Economy 7 Heating and Supply

[CrazeUK]

Hey Guys.

I bought a flat back in 2005 as an investment property.
It came with a load of storage heaters and an economy 7 supply.

Lounge: Storage + wall mounted (i think the Storage doesnt work)
Bedroom 1: Storage
Bedroom 2: Wall mount
Bedroom 3: Wall mount
Hallway: Storage
Kitchen: Wall mounted fan
Bathroom: Wall mounted fan

In 2008 there was a chip pan fire by one of the tenants in the kitchen, which meant the kitchen needed completely renovating.

This was done by the insurance companies suggested tradesman.

I have just moved in my self for weekdays as i work in the same city.

Because of a bad debt by one of the previous tenants a Token meter was installed, which i am having replaced in a week.

I have noticed there is a normal RCD on the E7 low rate supply.
If i remember correctly some years ago at a friends rented flat, the E7 RCD had a timer on it so you could set the time it needed to be on or off.

I also tested the hall way storage, and it seems to have eaten £7 worth of electricity in 72 hours (3 days) while i was away. This isnt normal is it?

Also on a seperate note, what works out better for working people. E7 or Normal heaters.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I have noticed there is a normal RCD on the E7 low rate supply.
If i remember correctly some years ago at a friends rented flat, the E7 RCD had a timer on it so you could set the time it needed to be on or off.

Are you sure it wasn't just a timer?

I also tested the hall way storage, and it seems to have eaten £7 worth of electricity in 72 hours (3 days) while i was away. This isnt normal is it?

No, but if a bad debt, it could be deducting money weekly.

Also on a seperate note, what works out better for working people. E7 or Normal heaters.

Depends what is wanted and how it is used.
I wouldn't like them but if all-electric it may be beneficial.

When you say working people I presume you mean they are only at home in the evenings in which case storage heaters are not ideal.

 

[phatboy]

When you say working people I presume you mean they are only at home in the evenings in which case storage heaters are not ideal.

Not on E7, but on E10 they would be fine. This is roughly what I have and it keeps the place warm all day and night.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Fairy nuff.

 

[phatboy]

Probably should have expanded a little more!

If the meter is being changed, it would be worth seeing if the supplier will offer E10 in the area as an alternative?

 

[CrazeUK]

Apologies, i am adding edits as i am reading the responses.

When i took over it a week ago, i called nPower and they cleared the £40 debt for me, and made me a new account, which is due to go onto a Normal monthly E7 tariff.

The flat is all electric. Heaters and water.

And yup i mean people that work 9-5.

When i spoke to the woman at npower, she said between 7pm and 7 am it was at the lower rate.

Although i thought E7 was for 7 hours.

What is E10?

There is nothing that looks like a timer on the RCD, and would presume there has to be a way of telling the timer to start supplying or not.

There is just a master switch, and 5 smaller switches marked Storage 1 - 3.

Do you think i should look into having the E7 meter taken out all together (There are two, a conventional sliding digit meter, which is connected to an electronic prepayment meter).

 

[CrazeUK]

Hey guys.

They said they didnt offer E10.
They have now changed the meter from a Prepayment meter to a normal meter.

I found the engineer from Meter Plus a right pain.

Anyways, he changed it to a normal E7 meter.
Although i did notice the time was set an hour back. i.e. yesterday when i check it showed 17:42 at 18:51.

Does this need to be corrected?
Or does it just mean, i can have a shower on the night rate until 8 am lol

I also figured out my hot water control board is a Hortsmann Economy 7 Quartz, i will check what times this is set on when i get back.

I called nPower to check the cost of the kWh's.
they said:
Day rate: 19.89p kWh
Low Rate: 5.80p kWh

I asked if this had changed in comparison to my Prepayment meter, they said it hadnt. If this is the case i regret having it changed.

Previously i mentioned seeing a timer on the RCD at a friends flat, it looked something like this:
http://www.electrical2go.co.uk/analogue-54mm-quartz-stabilised-1chanel-24-hour-timer-tad1.html[url][/url]

 

[JohnW2]

Anyways, he changed it to a normal E7 meter. Although i did notice the time was set an hour back. i.e. yesterday when i check it showed 17:42 at 18:51. Does this need to be corrected?

