Stuck with an economy 7 meter

okigen

Hi guys,

I am renting a flat which has Economy 7 metter only and the contract forbids meter changing. This tariff is basically useless for me so now I have 2 options:

1) Try to find a supplier who allows me to use standard rate without changing meter. Suggestion is greatly appreciated!

2) Stick with isupplier - their daytime rate is 11.6p per kwh.

Thanks a lot in advance!
Ha

missbiggles1

Do you have storage heaters?

notbritishgas

Okigen wrote: »

Hi guys,

I am renting a flat which has Economy 7 metter only and the contract forbids meter changing. This tariff is basically useless for me so now I have 2 options:

1) Try to find a supplier who allows me to use standard rate without changing meter. Suggestion is greatly appreciated!

2) Stick with isupplier - their daytime rate is 11.6p per kwh.

Thanks a lot in advance!
Ha

1) I think EoN is one that adds the 2 together.

2) I think 11.6 is not too bad for e7 daytime rate so you could try running as many of your high power appliances in the cheap rate period.

[Deleted User]

BG and EDF will total the two rates.Eco 7 is nt that bad, just try and do the heavy stuff in the cheap 7 hours. There are some excellent Eco 7 tariffs around .
Make sure you know exactly when the meter switches over to the cheap rate. Depends on what sort of timer switch you have. Radio Teleswitch timers are very accurate, meters with built in clocks can drift an ahour or two and the old 24 hour circular analogue timer switches, the cheap 7 hours can be anywhere in the 24 hrs not in the dead of night. We are now in BST and the meter clock will stay at GMT and will differ by an hour anyway.

Bark01

The CMA remedies state that all suppliers should offer their Standard meter tariffs to all restricted meters. No idea when it will be enforced but all suppliers should be looking to do it.

4.53 We believe that the above proposed remedies will help customers on any meter type engage effectively in the retail energy markets. Further, to address the specific problems faced by customers on restricted meters in shopping around for better deals and in switching, we propose a set of additional remedies that require all suppliers to make all their single-rate tariffs available to any domestic customers on any type of restricted meter, without making switching conditional on a restricted meter being replaced; and ensure that domestic customers on restricted meters have access to information on the options available to them

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

notbritishgas wrote: »

1) I think EoN is one that adds the 2 together.

2) I think 11.6 is not too bad for e7 daytime rate so you could try running as many of your high power appliances in the cheap rate period.

That's right notbritishgas. With us, customers with a two rate Economy 7 meter can have a single rate tariff. No need to change the meter. All we do is add the day and night usage together and charge at a single rate. Provided they've registered with our website, Economy 7 customers can switch between a one and two rate tariff online.

Our Economy 7 tariffs have higher day rates and then lower off peak prices. To benefit, customers need to use a significant amount of electricity during the cheaper off peak times. The actual amount depends on the region and tariff.

Hope this is of interest.

Malc

footyguy

Okigen wrote: »

Hi guys,

I am renting a flat which has Economy 7 metter only and the contract forbids meter changing. This tariff is basically useless for me so now I have 2 options:

1) Try to find a supplier who allows me to use standard rate without changing meter. Suggestion is greatly appreciated!

2) Stick with isupplier - their daytime rate is 11.6p per kwh.

Thanks a lot in advance!
Ha

Why is the tariff useless for you?

E7 gives you 7 hours per day of cheap electricity - that's over a third of a day typically paying about half price.

If you really want to pay the normal single rate (or thereabouts) all day, everyday you can look for a supplier that will supply you a single rate even though you have a dual rate meter. (Not many do - Eon & BG spring to mind, but neither are cheap)

Or look at Avro (I think on their save & fix tariff) that offers E7 just what you want - the same rate for low rate as for normal rate :cool:

Or as you are renting, just move to a place that doesn't have a E7 meter fitted, and then you can't take advantage of 7 hours per day electricity at about half price.

I suggest you simply consult a comparison site and find the best deal for you (and see just how far that Avro tariff is down that list) - some E7 suppliers in some regions even charge lower rates for their normal rate compared to their single rate alternative ... and still give 7 hours at about half price!

Or if you really want to splash the cash, as long as the property you are currently renting is returned at the end of the tenancy in the same condition as it was let (i.e. with the E7 meter) no one will know, let alone care.
Where a supplier charges for a non-essential change of meter (and many do), costs are typically in the region of £50-£80 ... and the same again when you get them changed back just before the tenancy ends.

okigen2

Hi,


Not sure why MSE insisted that my account never existed so had to create a new one.


I have taken meters over the last 3 days and come up with the energy consumption as below:
Hot water tank: 7kw per night (once every 2 days)
Washing machine: 4kw (once per week - can do night time)
Everything else including cooking: 1-2kw per day.


Not sure if 7kw is normal for a hot water tank or this is because it boils continuously for 7 hours. There is no timer/thermostat I can see and this is a 145 litre Megaflo.


The heating system is quite funny, there is a storage heater in the kitchen but convection heater in the bedroom. Anyway, after one testing it was clear that the storage heater could not retain heat by the time I get home, so my plan is to run both heaters on convection mode. I expect to use them for 1-2 hours per day for half winter.

macman

Your LL cannot impose such a clause in your contract, it is not enforceable. However they might be able to charge you for switching the meter back again to E7 at the end of your tenancy. So you need to factor that in.
But, if the metering is unsuitable for E7 (i.e. no NSH's or an immersion heater) then have you discussed it with your LL and asked to get it changed? You'd be doing him a favour long term, as running costs will be lower. He may be completely unaware that it is unsuitable.

missbiggles1

okigen2 wrote: »

Hi,


Not sure why MSE insisted that my account never existed so had to create a new one.


I have taken meters over the last 3 days and come up with the energy consumption as below:
Hot water tank: 7kw per night (once every 2 days)
Washing machine: 4kw (once per week - can do night time)
Everything else including cooking: 1-2kw per day.


Not sure if 7kw is normal for a hot water tank or this is because it boils continuously for 7 hours. There is no timer/thermostat I can see and this is a 145 litre Megaflo.


The heating system is quite funny, there is a storage heater in the kitchen but convection heater in the bedroom. Anyway, after one testing it was clear that the storage heater could not retain heat by the time I get home, so my plan is to run both heaters on convection mode. I expect to use them for 1-2 hours per day for half winter.

I don't think you can usually see a thermostat - it certainly shouldn't be boiling continuously for 7 hours!:eek:

matelodave

It won't be boiling for seven hours - there will be a thermostat built into the immersion heater.

A 3kw immersion would actually run for 2 hours 20 minutes to consume 7kwh which is not unreasonable to heat the tank up every other day it's equivalent to an hour and ten minutes a day.

If you want save money reduce your use of hot water. You could also reduce it's temperature a bit by adjusting the immersion heater thermostat located under the immersion heater cap.

Be very careful that it's switched off before removing the heater cap as there electrical connections at mains voltages under there when the power is on.