Eon Heatwise Energy Plan??

Tink15

I have not long moved to a property which is Electric Only and so has storage heaters.


The tariff I have is called Heatwise Energy Plan which I understand is specifically for houses with storage heaters but I do not really understand it or know if I am on the best plan giving me the cheapest tariff and control.


I have no way of setting the times I want the hot water and storage heaters to come on as you do with gas central heating and it is set by Eon so it not only coms on during the night when it is cheapest but also comes on 3 times during the day about 1pm, 5pm and 8pm.
I live alone in a small bungalow and only really need my hot water and storage heaters being heated during the night I don't use enough water to need it then to be heated again three times in the day - it is a total waste of money. I also don't think I need the storage heaters coming on all the time either. I could manage them fine with them just being stored up during the night.


How can I go about sorting this? Can I just have my hot water and heaters heating up at night only and not coming on 3 times a day also? I cant afford to keep heating everything several times a day also. I am in receipt of JSA so trying to save money where I can. Is there a tariff that does what I want on Eon or with another supplier?

lvf

Good grief, that set up sounds very inflexible! Hope you can get something sorted.

With E.ON, I don't think there is another tariff, other than the E.ON EnergyPlan. Reason being, with Heatwise, you have two separate supply numbers (or MPANs), rendering your meter system "complex". However, you may need to contact E.ON directly for confirmation of this.

Also, as far as I know the Heatwise cannot be switched on and off freely, which again you would need to confirm with them. However you may be able to set up single rate or Economy 7 for this.

You could try contacting other suppliers or popping onto uSwitch for further details on tariffs available to you.

Hope this helps.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Tink15

Hope the move went well and wasn't too stressful. Thought I'd pop on and give you a few details about your Heatwise meter. Actually, it's more than a few so hope you don't mind if I ramble on a bit.

These meters were mainly 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 during the afternoon, in the evening and at night.

The off peak periods are activated by radio signals sent out via masts across the region. As such, we're not able to change these times. If you contact us, we'll be able to tell you when the off peak periods are active.

To work, the meter will be wired directly into the heating/water heating circuits. This lets them automatically switch the storage heaters on and off during the off peak times.

Storage heaters are insulated boxes containing bricks with electric elements running through them. They charge up during the cheaper off peak times. The bricks retain the heat which is then released gradually throughout the day.

A common complaint with storage heaters is a tendency to leak heat and to cool down too early. Heatwise tops up the stored heat during the afternoon and evening to help properties stay warm throughout the day.

There are various types of storage heater. Best to check the operating manual for your particular set up to see how they work and how to turn them off when not needed.

You'll also have a Boost button on the front of the meter. Hitting this will give you an additional hour of hot water whenever you need it. Just be careful here, though. If you use this outside the off peak times the electricity will be charged at the higher prices.

Heatwise works alongside either a single rate or two rate Economy 7 tariff. If you've the Economy 7 type, you'll have 7 hours of cheaper off peak electricity at night for all usage. This includes things like washing machines, lights, tumble dryers etc. Not very sociable hours, I know, but might be of benefit if you can use timers.

Due to the specialist nature of this type of meter we've only the one tariff available.

As Ivf says, you can change the meter to a more conventional single rate or Economy 7. This will give you access to a greater range of tariffs, both with us and with the other suppliers.

Before doing this, I always recommend customers ask a qualified electrician to check their set up first. Due to the way Heatwise meters are wired into the dedicated heating circuits, changing them might have implications for the heating. Some remedial work may also be needed.

Although we're not currently charging to change Heatwise meters, the costs of the electrician is down to the customer.

Sorry for going on Tink15 but hope you find this of interest. Let me know if you need any more details as happy to help.

Malc