How to use E7 across rest of house?

[Kilm]

Hi folks.

I've got a property in a village with no gas supply. As such, it's E7.

I'm about to ditch the storage heaters and go with EHC DSR radiators - it's a guesthouse so I can't continue with the storage system as guests don't know how to use it properly.

I've already got them in the bedrooms and they're very efficient and reasonable to run.

I'm trying to figure out however, how to use the E7 feed on them and the rest of the major appliances at night.

Someone had once told me something about a timer or relay system that would switch over an appliance running on day rate to the night rate once it kicked in?

Does anyone know more about this? I've got one dual meter with Low and High rates and two distribution boxes (I think).

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

 

[Adam W]

The Economy 7 tariff simply means you're charged different rates in the day and evening. Your Economy 7 consumer unit will be set to only energise at night so any appliances fed from there won't come on during the day when your electricity is more expensive; at night your 24 Hour Supply will also be charged at the lower rate.

Your best course of action would be to ditch the Economy 7 tariff and have a flat rate, and maybe look into a central heating system fed from a heat pump.

 

[Resu]

I second what Adam has said.

Economy rates without storage heaters generally becomes uneconomical.

A standard rate and utilising the timers in the heaters would definitely be the best way to go.

 

[telectrix]

if you dave a dual tariff meter, then anything using power between 12-7 a.m.will be at the lower rate. you just need to fit timers.

 

[Kilm]

if you dave a dual tariff meter, then anything using power between 12-7 a.m.will be at the lower rate. you just need to fit timers.

My E7 is with Ovo and I've got a two year fixed deal where my night rate is about 8p and my day rate is 15p. The day rate is actually cheaper than their flat rate tariff, so would make no sense to change.

So are you saying everything is on E7 rate? Or do the four cables suggest not? I'm going up next weekend so I guess the easiest way to see is to sit and watch it and turn on the hot tub and see what clicks up.

 

[GeorgeCooke]

Hi folks.

I've already got them in the bedrooms and they're very efficient and reasonable to run.

All electric heaters are 100% efficient. None are reasonable to run compared with gas (which I realise you don't have) as electricity costs more than 3 times as much per kW.

 

[telectrix]

more like 5 x.

 

[Kilm]

All electric heaters are 100% efficient. None are reasonable to run compared with gas (which I realise you don't have) as electricity costs more than 3 times as much per kW.

Yeah, no, I meant reasonable in comparison to the old three bars the place used to have. My energy bill per year is around £3000. Unfortunately I just have no other options open to me.

Renewables won't give the comfort needed for guests when it's known to hit -12 celcius around here and an LPG tank just isn't feasible due to the sheer amount of work needed.

Makes me a bit sick sometimes when I think of the costs, but hands are tied. The only thing I have going for me is a good tarrif.

 

[Octopus]

At £3000 for your energy its rather high, but you could have a big home.

If you have a loft how much insulation do you have in it? Loft insulation is the cheapest way to improve your heat consumption..

 

[Kilm]

At £3000 for your energy its rather high, but you could have a big home.

If you have a loft how much insulation do you have in it? Loft insulation is the cheapest way to improve your heat consumption..

It's because it's a holiday let. It's occupied more or less the whole year round. Two bed bungalow with log burner and hot tub. Three storage heaters, two in living room, one in hall. Bedrooms are now the EHC DSRs which seem to be bringing the bills down a bit.

It's because I need to balance off cost against complaints. If my guests can't control the heat, that's a complaint if it ends up too cold.

As such, some of them come in and wang it up to 23c on manual for the whole day. Thankfully these new radiators seem quite good in terms of the spread of heat.

The storage ones empty too quickyk because they inevitably ignore the instructions I leave and turn them up full, so the nights heat is fine in four or five hours.

I had the energy trust out, but they couldn't really offer any alternatives that didn't require half the house getting torn up.

I'd thought about solar just to help ease the costs but I just don't think they'll help that much in comparison to their cost outlay.

Aaargh.

Hence why I want to try and get everything switching onto the cheap rate at night.

 

[westward10]

It is a guest house.

 

[Octopus]

I’m sorry to say there isn’t much you can do ......the £3k is an expense you have to tolerate .....

How far from the property are you?

 

[Kilm]

I’m sorry to say there isn’t much you can do ......the £3k is an expense you have to tolerate .....

How far from the property are you?

About three hours.

So is there no way to switch other circuits on to the E7 night rate via a timer or relay?

Even if for example, I can get the main heaters onto the circuit for the low rate, I can boost the heating for the last hour or so if cheap rate in the morning and that should coast through for a few hours before having to top up on day rate.

 

[1Justin]

It may sound tough.. but I'll say it anyway. We need more people on this soapbox.

Your holiday let needs a deep energy efficiency makeover. Roof insation, external wall insulation. Forget Part L1b, - building regs still provide mostly inadequate insulation standards for our overheating climate.
If you have roof space, some PV and solar thermal. Do it right, bills will drop to a very small proportion of what they are now, or potentially vanish.
Yes it costs, and it's hard to find anyone to do it properly.
Remember you're already burning cheap gas to generate your electricity (Unless you are on a renewables tariff). If gas were several times the price (- where it needs to be to get the attention it rightly needs for any chance of a future civilization), then we might be getting somewhere.

 

[Octopus]

^^ direct and too the point.

The UK is so predictable ... Wanting it all be not wanting to invest .....

You can't have it both ways.