Are my storage heaters wired up wrong

Emielou

Hi Espresso

Sorry if I offended - I should have updated. It wasn't too much effort, we have readings taken twice per day for 8months and to double check I did phone hubby and got him to turn the dishwasher on as suggested and sure as - the night rate went up.

We now know that we are definitely using night rates during the day so I've phoned Npower again who agreed that the meter must be recodring or feeding incorrectly and they are sending someone to check the meter.

What we still don't know is how our storage heaters are managing to use day and night units. Penrhyn suggested they should be wired to only use night rate - but they are using day and night rates, so as goldmercury suggested I'm getting an electrician to take a look.

Very many thanks for your help and advice - I'll let you know how I get on

Terrylw1

Hi,

Npower need to send out UU ONLY if your heaters are on all day and your day rate only is moving. Or, the same if your night rate ONLY is moving.

If both dials are recording, it is due to the wiring. The heaters need to be wired to the off peak circuit. This means they only switch on when the timeswitch activates for night and then switche back off at the day time click over.

In your case, both dials are recording and your heating is stuck on all day.

So, the only explanation is that the heaters are wired to the standard day circuit which means it's always on. People often don't realise that what you have wired to your day rate circuit is on all night as it's a permanent supply which you operate via switching devices on and off. The off peak circuit just switches additional devices on at the off peak times per the timeswitch on the meter and does not actually interupt the other devices at all. The meter just stops recording day rate units when you hit the off peak rate.

So, your solution is to get a private electrician out to correct this. Your Supplier is making a mistake sending someone out if both dials are recording because the engineer from UU will just say "timeswitch recording correct, no fault" and thats the last you will hear from Npower.

SwanJon

Not sure if this is applicable as it is a recent installation, but there are some supplies out there that are not 'day' and 'night', but are 'heating' and 'everything else'.
This would mean that the 'heating' reading goes up, but so could the 'everything else' reading.

Sure the electrician can find an answer.

Terrylw1

Emielou wrote: »

I don't have a clue how I use day during the night. For instance if I check at midnight and then at 07:00am (night times confirmed by Npower) I will have used 45 day units and 5 night units. If I check again at midnight I'll have added another 10 night units!!!
Npower told me the reading is 'live' because it's a new digital meter.
I thought the teleswitch might be switching on and off at the wrong times???

Npower told me that I do have a radio teleswicth because the property is only 12months old and that's what Unitied Utilities fit. It's a digital meter with a night and a day display - I press a button to see each display.

Sorry, what do you mean byt have the readings being transposed? The readings on the bill are the same as on the meter.

Hi,

I missed this part (and what Expresso was explaining) and there is another alternative to this.

On E7 meters you have day tails and night tails. I reckon from what you have said in this post that your tails have been labelled up the wrong way around by the builders (it's sadly common) so when the UU engineer came out, he connected them per the builders labels.

The engineer will be able to work this out but I suggest you are on site and tell him how your units are recording. Otherwise, he may just assume it's correct per the labels again.

This would make your heaters operate on the peak day circuit and could be on all day because of it. This would also account for them working at night. The timeswitch on the meter would then not actually be controlling them but if they were on, I would expect them to be on alnight unless you have a private timeswitch as well?

This would also make all your consumption show against the day rate from the heating.

The off peak dial would then be recording your day usage (if that makes sense?)

Emielou

Hi Terrylw1

That does sound like what's happening. I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks everyone

Gorgeous_George

Sounds like the ring mains are incorrectly wired with the return of one ring returning to the other and vice versa. This would explain why BOTH circuits are live all the time.

The electrician will sort it I'm sure.

GG

espresso

Emielou Last Activity: Yesterday 9:57 PM

Well, update us then!

DickDastardly_2

Just to throw up something else, some newer E7 Storage heaters have two circuits, one is the night storage element that comes on at night to store heat working only with E7. The other feed is for an inbuilt convector which is always live on a standard ring main. I am sure you would realise if the convector was on though....?

Garz

Switching night rates involves a timeclock/teleswitch/enbray which can either switch the main load itself or use control wiring to activate the load. If the O/P was wired wrong it might not work, or always be on permanently. Another possibility is the 24hr wiring activating for the seven hour period.

As he states its a new build it shouldnt have any mechanical gear on the metering side. This leaves bad wiring from the contractor at the customer side. Could you post pictures of the setup and we may be able to help more?

Lancelot

My Dad's 87.He lives on his own cos he won't give in but is blind in one eye and can barely walk.
He got a bill in May from Npower for £994.87 for electric used in Feb,March,April this year.
No contact from N Power even though their Code of Practice promises to do so if bills are unusually high which it was.
I suspected finally having monitored usage for two weeks that the tarrifs must have been connected the wrong way round when the new meter was fitted by Meter Plus in June last year.
An independent electrician has confirmed this is the case this morning.
Dad allowed the bill to be paid by direct debit and said nothing until recently but this has made him ill.
Have Npower or Meterplus got a case to answer under consumer law ?