immersion heater economy 7 help needed

io96

hi, we have just moved into a new flat (no gas, electric only) and having trouble understanding our hot water. we have an immersion cylinder to heat the water (all it says on the tank is RANGE TRIBUNE HE). on the wall is a panel which has a clock (not a timer), a boost dial and a switch to have it on either 'water heater off' or 'timed'. the panel says horstmann economy 7 quartz. above the panel is just one switch (like a light switch) and that is all we have. 

we understand how the economy 7 tariff would work heating water overnight however our provider has said they do not offer this tarriff currently and that we are on a single standard rate. this is fine as i have read we would need to use at least 40% of our electricity over night for economy 7 tariff to be worth it, which we feel isnt right for us. 
However given we are on the single rate and there is no timer anywhere on the panel or anywhere else, we don't understand how/when to heat our hot water. we have been using boost for an hour or so which would give us a shower and some washing up water but we're just wondering if this is the best way to use it! anybody we speak to doesnt seem to understand that we are not on the economy 7 tariff, so the water is not heating up overnight, as well as not having a timer to use ourselves, just a very basic panel. sorry if this doesn't make sense, we're completely new to this and it doesnt seem like the easiest system to understand when the tank and tariff dont match up! any info on how it all works etc appreciated, we have scoured the internet but not found an awful lot, thank you 

Gerry1

What is your heating, e.g. storage radiators (far too big and heavy to pick up), panel heaters, oil filled radiators, convectors, etc?

QrizB

io96 said:

However given we are on the single rate and there is no timer anywhere on the panel or anywhere else, we don't understand how/when to heat our hot water. we have been using boost for an hour or so which would give us a shower and some washing up water but we're just wondering if this is the best way to use it!

Yes, if you're on single rate electricity this is probably the best way to use it. Heat the water you need, when you need it, and don't try to keep the tank full of hot water.

Gerry1's question about heating will become important in October/November when you start feeling cold.

What electricity supplier are you with, and what tariff? How much are you paying for each kilowatt-hour?

Swipe

I have an immersion heater on single rate on a Horstmann timer. I have disabled the timer tariff settings by setting the start/stop times to zero for each and I just use the 1 hour boost whenever I require a significant amount of hot water, otherwise I just boil the kettle.

io96

thanks for the replies so far! so to answer swipe, we dont have a timer option anywhere, just a clock! unless we are being stupid and cant see it, but there is definitely not anything else in the airing cupboard , but we can get by using boost i guess its just annoying as if we wanted a shower in the morning, we have to get up earlier to turn it on! 
to answer the other questions, we have very small panel heaters(i believe) by dimplex, they are all wall mounted and each have a switch next to them on the wall, but no cable or anything like that, again just like a light switch! there is a dimplex control panel in our hallway that i assume will allow us to control them but to be honest we havent used them or tried yet, as its been so warm. we are with scottish power, the info i could find was

Electricity unit rate All/Day: £19.001p per kWh

Electricity Standing Charge:22.38p per day

thanks again! 

 

Swipe

io96 said:

thanks for the replies so far! so to answer swipe, we dont have a timer option anywhere, just a clock! unless we are being stupid and cant see it, but there is definitely not anything else in the airing cupboard , but we can get by using boost

Can you post a photo? I used to have one with just a clock in the form of a dial. If it's the same as mine was you could adjust the time on the clock to kick in the 7 hour period 1 hour before you need it (assuming you shower at the same time most days) and then just turn off the 'timed' switch when it's hot.

io96

hi, have attached it hopefully you can see. if its the same and we can do it how you described, would this still work despite not being on a economy 7 tariff? sorry just trying to get my head round it! im not even sure what times the 7 hour period begin and end as ive heard it varies between suppliers, which makes me think if we arent on the right tariff, would it even work

thanks for all the help so far  

io96

sorry i should add, this is an older photo not taken now, it is showing the correct time currently! 

Gerry1

19.001p/kWh and 22.38p/day is an expensive tariff, especially if it excludes VAT.  Time to start comparing with Citizens Advice and 'Which? Switch'.

QrizB

io96 said:

thanks for the replies so far! so to answer swipe, we dont have a timer option anywhere, just a clock! unless we are being stupid and cant see it, but there is definitely not anything else in the airing cupboard , but we can get by using boost i guess its just annoying as if we wanted a shower in the morning, we have to get up earlier to turn it on!

Do you own, or rent? If you own you could have a time switch fitted (or DIY if you're confident, they're not expensive to buy or complicated to fit). If you rent you should ask your landlord before altering the electrics.

to answer the other questions, we have very small panel heaters(i believe) by dimplex, they are all wall mounted and each have a switch next to them on the wall, but no cable or anything like that, again just like a light switch! there is a dimplex control panel in our hallway that i assume will allow us to control them but to be honest we havent used them or tried yet, as its been so warm.

Photos of the heaters and control panel would help, if you have a way of sharing them (imgbb.com works for me).

how many exterior walls do you have? A flat in the middle of a block with only one exterior wall is easier (and cheaper) to heat than one on a corner with two or three of them.

we are with scottish power, the info i could find was

Electricity unit rate All/Day: £19.001p per kWh

Electricity Standing Charge:22.38p per day

thanks again! 

That's quite a steep tariff, you really should try one of the independent comparison sites (Which? Switch, or the CAB one) and look for a cheaper supplier. And do it soon, definitely before winter!

(I'm proud of myself for resisting the urge to post the Game of Thrones meme here.)

glennevis

If you google for the instruction manual, you get

http://www.free-instruction-manuals.com/pdf/p3133739.pdf

Which says (effectively) the economy 7 on-off times are set during installation and even if you could change the times the minimum on period is 4 hours. So looks like you should carry on using the 1hr switch for hot water.