No. That would be because they have (as usual) set the clock to GMT, and your watch is currently displaying BST. For obvious reasons, they don't rush around all the E7 installations twice per year to change the clocks - they leave them on GMT all the time, so ...

Or does it just mean, i can have a shower on the night rate until 8 am lol

Yes, it means precisely that during the summer, so make the most of the next 4 weeks or so! Come November, I'm afraid that you'll have to have your shower before 7am, if you want it to be 'cheap'

I called nPower to check the cost of the kWh's. they said: Day rate: 19.89p kWh Low Rate: 5.80p kWh

They sound fairly typical. It normally works out that you need at least a third of your consumption to be at cheap rate for it to work out cheaper than a standard single-rate tariff (typically 12-14p per kWh).

What I'm not clear about is what, if anything, is controlling when the storage heaters are 'on', since you appears to be saying that there is no apparent timer. If they were 'on' during 'Day rate' hours, your bills would soar.

Kind Regards, John

 

[CrazeUK]

What I'm not clear about is what, if anything, is controlling when the storage heaters are 'on', since you appears to be saying that there is no apparent timer. If they were 'on' during 'Day rate' hours, your bills would soar.

Kind Regards, John

You hit it on the head. I remember going away for the weekend a few weeks ago, and one storage heater had cost me around £6.

I know the storage heaters alone are connected to a seperate RCD, but there is nothing indicating it is a timer. or built in.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Previously i mentioned seeing a timer on the RCD at a friends flat, it looked something like this:
http://www.electrical2go.co.uk/anal...lised-1chanel-24-hour-timer-tad1.html[/QUOTE]
That's a DIN-rail mount timer - it doesn't go "on" an RCD. Nor (we hope) is it supplied directly from one - an MCB before it would be a jolly good idea.

 

[JohnW2]

What I'm not clear about is what, if anything, is controlling when the storage heaters are 'on', since you appears to be saying that there is no apparent timer. If they were 'on' during 'Day rate' hours, your bills would soar.

You hit it on the head. I remember going away for the weekend a few weeks ago, and one storage heater had cost me around £6. ... I know the storage heaters alone are connected to a seperate RCD, but there is nothing indicating it is a timer. or built in.

You certainly need to get things arranged so that the storage heaters only use electricity at cheap rate, otherwise it will cost you a fortune with E7 (maybe this is why the tenants created a bad debt!) - you'll probably need to get an electrician to sort out timer-control of the heater circuit(s) for you.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Previously i mentioned seeing a timer on the RCD at a friends flat, it looked something like this:http://www.electrical2go.co.uk/analogue-54mm-quartz-stabilised-1chanel-24-hour-timer-tad1.html

That's a DIN-rail mount timer ...

That's true - but the point is that (as well as the OP not understanding the correct terminology), the OP's installation apparently doesn't have one, or any equivalent!

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

What I'm not clear about is what, if anything, is controlling when the storage heaters are 'on', since you appears to be saying that there is no apparent timer. If they were 'on' during 'Day rate' hours, your bills would soar.

The Horstmann7 is a timer which should be set to the same times as the E7 supply (or less, of course).

It also allows use during the day by a 'boost' switch which only stays on for one or two hours to avoid leaving it on permanently.

The boost supply can be either the E7 supply if your meter only changes the rate or the day supply.

 

[JohnW2]

What I'm not clear about is what, if anything, is controlling when the storage heaters are 'on', since you appears to be saying that there is no apparent timer. If they were 'on' during 'Day rate' hours, your bills would soar.

The Horstmann7 is a timer which should be set to the same times as the E7 supply (or less, of course)...

The OP said (maybe incorrectly) that the Horstmann7 was controlling his hot water, not the storage heaters. Does it have the ability to switch a high load such as multiple storage heaters (without a contactor)?

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

Oh, no, sorry - well, one if you wanted, I suppose.

I just assumed ??? as he mentioned it it related to the immersion.


Edit - no, he says hot water control.