Getting rid of economy 7 tariff and Smart Meter

wrf12345 · Mar 30, 2019

Buying a house that has a mechanical meter with rotating dials that then branches into two modernish digital meters (not Smart), one for economy 7 and the other for the rest of the electrics. I only want a single tariff so if I have a Smart Meter fitted for free I assume they will take all three meters away and just connect the two separate fuse boxes on to the Smart Meter but looking at online pics I only ever see two wires shown as coming out of the Smart Meter to the domestic fuse box. I wont have the funds to upgrade the electrics to a single trip consumer unit until later. BTW anyone know the maximum ampage that a Smart meter is rated for as I will want two electric showers and cooker in the future (but the economy 7 heaters will be removed for gas).

ferg · Mar 30, 2019

If you are installing gas heating you would be better having this for the showers too.

Electric showers are not a s good as mains. (generally.)

As for the meter rating it's more to do with the fuse the DNO installs.

Here the fuses are generally 100A but in some areas they are 80A or even 60A.

As for smart meters and E7 I have no idea as they have not made it to my area yet.

Rpa07 · Mar 30, 2019

Welcome to the forum wrf12345.
If you could upload a quality photo of the gear that is there now we could advise on what would be expectedly done and also your future thoughts for your install - a good crisp photo will allow us to zoom in and read the ratings.
Cheers

Spoon · Mar 30, 2019

Rpa07 said:
a good crisp photo

Here you go mate.

[ElectriciansForums.net] Getting rid of economy 7 tariff and Smart Meter

Rpa07 · Mar 30, 2019

Spoon said:
Here you go mate.

View attachment 48581

See, when you zoom in it’s not crisp enough - it’s ALL crisp!

wrf12345 · Mar 30, 2019

"If you are installing gas heating you would be better having this for the showers too." May just have one electric shower, I don't use hot water or CH for eight months of the year to save on gas costs, find the small Triton 8kw showers are fine. Have not yet moved in so photo will have to wait.

mhar · Mar 30, 2019

WPD standard domestic supply is 15kW. The nearest fuse size to this is 80A (15,000/230). Even if your existing is 100A it is quite possible that this could be swapped for an 80A one if they attend your property. The old type of meters are generally rated at 80 or 100A, no idea re smart? meters

brianmoooore · Mar 30, 2019

Calculating the maximum demand for an installation is not just a matter of adding up all the individual potential loads. A diversity factor can be applied to many loads, but not instantaneous water heaters, which, as far as design is concerned , are assumed to be constantly on.
At 8kW each, two alone exceed the maximum load for a standard UK domestic supply (15kVA), with no allowance for anything else, so no reputable electrician will fit and certify these, unless an additional controller is fitted that only allows one shower to be used at a time.

Jim_e_Jib · Mar 30, 2019

wrf12345 said:
"If you are installing gas heating you would be better having this for the showers too." May just have one electric shower, I don't use hot water or CH for eight months of the year to save on gas costs, find the small Triton 8kw showers are fine. Have not yet moved in so photo will have to wait.

With the assumption that you're having gas central heating and a combi boiler installed, I reckon that what you save on gas costs with an electric shower will be more than spent on the cost of the shower and the electricity to run it.

telectrix · Mar 30, 2019

and ditch the idea of a smart spy meter. it's like being asssimilated by the Borg.

GeorgeCooke · Mar 30, 2019

Jim_e_Jib said:
With the assumption that you're having gas central heating and a combi boiler installed, I reckon that what you save on gas costs with an electric shower will be more than spent on the cost of the shower and the electricity to run it.

Indeed. Electricity costs 3 times as much as gas. (Look at the kWh rate on your bills).