Official MSE Economy 7 Guide discussion

OLDFLYBYNIGHT

Thanks k66 but it didn't work on the tumble dryer, and we did try 2 different timer switches with over-rides.
However, later toady we're going to pull out the washing machine, plug in an extension lead, and try the timers on that. If it works, we'll need to do a bit of re-modelling the kitchen, but hope/expect that sufficient savings will be made to replace these appliances with ones with in-built timers.
What would be useful would be a nice looking timer socket (with over-ride) that we could use that looked like a normal surface mounted double socket. Then 'new builds' could incorporate one or two of them in utility rooms and / or kitchens where appliances are built in... though that's only a solution if the appliance will cope with it, like your's k66.
We're going to contact the manufacturer too, and ask them what we can do (maybe we should have done that earlier!!!!). Will advise when they respond. Thanks again.

k66

OLDFLYBYNIGHT wrote: »

Thanks k66 but it didn't work on the tumble dryer, and we did try 2 different timer switches with over-rides.
However, later toady we're going to pull out the washing machine, plug in an extension lead, and try the timers on that. If it works, we'll need to do a bit of re-modelling the kitchen, but hope/expect that sufficient savings will be made to replace these appliances with ones with in-built timers.
What would be useful would be a nice looking timer socket (with over-ride) that we could use that looked like a normal surface mounted double socket. Then 'new builds' could incorporate one or two of them in utility rooms and / or kitchens where appliances are built in... though that's only a solution if the appliance will cope with it, like your's k66.
We're going to contact the manufacturer too, and ask them what we can do (maybe we should have done that earlier!!!!). Will advise when they respond. Thanks again.

Be careful that the extension lead is not overloaded, also I would stagger when the machines come on. I have an additional smoke detector in the room just in case.

petejay

I am moving to an apartment with storage heaters and Economy 7.

Regarding the freezer. If I were to turn it off for 4 hours in the evening and power up when E7 kicks in would there be a saving in overall energy?

Has anyone out there tried it?

Cardew

petejay wrote: »

I am moving to an apartment with storage heaters and Economy 7.

Regarding the freezer. If I were to turn it off for 4 hours in the evening and power up when E7 kicks in would there be a saving in overall energy?

Has anyone out there tried it?

I assume you mean 'saving in cost'? by increasing the percentage of electricity consumed at off-peak rates?

A couple of people on MSE have tried similar experiments with the freezer on a timer.


It will save a couple of pence I suppose- hardly seems worth the bother!

John_Pierpoint

It probably depends on how old your freezer is and how well insulated it is.
There was a flurry of excitement two or three years ago, when an electricity supplier offered free freezers on here for those prepared to plug the new freezer into the internet.
The country could save a fortune if it could switch off customers' equipment remotely to smooth the evening peak at about 18:00 [The offices and factories and railways are still working flat out , while many homes are cooking the evening meals.]

I have an "OWL", so I know what my aged freezer draws, you might want to beg, borrow or steal one of those relatively cheap plugs that can be inserted between the freezer's plug and the socket and monitor what you are actually using night and day for a few days, especially in the summer.
A freezer thermometer would be useful too.

Beware - you only have to c0ck it up once, when re adjusting from winter to summer for example and you will write off 5 years of savings in ruined food.

I have had two near misses: "You can eat that ice cream if you want, I am not going to risk it, it looks half melted"

[Now instal PV panels like me and make the choice between half price electricity during the night or completely free (perhaps) electricity during the hours of sunlight tomorrow. Decisions decisions;)]

lazyhead

geoff_s---r wrote: »

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.

I can't comment on differences between supplier, but the economy 7 times do vary by area. Check out npower's map by googling for "npower economy seven times" (I can't post links as a newbie)

With regard to solar we use economy 7 with solar and it works out marginally cheaper. It is a bit of a faff though, if the weather forecast is good we set appliances to run during the peak generating time and if it's poor we run them first thing in the morning before going to work.

Amberbarnett

Ok, so here goes!,

We moved into an all electricity 3 bedroom bungalow in November 2013, it has storage heaters and on economy 7. It also has photovoltaics on the roof.

So when we moved in we were told that the revenue from the solar panels goes to the landlord but as tenants we get cheaper electricity bills, this I'd also written in our tenancy agreement.

However I have just received a bill for £1300 for 5 months usage up to 1st April. so I ring Southern Electricity who tell me were are using too much on the day rate and to put everything on timers including the hot water tank so that they come on at the cheap rate. They recommend we have a prepayment meter to repay the debt and work out our monthly usage to be £260!!

So off we go to the letting agents who manage the property for the landlord, mainly due to the lack of cheap electricity as promised, so they send an independent electrician out to check everything ok........

Only it turns out that A. 3 wires connected to the meter are melting and now we are sat waiting for an emergency engineer to come out to resolve and we have had to turn everything off in case of fire and B. Turns out that the only thing connected to the off peak is the storage heaters!!!

We have 2 fuse boxes 1 for the whole house and the 2nd for the heaters, turns out the off peak wire from the meter is only connected to the heater fuse box and not the other, so my day to day electricity usage is all being charged at the higher rate if 15p per unit 24 hours a day. Ouch!!

So the landlord not only has to have this rewired, but compensate for the cheap elec bills as promised!!

However I think that the Southern have a hand in this as I provided meter readings back in February and they didn't send a bill, despite me requesting the bill they just told me it had a billing exception and would be sent shortly. So had they of sent me a bill 6 weeks ago this could of been sorted and would of taken £390 off the bill!!

So any thoughts xa to how I go about this would be gratefully received!!
Thanks

wizzywig27

I recently moved into a 3 bedroom house which is GCH, but electricity for cooking (shower is also taken from hot water tank).

When I rang E.On (current provider) I was told I could go on to standard tariff (asked if this was a permanent irreversible switch and she said no), so no idea if they were planning on changing the meter, but it suspect from previous posts they would just combine the two meter readings.

My question is, I wouldn't mind going onto single rate, however I have just signed up to move to flow energy, does anyone know if they will combine the two readings? I don't really want to ask my landlord if I can switch the meter, but in all honesty we just aren't using the electricity overnight.

I was checking prices on flow website, and although electricity is slightly cheaper during the day, the standing charge is 14p more expensive per day.

We currently pay £75 per month to E.On (estimation the the moment) so no idea how much I should be paying yet, however when we enter details of my house into flow website it estimates we use £2000 a year in gas and electricity and they can save us roughly £450!!!

MrsCD

We're with Utility Warehouse on Economy 7. We have 2 accounts - 1st one says Day Reading and Night Reading, and the 2nd one says Customer's Meter Reading. We're paying £170 per month by DD, but have been racking up a small debit this year since they put the price up. I rang today and they've agreed to put my monthly payment up to £185 to clear off the deficit.
When I look on comparison sites for electricity only/economy 7, I'm told that I can save £400+ per year. However, I asked M&S electricity when they were in my local store, and they said they don't do economy 7!
Any suggestions, or do you think this is an average amount to pay?
We do sometimes put the washer on through the night, but mostly we use it during the day. Our water is heated at night, and we have storage heaters which we turn off completely from May until the weather gets colder, i.e. September-ish.

luvchocolate

I am with m and s on economy 7 have been for 2 years, give them a call...I have been happy with their customer services, and I got a refund of credit built up within 3 days no problem.