Economy 7 Off Peak hours

annettetabs

espresso wrote: »

...................

Thanks for that info - I have printed out the user guide and hubby can have a look at that.

espresso

I would try switching OFF the 5:00PM - 7:00PM boost, unless you really need it.

annettetabs

OK thanks - i'll give it a go.

aj9648

I have the same Horstmann timer and had real problems with it - but just about managed to sort it.

But had a bill through last week (the old tenant) and was staggerred that it was nearly £600 for the last quarter !!! - given that this is a one bed flat !!! Is this a lot - everything is run by electric i.e. heating, oven etc. I rang Eon up to ask for off peak hours and apparently I have no off peak hours, just one flat rate !! Can I change this?

I have set my boost to come on at 5am and off at 8am so me and Mrs can get hot water in the morning for a shower.....what else can I do to reduce costs from other peoples experiences??

espresso

aj9648 wrote: »

I have the same Horstmann timer and had real problems with it - but just about managed to sort it.

Don't really see why, as it's a simple timeswitch with an optional boost period that can be programmed. Read the user instructions.

But had a bill through last week (the old tenant) and was staggerred that it was nearly £600 for the last quarter !!! - given that this is a one bed flat !!! Is this a lot - everything is run by electric i.e. heating, oven etc. I rang Eon up to ask for off peak hours and apparently I have no off peak hours, just one flat rate !! Can I change this?

Yes but it depends on the type of electric heaters that you have i.e. night storage? your suppliers rates, and the region that you are in, if it would be cost effective. Remember that electricity is the most expensive form of heating, if not using economy 7.

I have set my boost to come on at 5am and off at 8am so me and Mrs can get hot water in the morning for a shower.....

I don't think that you understand what the boost feature is for! The boost is to be used as an optional addition to the normal set times, when extra hot water is needed. As this timer is designed for use with E7, you will not be getting any real benefit from using it, other than convenience!

what else can I do to reduce costs from other peoples experiences??

Change to the most suitable tariff and the supplier with the best prices.

..............

annettetabs

Hi Espresso - just wondered if you could shed any light on this. I found the original instructions to my timer and apparently I can have up to 3 off peak settings as well as additional boost settings. That must be why my off peak light glows on my timer in the airing cupboard but what is the point of off peak settings being used during the day?

espresso

annettetabs wrote: »

Hi Espresso - just wondered if you could shed any light on this. I found the original instructions to my timer and apparently I can have up to 3 off peak settings as well as additional boost settings. That must be why my off peak light glows on my timer in the airing cupboard but what is the point of off peak settings being used during the day?

After a reset, the factory default settings are for one period during the night from 2:15AM till 7:15AM, This should coincide with your night rate units but can obviously be adjusted to suit. Any other settings are for users whose E7 period is split e.g. it does not have to be one continuous seven hour period. Some regions have E10 etc. where the cheap rate hours are split.

If you have your boost set to come on every day between 5:00PM and 7:00PM this will be using the expensive day rate units, hence your high bills, so I would suggest that you have this set to a manual boost and only use it when absolutely necessary e.g. if you run out of hot water, to override the pre-programmed night times for a set boost period.

annettetabs

espresso wrote: »

After a reset, the factory default settings are for one period during the night from 2:15AM till 7:15AM, This should conincide with your night rate units. Any other settings are to suit users whose E7 period is split e.g. it does not have to be one continuous seven hour period. Some regions have E10 etc. where the cheap rate hours are split.

If you have your boost set to come on every day between 5:00PM and 7:00PM this will be using the expensive rate units, hence your high bills, so I would suggest that you have this set to a manual boost and only use it when absolutely necessary e.g. if you run out of hot water, to override the pre-programmed night times for a set boost period.

Great - thanks very much for all your help and advice. I will turn it off now!

aj9648

The problem I have had is that there is no hot water when the boost is not actually on - without the boost, the water is cold. For e.g yesterday - the boost button was on and water was hot from shower - I was in it and when boost turned off the water turned cold instantly.

Also takes ages to heat up when I hit the boost button - up to 45 mins

espresso

aj9648 wrote: »

The problem I have had is that there is no hot water when the boost is not actually on - without the boost, the water is cold.

The boost output is normally connected to a separate immersion heater located at the top of the tank. Therefore if your hot water only get hot when using boost, it sounds like your other immersion heater element is toast and needs replacing!