Official MSE Economy 7 Guide discussion

molerat

afmfifgh wrote: »

Can I ask why some providers are unable to use a combined Day and Night reading as surely it is exactly the same as when you have just a 'normal' meter that only has one reading? I can't understand what the issue is with this.

Thanks.

Probably because under the regulations they do not have to. As the whole industry is broken and incompetent, along with the regulator, this probably won't change any time soon until smart metering is introduced.

Ypups

I'm in a village with no gas so I've been on Economy 10 for something like 10 years now. If you're at home during the day or have storage heating or this new electric central heating it doesn't make sense to have only 7 hours of off peak electricity when you can have a meter that will give you 10. I recently did a rough estimate for a neighbour and, even with the £50 fee to install an economy 10 meter, she will still save a huge amount by having an extra 3 hours at off peak rate every day. It's a no brained.

Cardew

Ypups wrote: »

I'm in a village with no gas so I've been on Economy 10 for something like 10 years now. If you're at home during the day or have storage heating or this new electric central heating it doesn't make sense to have only 7 hours of off peak electricity when you can have a meter that will give you 10. I recently did a rough estimate for a neighbour and, even with the £50 fee to install an economy 10 meter, she will still save a huge amount by having an extra 3 hours at off peak rate every day. It's a no brained.

Welcome to the forum.


Economy 10 tariffs are not offered by the majority of energy companies; so your choice is supplier is limited and none of the comparison websites cater for E10.


Also some people have posted exactly the opposite to you in that the prices for E10 make it more expensive than an Economy 7 tariff from another company. i.e. the extra 3 hours of off-peak rates does not compensate for the higher rates for the other 21 hours.


Why not post your company/area and tariff rates.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Ypups wrote: »

I'm in a village with no gas so I've been on Economy 10 for something like 10 years now. If you're at home during the day or have storage heating or this new electric central heating it doesn't make sense to have only 7 hours of off peak electricity when you can have a meter that will give you 10. I recently did a rough estimate for a neighbour and, even with the £50 fee to install an economy 10 meter, she will still save a huge amount by having an extra 3 hours at off peak rate every day. It's a no brained.

Welcome to the forum Ypups,

Not always the case in real world as Cardew says. A 3.4kW and two 1.7kW for example is 5.1kW @ E7 low rate, no 3 hour off-peak top-up but lower prices than E10 and the ability to switch supplier. With E10 you could be loosing a lot of potential benefit for example putting in an additional 0.9 or 1.7kW would take your cheap rate pre-stored heat to almost 7kW and give you the added luxury of cheaper tariffs, no supplementary plug-in heaters needed and never any need to open the 'damper'. That's a whole lot of cheap energy security for cheap money. Best of luck Ypups.

jaybell

My current supplier is Co Op and I'm on dual tariff However I'm only using 20% of total elec consumption at night rates so asked Co Op to change tariff and/or meter, so that a cheaper daily charge and single rate can be taken advantage of.. They will change meter for £55 inc VAT. However if I wish to change from Co Op single tariff to supplier who offers single rate , my choice of supplier is limited because some of the potential single rate suppliers (esp the newest ones and those recommended on MSE) will not accept the added up (total) readings . Should I complain to OFGEM that my choice of supplier is limited ? I am advised that the central data base used for switching suppliers records the meter type I have and that this then restricts the choice.....


comments and help please

footyguy

jaybell wrote: »

My current supplier is Co Op and I'm on dual tariff However I'm only using 20% of total elec consumption at night rates so asked Co Op to change tariff and/or meter, so that a cheaper daily charge and single rate can be taken advantage of.. They will change meter for £55 inc VAT. However if I wish to change from Co Op single tariff to supplier who offers single rate , my choice of supplier is limited because some of the potential single rate suppliers (esp the newest ones and those recommended on MSE) will not accept the added up (total) readings . Should I complain to OFGEM that my choice of supplier is limited ? I am advised that the central data base used for switching suppliers records the meter type I have and that this then restricts the choice.....


comments and help please

No you should not complain to Ofgem. For a start they don't deal with individual's complaints.

If I understand you correctly, you currently have an E7 meter.
You can switch to almost any supplier as they almost all support E7.

