house instead of 7.5.

That's going to make a big difference - as you say I'd need to do the sums but there are probably too many unknowns.

I may carry on this winter with E10 but see if I can manage what I use when better (or at all).

Appliance changes aren't really an issue - I could swap the storage heaters for nothing (people would even pay you to dismantle theirs and take them away).

Which current E7 tariff from Eon (or any other supplier) and what supply region only costs 4.5p per unit on the low rate?

5.5p - 6.0p is about the lowest I'm aware of (and that may be higher depending on region)

winelight

Wywth wrote: »

Which current E7 tariff from Eon (or any other supplier) and what supply region only costs 4.5p per unit on the low rate?

5.5p - 6.0p is about the lowest I'm aware of (and that may be higher depending on region)

I just checked - it's actually 4.25p. Plus VAT at 5% so that's 4.5p or so I think?
Utility Warehouse (Eastern region)

Wywth

winelight wrote: »

I just checked - it's actually 4.25p. Plus VAT at 5% so that's 4.5p or so I think?
Utility Warehouse (Eastern region)

Don't forget to add their annual membership fee too.;)

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2473547

How does their 17.869 p day rate (in conjuction with a £56.70 per year standing charge) compare to your current day rates?

winelight

Current rates are actually:

Standing charge 27.174p per day (£100 per year but then I get a £20 no mains gas discount)
Day rate 15.698p
Night 8.211p

Wywth

I understand the Eon E10 allows for 3 periods per day of low cost energy.

It varies by location but typically it provides 5 hours at midnight, 3 hours around noon, and 2 hours in the evening (from about 7pm).
This allows for topping up of things like hot water and storage heaters - a common complaint for those that have E7

So for 5 hours per day you prefer to pay 17.869p per unit rather than just 8.211p you currently pay.

In exchange you will get 7 hours all together (from about midnight) for 4.5p instead of 5 hours at 8.211p..

And for all the other hours you'll be paying over 2p extra per unit.

As I said you need to do your sums, but at first sight, it doesn't like much of a moneysaving exercise to me

macman

Having E10 greatly limits your switching options for the future.

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Hi winelight and thanks to the other guys for posting info.

Just a little bit of E10 info for you.

E.ON currently only offer one tariff for E10 and this is the tariff you have to be billed on if you have this meter set up.

If you wanted to change to a more standard metering set up, we would always recommend getting the advice from an electrician as the wiring in to the meter would need to be changed along with an actual meter change, (this would be chargeable).

Economy 10 meters give 10 hours per day of cheaper cost electricity for water and central heating requirements over three separate periods.

As such, they're wired directly into the water/heating circuits at properties. Consequently, replacing the meter may have implications for the water and heating.

We actually have a consumption department at E.ON who would be able to help you through the calculations.

macman also makes a very good point, in that you do have far more tariff options with E7.

I think having a word with consumption and getting your usage in kWh is the best place to start, but let me know if I can be of further help.

Helena

winelight

Thanks to everyone who's posted. Doing the sums is difficult but on the surface I do seem to have used a lot of electricity that isn't storage heating (or water heating) but that I have got at the lower rate. In other words on the main house circuits during the E10 hours.

I think I'll give it a go this winter trying to organise heavy usage of electricity during the E10 hours as it seems this does benefit from the lower rate (my bill shows three totals, normal (day rate), cheap (night rate) and heating. Also I will ring E.On because at least I can change to direct debit which should save a few %, even if other tariff options are limited.

I used to have direct debit but the amount was set much too high and I built up over £1K credit. I wonder if the DD amount can be managed online these days, although I somewhat doubt it.