Advice on Tariffs

WiserMiser

When does the alarm go off, is it almost immediately when the Honeywell so-called 'storage' heater starts charging around 10:30pm but is still cold, or is it later on when it's warmed up?

Does it feel warm within a minute of switching on, or does it take longer? If it's switched off when it's hot, does it take a few minutes or a few hours to cool down?

BlissfulPanda74

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052111#Comment_82052111

Thank you :) Definitely not voluntary. Company I worked for, the council and property developers couldn't make their minds up for 4 1/2 years. The alternative weren't the best either and considering we're in the South West, you'd have to travel miles to get something decent!

The EDF monthly estimate is £150, but my current tariff sees me paying £134 (obviously not for long with the current market). Octopus was also quoted but going by high usage. Medium usage estimates it at £90. Will have to sit down in the morning and go through everything to see if lower the costs from either provider.

We have a Mira sport shower, with the E7 water heating controls in the kitchen. Kitchen and bathroom taps get their hot water from the tank, the shower heats its only supply from what I remember the plumbers mentioning. There's a lagged water tank in the airing cupboard.

I will check the models and makes of the storage heaters and update in the morning. The E7 restricted isn't something I've heard of. I'm not entirely sure what you mean when you say "1 or 2 consumer units"? If you mean the meter, then we only have the one.

All the usual suspects get turned off when not in use, with the exception of the small undercounter fridge/freezer. Unless I camp outside all day and night to see what's contributing, I genuinely don't know what could be costing us so much. When we first moved in, it £66 a month!

Unfortunately, the whole flat really needs modernising, especially the heaters. We'd have to vacate the flat entirely and renting anywhere is quite challenging.

BlissfulPanda74

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052180#Comment_82052180

Thank you for the response!

I just did the check and my night rate currently the same as the one on the screen, day rate is far lower than what I'm currently paying. The standing charge is where it goes down the loo - it's higher than what I'm currently paying and what the quoted amount from the Jul27 Fixed from EDF shows.

QrizB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052346#Comment_82052346

In which case, it's going to depend on exactly how much electricity you use over a year.

Do you have a good handle on this? How much do you use in a typical year on each rate? Are you happy to share that here?

BlissfulPanda74

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052310#Comment_82052310

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052327#Comment_82052327

The only time we turned it on was when we moved in. Hasn't been used since. We've got the thermals, layers and thick blankets out so it's not too bad. The building keeps the heat in during the summer (whole flat turns into a sauna with one bedroom being the only room to escape to since it's at the back in the shade. This heatwave we've had proves it!)

We've noticed the carpeted rooms have no underlay under them and have asked for that to be considered, but haven't heard anything back about that from either the estate agent or landlord, so as you say, he's either a cheapskate or genuinely doesn't know/care because the bills aren't his responsibility.

BlissfulPanda74

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052375#Comment_82052375

Sat down and worked out how much is being spend on each rate earlier at dinner time.

Taken from the meter readings I've done from May 2025 until June 2026:


Day consumption: £1466.16 (this is at 31.730p per kWh, recently changed to 28.390p per kWh)

Night consumption: 228.61 (this is at 12.340p per kWh, recently changed to 9.000p per kWh as of April/May 2026)


SC: £180.53 (this is at 45.590p per day, originally at 47.87p per day)

Not sure if this is of any use? Would it be worth taking a look at the 2024-2025 totals?

WiserMiser

We have a Mira sport shower

It just gets worse. 😱 It's probably a 9 - 11kW shower and used at peak E7 times. At 28.39p/kWh, if two people each shower for 10 minutes per day that's £311 - £380 per year just for showering !! Two showers per day and that becomes £622 - £760.

You should be using water heated overnight at the cheap rate, not an instantaneous electric shower.

What are 'the E7 controls in the kitchen'? A rotary mechanical timer? A digital timer? A switch you turn on and off?

Edit: p/kWh prices updated to your values.

QrizB

Ok, so (converting back) that's 4620 kWh/yr at daytime rate and 1850 kWh/yr at nighttime rate?

You're using almost 6500 kWh/yr of electricity which seems quite a lot for a 2-bed flat considering how you've described your usage.

Do you have a hot water storage tank? You've already answered that one. Does this heat up on the cheap rate electricity, or do you find yourself having to top it up on daytime rate?

Your heaters; they're attached to the wall but do they also have feet underneath them that support their weight? As WiserMiser says, storage heaters are (quite literally) full of bricks and weigh tens of kilos, so need feet otherwise they'd pull their screws out of the wall. If your heaters don't have feet, they're unlikely to be storage heaters.

Are you using any other appliances which get hot? For example, do you keep tropical fish, are you mining bitcoin or do you have a hot tub (unlikely in a 2-bed flat, granted!).

BlissfulPanda74

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052419#Comment_82052419

This is what I mean by E7 water heater:

20260629_162449.jpg

BlissfulPanda74

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052425#Comment_82052425

Just checked the 3 "storage heaters". Only the one in the living room is on legs which appear to be bolted into the floor under the carpet. The hallway and 2nd bedroom are bolted to the wall.

Nope, nothing exotic like that! Just the usual suspects - 2 TVs, 2 games consoles, 2 laptops, 2 mobile phones, undercounter fridge/freezer, cooker, washing machine, microwave, toaster, kettle, electric shower, router, tower fan and electric blanket.