Economy 7 question

I have Economy 7 electricity, the meter is fully digital at a guess less than 10 years old.

Recently I've been keeping careful note of the readings and in the last week the cheap rate reading has increased by 4 units even though the storage and immersion heaters which are the only appliances fed from the cheap rate circuit have been switched off for the entire period.

After reading some old postings to this group I'm now no longer sure I understand how Economy 7 is metered. There are two consumer units in my flat - one with the storage and immersion heaters attached, which only becomes live during the night; and one for all other circuits which is permanently live. I had assumed that all electricity usage through the night CU is billed at cheap rate, and all usage through the main CU is billed at normal rate irrespective of the time of day.

Am I right, or is _all_ electricity usage billed at cheap rate for the period the cheap rate supply is active? This would make sense as the only things running during the night are a fridge/freezer, alarm clock, battery charger, and maybe one or two short uses of the electric shower

- 4 units for a week sounds about right.

Alternatively, should I be getting in touch with Powergen to tell them that the meter is faulty?

Thank you.

Reply to
Ian Harding
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I believe the latter is correct.

Reply to
Dave Jones

*All* units consumed during the cheap-rate period are charged at the low rate. What you will have is one consumer unit that is restricted to the cheap-rate units only (heating).
Reply to
Wanderer

What, that he should get in touch with PG? I don't think so.

Reply to
Wanderer

Yes, this is why people buy time switches for their tumble driers, washing machines, dishwashers etc so that these power hungry devices don't cost so much to run. Especially when you consider that E7 day rate power costs more than non E7 power(*).

(*) But there is such a spread in tarrifs these days you may well find a non E7 tariff that has costs higher than other E7 ones.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

E7 has a few options If you have just one fuse board then all your supply will be at E7 rate at night with an extra charge for day units. but if you have a seperate fuse board for your Storage heating then the rest of the house will be at normal rate during the night, to complicate things some didgi meters will add extra units every night for standing charge, some dont Tip. your meter will never be read by anyone that understands how it works, if the timer meter is seperate, remove the seal, set the pointers for 24hr use, and you will be on E7 all day. dont tell anyone!.

Reply to
bob

IT depends on how it has been wired.

My E7 meter (Old analogue one, although it was fitted about two years ago!) is wired so everything is on cheap rate at night, and everything is on normal rate in the day.

Do you have a radio teleswitch/timer, or it is all contained in the meter? I have a seperate timer box, controled by radio, if I had a seperate circuit I wanted to be only live at night, this circuit would be wired through this.

Sparks...

Reply to
Sparks

Incidentally, they seem quite happy to change the meters if, for example, you switch tariff. There is also a predetermined "life" of meters. We recently got a letter saying our meter has reached the end of its useful life and is to be replaced on Wednesday.

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Reply to
dp

Many years ago, I lived in a student house that had economy 7 on a manual analogue timer. The timer paused when we had a power cut so that economy 7 ran from around 4.00pm until 11.00pm.

We told the local electricity company several times, including letters sent recorded delivery. They never contacted us to resolve the problem.

Graham

Reply to
graham

Is it necessary to switch tariff before changing suppliers? I am currently on economy 7 and I believe the break even to justify the higher daytime rate is that at least 30% of all units used should be night time, I am now well under this.

So I intend to change tariff but also look to another supplier. I think Dave L posted that there was no disadvantage in the tariffs with no standing charge but a possible (albeit unlikely) advantage if you used less than the higher rate allocation in the billing period, do all suppliers use the same maths in allocating a higher rate to offset the loss of standing charge?

AJH

Reply to
sylva

Donno. But trying to switch suppliers and tarrif at the same time strikes me as asking for trouble. Having just switched I don't have a great deal of confidence in the process, it worked but the amount of conflicting snail and email I got was not good.

I did the sums via a spreadsheet on Norweb E7 figures a while back the break even point once you where above a total of 15 units/day was under 25% to be used at night rate. Dropping to 23% at 20 total units/day and a tad above 22% at 25 total units/day.

Not that unlikely, two of the meters here use f'all electricity as the parts of the building they feed are unoccupied. Leaving them with PowerGens new no standing charge tarrif will save =A350/year. Though I really ought to check the E7 one... For an occupied place I agree it is unlikely that you will save anything. You'd have to be using less than an average of 2 or 3 units/day.

I'd say yes but I've not looked at all the myriad of tarrifs from the umpteen suppliers out there. Use a few of the "switch your utility" sites to see what they turn up as good suppliers then look at the tarrifs and plug the figures into a spread sheet to do the maths.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

There is a single meter, the display cycles through the two separate readings and a total by pressing a button. There is no other equipment in the meter cupboard.

It does sound as if my meter is recording everything used at night as cheap rate. I wasn't sure if this was how Economy 7 worked, but from what you and others have said it sounds the most likely explanation.

Reply to
Ian Harding

Maybe the meter has an 'economy 7 only' output to save having storage and immersion heaters on timers.

cheers, Pete.

Reply to
Pete C

Out the bottom of the meter, how many cables are there?

If there are only 4 (L&N in and out) then it is defiantly counting everything at night rate!

If there are 5 or 6 then it still may be counting everything on the cheap rate, but only activating the second output at night.

Sparks...

Reply to
Sparks

I've just had a look. There are two output circuits so it must be switching the night one but metering all night units at the cheap rate as you say.

Reply to
Ian Harding

Where are the tails from the night storage heaters CSU connected to? D they go directly to the time switch? emine

-- eminen

Reply to
eminen

That is how Economy 7 works. Time clock (with spring or battery reserve) tells meter to be on day or night rate. Typically 0:30 to

7:30 winter, 1:30 to 8:30 summer since time clock stays on GMT. All electric is on the current rate.

Usually time clock has an output to big contactor that switches in the E7 storage heater distribution board where each heater feed has its own MCB. That switches on your storage heaters.

Reply to
Malcolm Reeves

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