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Official MSE Economy 7 Guide discussion

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Economy 7 Guide


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Thanks folks,
Marcel
«13456767

Comments

  • We did contact our supplier last year as we were concerned that we were not getting value for money from our E7 system ( we don't have storage heaters) the company assured us that while we were no longer making a great saving it was not costing us more and there was a cost to replace it which would make it uneconomical to change. Is it true there is a charge and any idea how much. We now have photovoltaics on the roof so need to look again.
  • We have Economy 7 with two night storage radiators which we only use when it is very very cold. I asked to change to a standard tariff some years ago and was told that we would have to have the storage radiators removed in order to do this. Is this correct?
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,048 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Rampant Recycler
    Mf1051 wrote: »
    We have Economy 7 with two night storage radiators which we only use when it is very very cold. I asked to change to a standard tariff some years ago and was told that we would have to have the storage radiators removed in order to do this. Is this correct?
    Welcome to the forum.

    What type of tariff you have is YOUR choice.

    However with storage heaters and presumably heating water overnight with an immersion heater, it is pretty certain that you will be better off with an E7 tariff.

    You need to check your annual consumption in kWh and find out how much you used at off-peak rates and how much on day-time rates.

    If you post that here with your company, tariff and area where you live, we can tell you if E7 is best or not.
  • We were told by Eon to turn the heaters right down if you know you are not going to be using that room for a while ie going to work or school. The bedrooms don't need full heat during the day when there's no-one in them, and turn it back up nearer to bedtime or as soon as you come home from work, therefore the heat stays in the heaters for longer and you'll still have heat in the room at the end of the day. If you leave them at the same temp all day the heat will have gone out of the bricks by tea time and the room will be cold!
  • I'd disagree with you saying "the times are dependent on supplier". I've had several supplier, but the time is dependent on my meter which runs on a very good deal; 23:30-01:30 & 3:30 to 8:30 in summer & 22:30-00:30 & 2:30-7:30 winter.

    Also worth mentioning is Economy 7 with solar displays which means less power needs be purchased during the day. Big power stuff like washing machines and dishwashers are too much for the solar output & are still mostly cheaper to run at night on economy 7.
  • lstar337
    lstar337 Posts: 3,442 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    We were told by Eon to turn the heaters right down if you know you are not going to be using that room for a while ie going to work or school. The bedrooms don't need full heat during the day when there's no-one in them, and turn it back up nearer to bedtime or as soon as you come home from work, therefore the heat stays in the heaters for longer and you'll still have heat in the room at the end of the day. If you leave them at the same temp all day the heat will have gone out of the bricks by tea time and the room will be cold!
    If they are talking about the output damper, then it should always be closed, unless you need a little boost of heat at any point.

    If you are using the damper at any point other than early evening, then your heaters are most likely undersized for your space.

    The input control is not intended to be adjusted during the day at all, just set it at night ready for the next charge.
  • lstar337
    lstar337 Posts: 3,442 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Mf1051 wrote: »
    We have Economy 7 with two night storage radiators which we only use when it is very very cold. I asked to change to a standard tariff some years ago and was told that we would have to have the storage radiators removed in order to do this. Is this correct?
    You wouldn't have to get them removed, but you would most likely have to have the re-wired, or not use them ever again. They are usually wired into a switched supply on the meter, which wouldn't exist on a single rate meter.

    They would would be incredibly expensive to run on a flat rate tariff.
  • I worked out that i would save about £100 a year by switching to Normal over economy 7 as I don't have storage heaters and all it does at night is heat the water. The main usage is between 6pm and 12pm.

    OVO said I would need a new meter installing and would cost me £130 to get it installed so I never did it but every year im thinking I should do it but they said no mater which supllier i went with it would need to have the meter replaced.

    They said I would also would need to get a timer in stalled separately on the hot water system.

    More worried if my calculations are wrong it would be a very costly mistake :-(
  • lstar337
    lstar337 Posts: 3,442 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 18 September 2013 at 9:29AM
    No question as to whether E7 is best for us!

    shbt.th.jpg

    That is for April to 18th of September.

    58% E7 rate used for the summer months, that will begin to skyrocket when winter sets in. :D

    Our saving over single rate so far is £96.47.
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I worked out that i would save about £100 a year by switching to Normal over economy 7 as I don't have storage heaters and all it does at night is heat the water. The main usage is between 6pm and 12pm.

    OVO said I would need a new meter installing and would cost me £130 to get it installed so I never did it but every year im thinking I should do it but they said no mater which supllier i went with it would need to have the meter replaced.

    They said I would also would need to get a timer in stalled separately on the hot water system.

    More worried if my calculations are wrong it would be a very costly mistake :-(
    £100 is a big saving...how much do you use on the day rate and the night rate? What are you currently paying per unit on each rate? Which region are you in? What do you use for heating?
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
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