Help to break down my electricity tariff please :)

Marshyman

Hi,

Could someone help me understand what the difference between having a unit price of 13.871p and then a unit rate of 17.546p boost and 8.694 for afternoon/evening

I'm on the eon heat wise energyplan 6

Thanks

HappyMJ

You'll get cheaper heating at certain times in the afternoon/evening. if you want more heat outside of those hours it'll cost much more.

Your general electricity rate for everything else is 13.871p.

If you can (i.e where you own the property) you should consider moving to a E7 rate where you can store heat overnight at a very cheap rate and have the storage heaters release heat later in the day. You will then be able to compare suppliers and switch on to a more competitive tariff.

Marshyman

thanks happy,

So the 13.871p. rate is for normal electric, lights, appliances ect and then the other rates of 17.546p boost and 8.694 for afternoon/evening are for the boiler?

Yes i do own the flat and have electric stroage heaters in my property too which i dont tend to use as is pretty cosy anyway thanks to the flats either side of me

My flat is just electricity and no gas

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Marshyman

Thought it might help if I give you a bit of background about Heatwise meters. There's quite a lot of information so I'd settle down with a cuppa if I were you.

They were specifically designed for all electric properties with storage heaters and electric water immersion heaters. They give 10 hours of cheaper off peak electricity for heating and water heating purposes. This is split into 3 time slots in the evening, during the afternoon and at night.

Individual set ups can differ. We'll let you know when your off peak heating rates are active if you contact us. Drop an email to the address in my Profile if you prefer. I'll be happy to find the times for you.

Once set, Heatwise automatically switches the heating/water heating on during the off peak periods and off again afterwards. To do this, the meter will be wired into the heating/water heating circuits at the property.

Electricity used for heating/water heating that goes through these dedicated circuits is recorded on a separate meter register. This is charged at 8.694p per kWh.

Heatwise works alongside either a standard single rate or two rate Economy 7 meter. From the prices you've posted it looks as though you're on the single rate version.

With this, electricity used for all other purposes or for heating that doesn't go through the dedicated Heatwise circuits is charged at the rate of 13.871p per kWh

If you do happen to run out of hot water, you can have an additional period by hitting the 'Boost' button on the front of the meter. If the boost is used outside of the off peak times, the electricity will be charged at the higher boost rate. This is currently 17.546p per kWh and is also recorded on a separate meter register.

We've only the one tariff for Heatwise and this is the one you're on. As HappyMJ says, for access to more tariffs both with us and with the other suppliers, you can change the meter to a more conventional type like Economy 7.

An Economy 7 meter will give you 7 hours of off peak electricity but this is for all usage, not just the heating/water heating. In your region, the off peak rate for this is currently 7.172p per kWh.

With Economy 7, the day rate is higher than with a single rate tariff. This is currently 17.021p per kWh in your region and covers all electricity used outside the off peak times.

I always recommend that customers thinking about changing an Heatwise meter ask a qualified electrician to check the set up first. This is because of the way Heatwise meters are wired into the household circuits.

Changing the meter could have implications for the heating/water heating and some remedial work may be needed before a meter change can go ahead.

We're not currently charging to replace Heatwise meters but the cost of the electrician would be down to you.

Hope I haven't gone over the top Marshyman. Let me know if you need any more information as happy to help.

Malc

lstar337

Meter 1 - Normal electric
24hours of 13.871p/kWh

Meter 2 - Heating
7 hours of 8.694p/kWh
Boost at 17.546p/kWh

Plus two lots of standing charge to cover the two meters and supply numbers.

I would say you would almost certainly be better off moving away from this hybrid system to a competitive standard E7 system with a single meter. You may need to speak to EON about any charges that may be incurred by having a meter exchange and the second supply de-energised.

lstar337

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

If the boost is used outside of the off peak times, the electricity will be charged at the higher boost rate. This is currently 17.546p per kWh and is also recorded on a separate meter register.

So it would be cheaper to use a secondary water heater (kettle perhaps for small amounts) plugged into a normal socket, as this would only be charged at the 13.871p/kWh single rate instead of the 17.564p/kWh boost rate.

I think a standard E7 setup would be beneficial for you and maybe Malc can help you get that sorted.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

lstar337 wrote: »

Meter 1 - Normal electric
24hours of 13.871p/kWh

Meter 2 - Heating
7 hours of 8.694p/kWh
3 hours of 17.546p/kWh

Plus two lots of standing charge to cover the two meters and supply numbers.

I would say you would almost certainly be better off moving away from this hybrid system to a competitive standard E7 system with a single meter. You may need to speak to EON about any charges that may be incurred by having a meter exchange and the second supply de-energised.

Sorry Istar but the prices you've quoted for the Heatwise part of the meter aren't quite right.

All usage for heating/water heating going through the dedicated Heatwise circuits during the off peak times is charged at 8.694p per kWh. This could be for a maximum of 10 hours per day.

The 17.546p per kWh rate only applies when the 'Boost' facility is manually switched on by the customer at the meter.

Apart from this, the rest of what you say is spot on.

Malc

lstar337

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

Sorry Istar but the prices you've quoted for the Heatwise part of the meter aren't quite right.

All usage for heating/water heating going through the dedicated Heatwise circuits during the off peak times is charged at 8.694p per kWh. This could be for a maximum of 10 hours per day.

The 17.546p per kWh rate only applies when the 'Boost' facility is manually switched on by the customer at the meter.

Apart from this, the rest of what you say is spot on.

Malc

Yeah Malc, I edited my post just after yours as I remembered how that bit worked. At first I had it muddled with another E10 tariff, but you jogged my memory and I quickly changed it so I didn't confuse the OP.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

lstar337 wrote: »

So it would be cheaper to use a secondary water heater (kettle perhaps for small amounts) plugged into a normal socket, as this would only be charged at the 13.871p/kWh single rate instead of the 17.564p/kWh boost rate.

I think a standard E7 setup would be beneficial for you and maybe Malc can help you get that sorted.

Hi Istar

I can see where you're coming from. You're right, in Marshyman's case, electricity used by secondary heating appliances independent of the dedicated Heatwise circuits would be charged at 13.871p per kWh. This would be regardless of the time.

The 'Boost' rate only applies to usage going through the dedicated water immersion heater circuit. It also only applies when the 'Boost' is switched on outside of the Heatwise times.

Hope this helps.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

lstar337 wrote: »

Yeah Malc, I edited my post just after yours as I remembered how that bit worked. At first I had it muddled with another E10 tariff, but you jogged my memory and I quickly changed it so I didn't confuse the OP.

Sorry Istar, I think our posts keep crossing over.

Thanks for editing your post.

Malc

Marshyman

Hi thanks everyone really useful information!

Malc, on my meter readings i have 4 different rates showing

Rate 1, 3, 4 and 5

How can i tell which one of these is for each different kwh costs, im trying to monitor it regularly to see what my true usuage is like and expected costs

thanks