Economy 7 help

venomx

I have two switches.  The boost one which I can put on any time and an economy 7 switch that only comes on during the night but now it doesn’t come on at all . I’ve told my landlord and they are on the case

the boost switch works fine so my question is if I only turn it during the economy seven hours will I still be using the night time rate or not ?thanks

Gerry1

Yes, you'll pay the low rate on all off-peak E7 usage including the tumble dryer, kettle etc.  You'll only get half a tank of hot water, but presumably that's your intention.  But do confirm that the meter really has switched over to low rate, either by looking at the meter itself or by any circuits (e.g. storage heaters) with neon indicators on the switches.  Remember that some regions go back to day rate in the middle of the night for a couple of hours, e.g. 2230 - 0030 then 0230 - 0730 GMT.

But woe betide you if you forget to turn the boost switch off !

macman

Unless the controller is faulty, then one element of your immersion heater has failed. 
Whether the boost charges at off peak rate  during off peak hours will depend on the metering/switching  and wiring, but if you switch it on and then check your meter, it will be obvious.

Gerry1

macman said:

Whether the boost charges at off peak rate  during off peak hours will depend on the metering/switching  and wiring

If it's an Economy 7 tariff, all electricity consumption during the off peak hours via that meter wiill be at the lower rate regardless of wiring.

MWT

macman said:

Whether the boost charges at off peak rate  during off peak hours will depend on the metering/switching  and wiring....

All electricity consumption is at the off-peak rate during those hours so there isn't any way to to wire it otherwise... ?

The only question is over the meter switching to the off-peak rate or not, as Gerry mentioned, if it is switching then it is likely that the immersion element has failed, if it is not switching then it is a meter related fault.

avoidtheupsidedownbottles

So the replacement immersion heater only lasted 5 months?

In Olden Times with the mechanical timer systems it was just the NSHs and immersion that were charged at lower rate, as I understand it. 

Gerry1

avoidtheupsidedownbottles said:

So the replacement immersion heater only lasted 5 months?

In Olden Times with the mechanical timer systems it was just the NSHs and immersion that were charged at lower rate, as I understand it. 

On some restricted hours tariffs that was true, but not for genuine E7.  However, it's not a totally free lunch because the day rate and daily charge is likely to be slightly higher than for single rate.  The break even point varies but can be as low as 15 - 20% night use with some smaller suppliers.

venomx

avoidtheupsidedownbottles said:

So the replacement immersion heater only lasted 5 months?

In Olden Times with the mechanical timer systems it was just the NSHs and immersion that were charged at lower rate, as I understand it. 

The electrician the landlord sent out said it could be the thermostat or a problem with the fuse box as there was no power coming onto the e7 switch 
the boost switch works fine however 

Gerry1

venomx said:

The electrician the landlord sent out said it could be the thermostat or a problem with the fuse box as there was no power coming onto the e7 switch

Unless he was there around midnight or before breakfast - well, there wouldn't be ! !

Carrot007

Gerry1 said:

macman said:

Whether the boost charges at off peak rate  during off peak hours will depend on the metering/switching  and wiring

It's it's an Economy 7 tariff, all electricity consumption during the off peak hours via that meter wiill be at the lower rate regardless of wiring.

Depending on the meter the rate may need to be swiched over. If this does not occur all charegs will be at day rate. So yes the setup can be very important. And it is feasable even a modern meter setup could stop chaging over tarrifs if it breaks. Though that is less likely.

venomx

Gerry1 said:

venomx said:

The electrician the landlord sent out said it could be the thermostat or a problem with the fuse box as there was no power coming onto the e7 switch

Unless he was there around midnight or before breakfast - well, there wouldn't be ! !

That’s what I tried to say to him but he thought otherwise 

anyway I think il just put the boost on before I need it then turn it off again

hes replacing the thermostat soon so hopefully that rectifies it