Is it cheaper to run things at night?

paul_h

MarkyMarkD wrote:

Apart from the financial consequences, it is more environmentally friendly to use electricity at non-peak times.

Peak electricity is generated from less efficient, marginal, power stations which are not cost effective to run all the time. Base load electricity is generated from the most efficient stations which are consequently more environmentally sound.

Most people could reduce the peak environmental impact of electricity generation if they made an effort to shift their non-time sensitive usage off peak.

I fully agree - the principle is very sound.

I have been on economy 7 for many years and have found that good savings can be made if you can operate power hungry appliances during the night.

Yes, daytime rates are higher, but only by about 3-4% and I find that this is covered by the saving on appliances which are running 24hrs - fridges, freezers, etc., bear in mind that your economy 7 electricity is around 1/3 of the cost of standard daytime rates.

If you can run tumble dryers, washing machines, dishwashers, etc., on timers at night then worthwhile cost savings can be made - and as MarkyMarkD says, it's environmentally sound. You can even opt for a supplier which guarantees to generate your electricity from renewable resources!

Even storage heaters are becoming a viable proposition again with oil and gas price levels as they are. Modern systems are a much improved product and actually work, delivering heat when you need it in the evenings. Automatic input control and thermostatic room temperature control can reduce energy consumption by 25% over the older static storage heaters, whilst providing much improved heating.

When calculating heating costs, it is also worth bearing in mind that all heating systems have a finite life, and e7 storage heater installation can cost less than half the cost of a gas or oil fired system, plus there are no ongoing maintenance costs. These savings should be considered over the life of any system. You can be talking about a saving of many thousands of pounds here, that could be £150+ per year towards your bills over the average 20 year life of a heating system.

Whilst e7 storage heating has had a bad reputation in the past, the new systems on offer really are good and there are some sound money saving and environmentally friendly principles here. Anyone contemplating a new or replacement heating system should at least consider such a system.