Swap storage heaters circuits cost and time

[pgtips]

Hi,
I'd like to understand what's happening later when electrician visits.
Have replaced storage heaters with panel heaters and asked energy company too put us over to normal tariff, not economy 7.

The panel heater circuits are dead during the day.

It seems the storage heaters run on a timer at the meter so we need electrician (booked) to
transfer the Economy 7 circuits onto the untimed supply.

It's it a straightforward job or lot of rewiring. How long might it take?
The fuse board was replaced 3 years ago so wires are clean.
Thank you
Kev

 

[stem]

Often there are two consumer units one permanently energised for your lights / sockets etc. and the other that is energised only during the 'off peak' tariff. In which case it's a matter of changing the supply of the 'off peak' consumer supply to the permanent supply. It's usually a job for the energy provider if it involves accessing the electric meter terminals as per the example below.

If you just have one dual tariff consumer unit with the peak and off peak supplies in a single unit, that would need reconfiguring inside.

However, nether are likely to be big jobs, probably done in well under a day, but if you are worrying about the cost of the work, that it will disappear into insignificance, when your electricity bill arrives. Depening on your economy 7 tariff the 'off peak' electricity that storage heaters use usually costs less than 1/2 the cost of daytime electricity. So it's likely your heating bill will double when you start using the panel heaters.

 

[winston1]

Depending on your economy 7 tariff the 'off peak' electricity that storage heaters use usually costs less than 1/2 the cost of daytime electricity. So it's likely your heating bill will double when you start using the panel heaters.

Indeed. I just don’t understand why people do this.

 

[stem]

Often I think it's the initial outlay. If the heaters need replacing new storage heaters cost £500 plus each. Decent panel heaters are £150. If you have a few it can soon add up.

Having lived in a property with storage heating I still had panel heaters in the bedrooms. Storage heaters tend not to work well in bedrooms as they can't be switched off completely and it can get too hot. A storage heater in the hallway usually provides background heat for upstairs and the panel radiators just top it up if required, so aren't needed much.

 

[pgtips]

Thanks everyone, turns out the timer or however they've set it up must be in the actual meter so the supplier needs to attend.

Pg

 

[ericmark]

Economy 7 is a tariff how it is used has changed over the years. White meter I would think is long gone. But the switching can be done by supplier or user.

The storage methods have also changed, have seen true central heating, where a central store is heated, and fans or pumps move to heat to rooms as required.

However most are not true central heating units, and heat the home when not required, but cost is down to losses. If the home is well insulated then heat gained in 7 hours can keep the premises warm enough all day.

But when insulation is poor, and the premises are empty for 8 hours or more, having no heating over that time is going to save money.

But it all depends on building use and insulation, there is no one system suits all.

 

[SUNRAY]

Thanks everyone, turns out the timer or however they've set it up must be in the actual meter so the supplier needs to attend.

Pg

Maybe if it's a smart meter, otherwise it's a time switch or radio teleswitch telling the meter which rate to use.