My Economy 7 tariff currently has off-peak hours from 1am to 8am. However the switch connected to my storage heater is currently set to turn on between 12am and 7am. How can I make adjustment to the timer, if there is one (no idea where please someone advise) to suit my Economy 7 tariff, off-peak hours timeframe
Storage heater off peak time adjustment
- Thread starter Yeeha28
- Start date
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Please tell us the make&model of the timer that you have, or post a photo.
If yours is a Horstmann E7 timer, it sounds like you may not have set it to allow for BST.
If yours is a Horstmann E7 timer, it sounds like you may not have set it to allow for BST.
There must be a bit more. Is there another fuseboard? Show me the meter and anything connected to it.
The photo of the consumers unit is too blurry to decipher, and most of the breakers do not have description labels, so hard to comment on that.
The photo of the consumers unit is too blurry to decipher, and most of the breakers do not have description labels, so hard to comment on that.
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I think that CU has 24 x 7 AND E7 in it
See closer photo of the left side CU, those 4 MCBs are connected to my heaters, 3 out of 4 are storage heaters and the other one is a very old simplex wall panel heater (not a storage heater, see photo) which can be turned on/off anytime. Storage heaters only turn on between 12am to 7am. Not sure if there’s timer somewhere, Any idea ?
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I have looked at all the pictures, but non show "the switch connected to my storage heater is currently set to turn on between 12am and 7am." @Taylortwocities has had a guess as to what may be used, but we have not seen if this guess is correct.
Economy 7 is a tariff, not a system, it started with the "White meter" where a independent fuse board was used for off peak, we have since since then many methods, some with 5 heavy cables into the meter and the meter does the switching, some with a trigger cable from the meter, and some where the user has to do the switching.
My home uses the latter method, I have 5 hours of off peak, and there is some uncertainty as to if off peak uses BST or UTC so I only use 4 hours, my washing machine, tumble drier, and dishwasher can have a delay set in half or one hour increments, longer times one hour only, the solar inverter has a set time to recharge battery, but even if all turn on together, I would not exceed the 60 amp supply to house and the longest load is tumble drier, which takes around 2.5 hours, so 4 hours is ample.
But I will admit I had to ring up the solar panel installer to find out how to set the batteries to charge with off peak power, it was not as easy as it first looked.
However as it stands we have no idea what does the timing for you, so we can't really help.
Economy 7 is a tariff, not a system, it started with the "White meter" where a independent fuse board was used for off peak, we have since since then many methods, some with 5 heavy cables into the meter and the meter does the switching, some with a trigger cable from the meter, and some where the user has to do the switching.
My home uses the latter method, I have 5 hours of off peak, and there is some uncertainty as to if off peak uses BST or UTC so I only use 4 hours, my washing machine, tumble drier, and dishwasher can have a delay set in half or one hour increments, longer times one hour only, the solar inverter has a set time to recharge battery, but even if all turn on together, I would not exceed the 60 amp supply to house and the longest load is tumble drier, which takes around 2.5 hours, so 4 hours is ample.
But I will admit I had to ring up the solar panel installer to find out how to set the batteries to charge with off peak power, it was not as easy as it first looked.
However as it stands we have no idea what does the timing for you, so we can't really help.
Let's start again.
How do you know something turns on at 12 if the power doesn't turn on until 1?
Between 1am and 8 am is a bit later than usual.
Ok. How do you know that?
It's a switch which can be switched on or off - no settings.
How do you know something turns on at 12 if the power doesn't turn on until 1?
What timer?
If there isn't one then the heaters must just come on whenever the off-peak supply is on.
Between 1am and 8 am is a bit later than usual.
Yes. So far we have had pictures of everything but the important bit....
I checked that with my supplier
Because last year i replaced one of my storage heater with a wall panel heater, and replaced it switch with a 1 gang 13amp wall socket, I can only use that new 1 gang socket between 12am and 7am, cause it won’t work outside of the 7 hours window
Maybe a timer to adjust the off peaks timeframe, Might not exist, I don’t know.
See attached, I have taken more photos from my meter room, found something looks like a timer but no sure if it is for my flat. I tried to see if there any cables from my meter connected to the ‘timer’, but found none.
Please advise.
Is that how it’s supposed to work? If so then good. Cause I was worried as storage heater turns on an hour earlier than the designated off-peak period, it will likely use electricity at the higher peak-rate tariff
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Ok.
So - not between 1 and 8 like the supplier said.
Not if it works as the new socket.
Can't tell.
It would but it doesn't look like that is what you have.
The meter switches the heating on at whatever times the off peak is available.
There is no timer, and nothing to adjust.
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This meter 
with 5 cables, switching done in the meter, this meter 
no switching in the meter, this 
is a 7 day timer, but seems unlikely to have anything to do with storage radiators. When I look at the smart meter app, it has two options, kWh or £, it is clear comparing the two, most of my electric is off peak.
Since we don't know which meter is yours, can't really be 100% but seems likely all done in the meter.
with 5 cables, switching done in the meter, this meter no switching in the meter, this is a 7 day timer, but seems unlikely to have anything to do with storage radiators. When I look at the smart meter app, it has two options, kWh or £, it is clear comparing the two, most of my electric is off peak.Since we don't know which meter is yours, can't really be 100% but seems likely all done in the meter.
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