If you want a single rate tariff, then as Co-Op say, you can get the meter switch (for which a charge may apply). To can request a change of meter either to your current supplier, or switch and request it to your new supplier. (or if you are really lucky, you might choose a new supplier that will supply you on a single rate tariff, despite you having a dual rate meter, but that is the exception, rather than the norm)

Cardew

jaybell wrote: »

My current supplier is Co Op and I'm on dual tariff However I'm only using 20% of total elec consumption at night rates so asked Co Op to change tariff and/or meter, so that a cheaper daily charge and single rate can be taken advantage of.. They will change meter for £55 inc VAT. However if I wish to change from Co Op single tariff to supplier who offers single rate , my choice of supplier is limited because some of the potential single rate suppliers (esp the newest ones and those recommended on MSE) will not accept the added up (total) readings . Should I complain to OFGEM that my choice of supplier is limited ? I am advised that the central data base used for switching suppliers records the meter type I have and that this then restricts the choice.....


comments and help please

I also have an E7 meter and gas CH.

There are several factors that limit your choice of supplier - not least their tariff charges. e.g.
Some companies offer paper bills with their tariffs, others only paperless billing; so that limits your choice of supplier.

Some companies offer monthly bills for the exact cost of supplied gas/electricity - others don't have that facility; so again your choice is limited.

Companies that do allow off-peak and peak consumption to be aggregated (e.g. BG and Eon) have made a marketing decision to offer that facility. Others have made a marketing decision not to offer that facility. It is called competition!

The remedy is to get your meter changed. However you might regret that decision in the future(or even now?) as there have been times when an Economy 7 tariff, even with zero usage during the off-peak! was cheaper than a normal 24/7 tariff i.e. the peak period(17 hours) costs were less than the 24/7 cost on the cheapest tariff, so any off-peak use was a bonus.

There have been many posts over the years about the above situation. Indeed with 20% off-peak usage for a long time an E7 tariff with Scottish Power(who do not aggregate readings) was the cheapest dual fuel tariff for me(I too live in Shropshire) by a considerable margin.

In fact for someone(in Shropshire) with the UK average dual fuel consumption, and using just 20% on off-peak(like yourself), the cheapest economy 7 tariff available is £819 and the cheapest normal(24/7) tariff is £845.

IMO you do not have grounds for complaint.

jaybell

Thanks for these responses. The standing charges are clearly affected by whether or not there is an E7 rate.
I wish to reduce standing charges and choose a single rate. My choice for this is narrowed by the suppliers who want a meter change.On my consumption ( 3000 kw per annum) , MSE's comparisons show that my supplier of choice will not accept on entry a dual meter. So where do I go from here?

Cardew

jaybell wrote: »

Thanks for these responses. The standing charges are clearly affected by whether or not there is an E7 rate.
I wish to reduce standing charges and choose a single rate. My choice for this is narrowed by the suppliers who want a meter change.On my consumption ( 3000 kw per annum) , MSE's comparisons show that my supplier of choice will not accept on entry a dual meter. So where do I go from here?

Are they 'clearly affected?


You don't state your gas consumption, but taking your electric consumption of 3,000kWh with 20% used during the off-peak period, the cheapest Economy 7 tariff for your area is £373 and another 7 Economy 7 tariffs under £387.


The cheapest non-Economy 7 tariff is £376 with another 4 tariffs under £387.


So changing your meters from Economy 7 will cost you slightly more.

cagreen13

I live alone in a 2 bedroom bungalow which is hearted by 4 storage heaters. The newest is 15 years old and the oldest probably dates back to the 60s (it's in the hall and I only turn it on if the temperature drops to 0). I've got double glazing, cavity wall and loft insulation but because of the design of the bungalow it's harder to heat than, say, a 2 storey semi detached house with fewer outside walls. Leaving energy tariff aside, I'm sure there are ways I could save money but it all involves an initial outlay and if I make the wrong decision I'll regret it. I can't afford to do anything much right now but want to weigh up options while I save. I think my options are:
1. Newer storage heaters
2. Get gas connected and join the 20th century
3. Join the 21st century and use renewable energy. I've been reading up on air heat pumps and ground heat pumps but as my home is so hard to heat I'm afraid they wouldn't generate enough.
4. Combine new storage heaters with solar panels- I've got a south facing roof. Thus making the most of solar electric during the day and cheap rates at night.
I want to work out what I'd do if money was no object then work backwards from there depending on what I can afford. It's such a big decision and whatever I chose will mean a lot of money and disruption, so I want to get it right. Obviously newer storage heaters is the easiest and cheapest solution, but would I be better saving the money and spending it instead on gas or a heat pump? My head's spinning and I'd appreciate advice.