Economy 7 / 7am cheap rate

johnweir123

It's probably been asked a million times already but does anyone know which electricity supplier I should use if I want the old economy 7 tariff? Usually that was 12am to 7am at the lower rate.

A lot of companies now have reduced their overnight window and that's not as good for me. Some end at 5:30am, a lot of them end at 6am.

They seem to keep this information off of the public internet so searching on Google and using ChatGPT doesn't work. I need to hear from people who actually use a tariff which might be suitable.

lohr500

I've suggested your post is moved to the main energy forum as I think you will get more replies there.

This may help though :

https://switchd.co.uk/energy/guides/economy7/

QrizB

It's probably been asked a million times already but does anyone know which electricity supplier I should use if I want the old economy 7 tariff? Usually that was 12am to 7am at the lower rate.

Economy 7 tariff times vary by region, remain on GMT all year round, and also differ from household to household.

They have never been a global 0000-7000 but are always seven hours a night in England and Wales (Scottish "white meter" tariffs can be longer).

A lot of companies now have reduced their overnight window and that's not as good for me. Some end at 5:30am, a lot of them end at 6am.

To the best of my knowledge no company has shortened its Economy 7 tariff.

I need to hear from people who actually use a tariff which might be suitable.

What exactly are you looking for? If you want a tariff that's cheap-rate from midnight to 7am every night of the year, you might be out of luck.

squirrelpie

https://switchd.co.uk/energy/guides/economy7/

It would be more helpful if it was right! Its says

"What time does Economy 7 start?

"The timings are different all across the UK as each area is run by a
different network operator. Here's a handy table showing the off-peak
times for every area in the UK (or check out the map at the bottom of
this page!):

"Region Off-peak time

"Eastern 11pm - 7am"

Firstly, the Economy seven tariff always offers seven hours of off-peak (the clue is in the name) and that first entry is eight hours! Secondly, I happen to live in the east and my seven hours are 00:30 - 07:30, so the timing is wrong as well!

Then it goes on to say Ec07 is a great idea if you use a lot of electricity in the evening - that's just plain WRONG!

johnweir123

So can anybody recommend a supplier who offers a tariff that ends the overnight rate at 7am?

TroubledTarts

As others have said, which you have ignored it is regional and the suppliers have the hours below to work between.

Example below, perhaps you could move house if it upsets you that much?

Economy 7 Times: By Region

North of Scotland – 7 hours between 22.00 and 08.30

South of Scotland – 7 hours between 22.00 and 08.30

North East England – 00.30 to 07.30

Yorkshire – 00.30 to 07.30

North West England – 00.30 to 07.30

Merseyside & North Wales – 7 hours between 00.00 and 08.00

East Midlands – 7 hours between 23.00 and 07.00

West Midlands – 7 hours between 23.30 and 08.00

Eastern England – 7 hours between 23.00 and 07.00

South Wales – 7 hours between 22.00 and 08.30

Southern England – 23.30 to 06.30

London – 7 hours between 23.00 and 07.00

South East England – Either between 22.30 and 05.30 or 00.30 and 07.30

South Western England – 7 hours between 22.00 and 08.30

Ildhund

It clearly depends who you ask! As far as I'm aware, SP deliver 8½ hours of offpeak electricity in Southern Scotland (DNO area ID 18, GSP group _N) and 8 hours in the MANWEB area (Merseyside and North Wales, DNO area ID 13, GSP group _D). It may be that some suppliers have different contracts, which is why it's not a simple task to find out what E7 times a particular customer could expect to enjoy. Many of the tariffs offering several hours overnight at cheaper rates aren't Economy 7 (register-based) at all, but rather smart Time of Use offerings based on half-hourly usage data.

My own E7 timings (Supplier: OVO, DNO: NGED, Area ID 11, GSP group _B) are 00:00 - 07:00 GMT.

johnweir123

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82008904#Comment_82008904

The only region which doesn't have the possibility of a 7am end time is southern England and I'm not in that region.

johnweir123

The GMT thing is a bit of a difficult one as it seems they don't adjust for summer hours so it would only work in winter.

QrizB

The only region which doesn't have the possibility of a 7am end time

Sure, but you don't get to choose the end time. Even your supplier doesn't get to choose it, on most tariffs. The stare and end times are randomised (to prevent every property on a street from switching on or off at the same time and causing a surge) and is specific to your meter.

You'd need to move house repeatedly until you find one with a meter you like.

The GMT thing is a bit of a difficult one as it seems they don't adjust for summer hours

The rules for Economy 7 date from the days of electromechanical time switches. Adjusting for BST would have meant sending fitters to every individual property to adjust the time switches. So they didn't bother and the times remain GMT all year around.

Can you explain exactly why you need cheap-rate electricity at 7am? There might be other options.

Scot_39

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82009024#Comment_82009024

A couple of years ago SP modified one of their white meter Comfort tariffs from 8.5 overnight to 7.5 with a 1 hr afternoon. A bit like Snug 6+1hr afternoon boost..

They also table a set of more standard e7 times and boundary ranges where longer for the regions - a bit like the above.

https://www.scottishpower.co.uk/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-toolkit/electric-heating/

But include the SE England region, as per what Ive seen others who had / have it - as 2+2+5 - 2230 0030 and 0230 0730.

I think there was at least 1 other split block e7 either in old Manweb or Liverpool area. But cannot remember the times.

I dont think from posts here there is a 2230-0530 solid 7 hrs option as one post above suggests but could be wrong.

But other suppliers tend to give iirc 0030 to 0730 in the region from past posts when folk have lost (some got back after complaining) their old 2+2+5.

All times excluding any meter randomised offset timings.

[Curiously unlike today's smart, I seem to remember the sticker / label on my old rts meter (and switch combined) said +/- 15 min (but I could be wrong). Never sure if that was clock accuracy or switching time offset. But over last decade or so - my rts, switch to dumb digital and then smets1 meter - all seem to have been so near zero if not zero not detectable vs clocks.]

From memory smart meters - can actually now hold the times "fixed" - or rather not fixed but matching clock times, as parameters exist to allow to switch not only display clock times but actual tariff / alcs switch times.

There was also years back iirc speculation that might have explained why some folk on BGs initial EV tariff - those who had a BG meter - with 5 hrs overnight stayed iirc 0000 to 0500 and others shifted because there meters stayed gmt so got offoeak 1-6 summer time. But not sure if that was using registers or 1/2 hourly data.