Switched to Credit meter from Pre-payment

vicki84

Hi

I would appreciate any help I have just switched to a credit meter from prepayment. The previous owner had the prepayment meter I decided to change due to having a disability it is easier to pay by direct debit then having to make my way to shop etc to put on credit.

I have found that a storage heater and heating my water up at night is using the most electricity. I will switch the heater off tonight and see if that makes much of a difference.

The system that heats my water is a Ecom 7 system this morning I have altered the timer so it is not heating as long. Am I best to get a different timer as I will no longer be on Ecom 7?

The flat is all electric and I am at work full time so out from 7.30am - 4.30pm five days a week.

Thanks

matelodave

The supplier usually swaps the meter on a like for like basis, so if you were on E7 then there's a better than even chance that you have been given an E7 credit meter. You need to see if it's got dual readouts or whether you can cycle through different readings by pressing a button.
I can't give you anymore info as I don't have E7. I did when they swapped my pre-pay meter to a credit meter, they then came again to reprogramme it for single rate use.

vicki84

Thanks for your reply I will probably just get the storage heater changed before next winter as this is using the most electric.

I contacted EDF and the have not fitted me with a Ecom 7 meter so I think it will be easier to save up for a replacement radiator.

Nada666

Why do you not want to try the storage heating? If you are out five days a week then storage may be perfectly appropriate - you are more likely to benefit from it than if you worked from home.

Little confused by your posts - are you saying the storage heater is not on an E7 circuit and not using night units - only the water?

You should consider how much you use for heating and water and how much you use for cooking - unless you do a great deal of cooking or do not want to have your central heating on for weeks at a time or are out every other evening the storage heaters may be fine.

If you are not on an E7 meter then there is no point using the storage function - just switch it on on demand during the day. Similarly no point using the hot water timer.

vicki84

The one storage heater in my bed room uses 21 units per night this is more then the units I use for hot water, cooking and the newer heater in my lounge put together.

So this is the reason for high usage at night if it is switched on it is old so is not as cost effective as the new heater.

lstar337

If you switch from Storage heating to a normal electric heater your bills will increase by about 300%

You might want to think about that. Take five minutes to learn how storage heating works.

There are plenty of household items that use a lot of electricity, are you going to stop using them all?

You might as well live in a cave.

macman

It's pointless having a storage heater if you are not on E7.
Yes, the usage is high at night because that's when it stores the heat for release the next day and evening. But you are completely missing the point-those 21 units overnight during the 7 cheap rate hours are charged at about a third of the cost of the day units. Switching to single rate will increase your heating and hot water costs (the bulk of your energy usage) by around 250% or more.
Get additional NSH's installed and learn how to regulate the output so you get the benefit from the time you come in.

lstar337

vicki84 wrote: »

The one storage heater in my bed room uses 21 units per night this is more then the units I use for hot water, cooking and the newer heater in my lounge put together.

So this is the reason for high usage at night if it is switched on it is old so is not as cost effective as the new heater.

What is the new heater?

It might use 21 Units at night, but those units cost about a third of the units used during the day. If your 'New' heater is using 7 Units a day, it is costing you more than the storage heater.

vicki84

I am not on Ecom 7 it is not an option with my supplier and I cannot find any other tariffs that have that option without having a pre-payment meter. Which I have explained is not an option for me.

lstar337

vicki84 wrote: »

I am not on Ecom 7 it is not an option with my supplier and I cannot find any other tariffs that have that option without having a pre-payment meter. Which I have explained is not an option for me.

Who is your supplier? I don't think you can be looking very hard.

I can't think of any supplier that doesn't offer E7, and the type of meter credit/prepayment doesn't come into it.

If you have really lost the ability to use E7 then ditch the storage heater for a normal convector, and sadly look forward to much increased electricity bills.

vicki84

I have just spoken to someone at EDF when they changed the meter they should have changed it to a Ecom meter on a like for like basis but they have just fitted a standard meter. They have also informed me that I can choose the June 2015 fix for Ecom 7 which I was told previously was not an option.