Economy 10 Storage Heater - Eon

scrub

I want to see if I can reduce my mother's electricity bill but she's got an Economy 10 metre and storage heaters which don't appear on comparison websites.

Eon say that it would be free to change to another metre but it wouldn't necessarily guarantee a lower price.

Given I can't make any comparisons, I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

molerat

Use the peak and off peak readings and input them into the comparison sites to see how much that sort of usage would be on E7. It won't be exact but will be a reasonable indication.

lstar337

There are not many cases where E10 is cheaper than E7, probably none. E10 is simply a high end version of E7 that supplies more heat.

Switching to E7 will no doubt save you money because 1) It is usually cheaper than E10, and 2) It will open up access to competitive switching.

The main concern you should have is will E7 deliver enough heat to the property, as it is 3 hours less charge time.

matelodave

Not only do you get three hours less charge time but you wont get the afternoon/evening boost as you only get off peak leccy between midnight and seven in the morning.

You might find that you are having to use peak rate during those times with additional heaters to maintain the temperatures in the evenings

It will probably necessary for some wiring and/or time clocks changes depending how the house wiring is configured - it may be easy but there will no doubt be extra costs which would need to be taken into consideration.

You'll need to consult an electrician as Eon won't get involved in the wiring on the house side of the meter

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

[FONT=&quot]Good morning scrub,

Thank you for all of the posts and advice so far

You're correct Economy 10 doesn't show on comparison websites, it would be a case of ringing round obtaining a quote and making sure they can support the current set up, if you wanted to keep the economy 10 meter.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Economy 10 meters are a bit different from conventional meters and you're right we do only have the one tariff available.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]These meters are designed mainly for all electric properties with storage heaters and electric water immersion heaters. They’re designed to give 10 hours of cheaper off peak electricity in each 24 hour period for heating and water heating purposes. This is spilt into 3 time slots during the afternoon, in the evening and at night. To work, meters are wired directly into the heating/water heating circuits at individual properties. This lets them automatically switch the storage heaters on and off during the off peak times. As well as cheaper off peak rates for heating, there’s normally number of hours when all electricity is charged at the cheaper rates.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]The off peak hours depend on the area you live and the specific metering set up.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]It would be free to change the meter if it's currently a [FONT=&quot]three[/FONT] rate meter, but there wou[FONT=&quot]ld[/FONT] be a charge if it's a two rate.[FONT=&quot] I[/FONT]t's something we can arrange, although as matelodave has said you would need an electrician to look at the wiring and do any work on this that would be needed.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Changing to a one rate or Economy 7 meter would give your mother more choice of tariffs and suppliers, but you'd need to decide if it will be beneficial.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I hope this helps a little.

I'm here if you need me

Helena[/FONT]

footyguy

scrub wrote: »

I want to see if I can reduce my mother's electricity bill but she's got an Economy 10 metre and storage heaters which don't appear on comparison websites.

Eon say that it would be free to change to another metre but it wouldn't necessarily guarantee a lower price.

Given I can't make any comparisons, I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

As you are probably aware, do not attempt to switch supplier with the existing metering.

It seems the switch of meter may not be free afterall, and as pointed out, it's not just the meter that will need considering ... and the expert employed to advise you and/or carry out the additional work will also probably cost hard earned cash.

However, here is a good list of things your mother could consider doing free of charge that will help reduce her electricity bill :money:

https://www.ukpower.co.uk/energy-saving-advice

(The list also includes some ideas that will cost money, but they will need to be carefully considered.)

scrub

Thanks for the responses.

I think the first thing is to really make sure we're using the storage heater as efficiently as possible. They really are archaic things and I cannot see why anyone would put them in a modern block of flats like hers.

Then I will go through her usage and try and get an idea of what and how much she's using and see what the alternatives are based on the above.

At some point, we'll rip the whole damn thing out and replace it with a decent central heating system though so we're not tied into some single tariff and company.

lstar337

scrub wrote: »

I think the first thing is to really make sure we're using the storage heater as efficiently as possible. They really are archaic things and I cannot see why anyone would put them in a modern block of flats like hers.

The simple answer is that they are inexpensive and they just work.

scrub wrote: »

At some point, we'll rip the whole damn thing out and replace it with a decent central heating system though so we're not tied into some single tariff and company.

Gas is not allowed in a lot of flats so electric is the only option. When it comes to electric only properties, anything other than E7 night storage costs a fortune to run.

Richie-from-the-Boro

scrub wrote: »

Thanks for the responses.

I think the first thing is to really make sure we're using the storage heater as efficiently as possible. They really are archaic things and I cannot see why anyone would put them in a modern block of flats like hers

- most people don't use them efficiently
- 'archaic', I've had them for 35+ years and love them
- only electric in many / most flats

Then I will go through her usage and try and get an idea of what and how much she's using and see what the alternatives are based on the above.

- good and constructive idea

At some point, we'll rip the whole damn thing out and replace it with a decent central heating system though so we're not tied into some single tariff and company.

- perhaps, maybe not

Richie-from-the-Boro

Scrub - instant reduction, get off x10 hours of uncompetitive electricity prices and get on a competitive tariff with x7 hours of electricity - if your AP will let you.

Under a down duvet or 99% of her waking hours in the one room / one chair. Double the stored cheap heat in the living area or fit a 'duo' heater for her and all the other storage heaters should have their 'damper' disabled in the closed position. Make that 1 room not just warm but comfortable for her, store enough cheap stuff .. .. buy less expensive stuff.

Unkle77

Hi Helena

I’ve been on the phone to your company all week without much luck. I’m basically trying to understand if there is anyway I can change my storage heater system so that they are NOT restricted to the Economy 10 off peak hours. I want to have control over when they come on and go off. You mentioned that in some cases the meter is directly wired into the storage heater system. My question is how can I change that? Yesterday, EON fitted in a smart meter. Will this help me gain control of my storage heaters? Any help is most welcome.