Changing tariff when using storage heaters

SaraD

Hi all, 
I'm in a tiny studio with one old storage heater and have electric only (no gas). My supplier is currently EDF and I'm on their Total Service 2 Year Fix Mar23 (E7) tariff, but I'm sure I can do better. From April to October, the storage heater is OFF - I simply don't need it at all. There is no other device that would use a cheaper E7 night rate. So, for 7 months of the year, I am paying a much higher day rate than I'd like, simply so I can have a better night rate for the 5 months when I am using the storage heater. Is there a way around this, other than the frustrating option of changing supplier/tariff twice a year (from E7 to non-E7 and back)?  With the forthcoming price hikes due, I'm keen to get a grip on this. Thanks.

Gerry1

SaraD said:

There is no other device that would use a cheaper E7 night rate.

That's not correct, because absolutely everything will be on the cheaper E7 night rate at the relevant times.  That includes the fridge, freezer and, crucially, the immersion heater.

You could read the meter at the start and end of the heating season and do the sums, but having to run the immersion heater on single rate would probably wipe out any saving.

SaraD

Ahhh...good point about devices, Gerry, thanks. So, I have a fridge (no freezer) at the moment, and a small 15L Ariston water heater, apologies for forgetting. I have an electric shower which I only use during the day. This has all stemmed from the fact that EDF told me I'd be better off changing from pre-paid (key) supply to billed/direct debit - they said the tariffs were better. But as soon as I'd had the smart meter installed, the best E7 tariff they could give means my estimated bill will be approximately 30% higher than before. I'm gutted to find myself worse off and with more price increases due, I'm trying to explore any other options. Obviously, I can switch supplier, but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing an option I hadn't considered. 

tastyhog

may be worth getting a small kw heater if you do need some heating

I was with edf on payg and had a smart meter installed, swapped it over to credit mode, easily done over the phone, moved to symbio (E7 tariff but same rates for day / night) and can run the electric 'fireplace' for 3 hours a day if I need to and still come out under what I was paying edf on payg and that's before the huge cost in winter storage heater usage.

night usage for me in a 1 bed flat is <1kwh fridge / freezer, various things on standby and charging,
in winter its about 20 - 25 kwh with the storage heaters doing their thing, and a standalone heater can be used for like 10 - 15 hours a day and be at the same cost as the night time using storage heaters.

I don't generally have the water heater on, unless i want a bath instead of a shower, and then just turn it on and have a tank of water for 30p, pointless having it on and heating / cooling every day if its only used for dishes

Gerry1

tastyhog said:

a standalone heater can be used for like 10 - 15 hours a day and be at the same cost as the night time using storage heaters.

Seems a bit unlikely.  Might just be the case for someone who is out all day and uses a plug-in heater for just a few hours in the evening.

However, 15 hours of expensive daytime E7 is likely to cost more than a night storage heater.  You'd need to do the sums very carefully before choosing that course of action.

The plug in heater would probably have to be at least 1.5kWh to be effective, so that's 22.5kWh per day, £3.38 if the day rate is 15p/kWh.  Even a tiddly 1kW (single bar fire) would cost £2.25.  However, a big 3.4kW storage heater would draw 23.8kWh maximum, only £1.90 if the night rate is 8p/kWh.

ASavvyBuyer

A possible alternative, depending on your actual usage and when, would be a Time of Use tariff, like Octopus Go or one of the Go Faster variants. You don't have to own an EV to choose that tariff.

The day rate is about 14p/kWh (inc VAT) depending on area and the cheap rate for 4 or 5 hours is 5p/kWh or 5.5p/kWh (inc VAT) respectively.

We are on a Go Faster tariff and our average rate, for all imported electricity, is currently less than 9p/kWh.

SaraD

There's lots in your answers I hadn't heard of, so thank you. Not sure what an EV is in this context though?! I have now done a quick spreadsheet and the figures show that based on EDFs new tariff for me, I am estimated to pay £652 this next year, compared to £416 in the previous year period - an increase of £236 (56%).  

In that previous year, I averaged 1.95kwh night use and 4.31kwh day use (6.26kwh total daily). I do have a small 5-fin mini oil radiator I use for top up heat on colder days, only during the day. I just can't quite accept that for a studio which doesn't even have a separate bedroom, my coming costs are going to be so much higher. 

I will look into the Time of Use tariff, that seems interesting. Thanks to all, please do keep the info coming if there are any other ideas - it's all useful to me as it's not something I've had to worry about before!

[Deleted User]

Hi,

i understand EV to be Electric Vehicle.

Gerry1

ASavvyBuyer said:

A possible alternative, depending on your actual usage and when, would be a Time of Use tariff, like Octopus Go or one of the Go Faster variants. You don't have to own an EV to choose that tariff.

The day rate is about 14p/kWh (inc VAT) depending on area and the cheap rate for 4 or 5 hours is 5p/kWh or 5.5p/kWh (inc VAT) respectively.

The OP's storage heater would be far too cold by the late afternoon or evening if it only had a 4 or 5 hour charge; it seems to be under dimensioned because the OP already has to resort to an oil filled radiator for expensive top ups during the day.

Presumably it would also need wiring changes otherwise it would still be powered up by the E7 meter for the remaining three or two hours at the expensive day rate, wiping out any possible savings.  That would involve more expense and might be problematic if the property is rented.

tastyhog

Gerry1 said:

tastyhog said:

a standalone heater can be used for like 10 - 15 hours a day and be at the same cost as the night time using storage heaters.

Seems a bit unlikely.  Might just be the case for someone who is out all day and uses a plug-in heater for just a few hours in the evening.

However, 15 hours of expensive daytime E7 is likely to cost more than a night storage heater.  You'd need to do the sums very carefully before choosing that course of action.

The plug in heater would probably have to be at least 1.5kWh to be effective, so that's 22.5kWh per day, £3.38 if the day rate is 15p/kWh.  Even a tiddly 1kW (single bar fire) would cost £2.25.  However, a big 3.4kW storage heater would draw 23.8kWh maximum, only £1.90 if the night rate is 8p/kWh.

my 'electric fireplace' has a 1kw and 2kw setting and will happily warm the living room on the 1kw setting and warm through the whole flat in a couple of hours if I leave doors through to the hall / bedroom open, granted I've not done a full winter with it, and I do prefer a cooler room rather than it being overly warm.

SaraD

More interesting stuff posted...so, my main room is 10.5ft x 12.5ft and the storage heater is old and large-ish (approx 80cm wide x 60cm high). I currently have the input set at half way as it's still cold. I keep the output at the lowest, but it doesn't seem to make any difference if I increase the output in the evening, the heat just fizzles out by 6pm. It's also annoyingly warm at night when it starts charging, even at lowest output. I have no idea if that's just the way it is, or if my storage heater has deteriorated in efficiency...or even 'gone wrong' a bit - does that even happen?! 

I have often wondered why I still need top up heating for a room of this size. I would imagine that if you're going to go to the cost of replacing an old storage heater, you may as well opt for the 'best' available solution i.e. one of those Dimplex Quantum thingies...and frankly, I can't afford that atm.

It's a strange studio flat, with a ground floor entrance and a large stairway (freezing and damp in winter, with no power or heating). Off the 1st floor landing there's a shower room to one side and a kitchenette off the other - I use wall-mounted electric fan heaters in those spaces when necessary. Then follows the main room in question. 

So, I'm not only considering short-term costs but will also need to look at some kind of heating in the stairwell, once I get an electrical socket put in. But this 56% cost increase with EDF has worried me that this won't be financially viable!

I own the place outright, btw, so no tenancy issues to worry about. :-)