Home and heating

Hello, we bought our current flat a few months ago and found out that Ovo is our electricity supplier. It is an all electric property, with electric immersion heater for hot water and electric storage heaters. This flat was designed around off peak electricity. There are 2 electricity meters, one so called white meter just for the off-peak circuit (storage heaters plus immersion water heater) and one for everything else, each with a separate MPAN number. The off peak meter turns the off peak circuit on and off, so that water heater and storage heaters only have power at night, it is the RTS type. When we moved in, Ovo created 2 account numbers, one for each meter and put each on the single rate tariff (without consulting or giving options). This means that we have to pay the standing charge twice and we have to pay expensive rate for hot water and heating. I have contacted Ovo multiple times (calls and chat) asking to: have only one account with one standing charge be moved onto some type of off-peak tariff (Economy 7 or something else) I was told that neither is possible. I was told that they cannot merge the two accounts and that they cannot put me on Economy 7, because I have the two meter set up (complex meter). Also, I wasn’t offered migrating to a 5-port smart meter with Economy 7 as a solution - I only came across it on this forum. I don’t understand this. Why can’t they offer some kind of peak / off-peak tariff to me? I know about the shut down of RTS signal next year and the push to smart meters. However, switching to a smart meter is not useful for us if they refuse to change our tariff. Also, I think we should only be paying one standing charge, as these two MPANs are associated (it is one household). Can you please advise? What are our options?

I have a Landis + Gyr 5246C meter that was installed in October 2014 and runs Economy 7 in my flat. There’s no radio teleswitch label on the meter and no separate box with a radio teleswitch label. Does this mean RTS isn’t used to switch between peak and off-peak? I don’t want to upgrade to a smart meter unless i absolutely have to. OVO have sent various letters about upgrading to a smart meter but none of them have mentioned the RTS switch off.

I live in an all electric apartment that has qan Economy 7 electricity supply We have a Gledhill water heater with an internal heat exchanger which is far too larger for our use and I am looking at ways to uce the high cost of heating too much water that we never use. I have consider fitting a supplimentary timer to the water heater supply to reduce the hours the power is on. I would like youur views on this possible modification and any other ideas that I can use to save money. My wife and I are both 86 so we do not think a complete rebuild is worth condering. Thank you

These air to air heat pumps, I’ve heard they’re noisy. Is that right?

Updated on 21/01/25 by Chris_OVO: Pipe Insulation for your Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) In collaboration with our Zero Carbon Homes trialists, we’ve put together a guide to the pipe insulation which should be fitted alongside an Air Source Heat Pump. Getting this pipe insulation right will make sure your new heating system runs as efficiently as possible so it’s really valuable to learn from those who’ve already been through the installation process. Below we’ve combined images and testimonials from members that have made the move away from carbon intensive gas boilers, to help show what to look out for following a visit from your installers. The basics @Transparent writes that: “There are three different categories of pipe insulation to be considered: 1: Exterior - must be Class-O, closed-cell, UV-resistant with wall thickness greater than 19mm. 2: In lofts, unheated “plant-rooms”, garage spaces or below a suspended floor. This should also have high wall-thickness and the joins taped. It may be subject to condensation but not exposed to sunlight and rain. 3: Internal - Can be the more common Climaflex type held with clips such as those sold here. External ASHP pipe insulation The temperature difference between the water flowing from and returning to the Heat pump will be about 5°C whilst the pump is running. It is therefore important to properly insulate these external pipes in order to prevent heat-loss. Exterior insulation needs to have two main characteristics: it must be of closed-cell construction to prevent rain or condensation filling up the voids within the material. They are what provide the insulating properties. it must be resistant to UV radiation from sunlight. Neither the common grey Polyethylene (Climaflex) insulation, nor the black nitrile-rubber (Armaflex) insulation satisfy these criteria. If there is little choice available, Armaflex nitrile-rubber can be used, but should then be over-painted with at least 2 coats of a terpolymer resin paint such as Armafinish 99, or ArmaFinish FR. These are available in black, grey or white. The better choice is to use an EPDM-rubber insulation such as Armaflex HT . This is more commonly sold for use on pipework connections to solar-thermal panels - hence the HT designation for High Temperature. However, it is its resistance to UV radiation which makes solar-pipe insulation suitable for Heat pumps. Both Armaflex nitrile rubber and Armaflex HT EPDM pipe insulation are sold in 2m lengths with wall thicknesses of 13, 19 and 25mm. When lagging long runs of 15mm or 22mm pipe, rolls of insulation are also available. However as this roll option is only manufactured with wall thicknesses of 13mm or 19mm, it is of little use for exterior Heat pump pipework in the UK’s winter climate. Long pipe runs would require 25mm thickness. Armaflex pipe insulation (unsplit and self-sealing) with tape for joins Insulation should cover not just the external pipework, but also every valve. This requires sections to be made from lengths with a larger internal bore. EPDM-rubber insulation is available with bore sizes in steps from 15mm to 89mm for both 19mm & 25mm wall-thicknesses. Generic “solar” pipe insulation is readily available from BES and BIS (no relation). But avoid buying from Ebay and Amazon sellers unless you really can tell the difference between UV-resistant EPDM and ordinary Nitrile Rubber! You may not be supplied with what you’ve ordered. Both types of black rubber insulation are normally referred to as ‘Class-O’. This is their fire-rating. They are much less combustible than the grey Polyethylene variety and do not give off poisonous fumes when in a fire. To accommodate a valve lever, a round hole is made in the insulation on the opposite side to the lengthways split. It can be fitted by temporarily removing the handle on a manually-operated valve. That split is then on the opposite side of the valve body, and must be sealed with exterior-grade Class-O insulation strip. To avoid ingress of rain water, valves in external pipework should not be installed with the lever-handle upwards. Joins between sections of insulation need covering with a UV-resistant tape. This must not be stretched when being applied. It may unstick itself when it later contracts, and it can compress the EPDM, decreasing the wall thickness and hence leave a weak-spot for heat-loss. Armaflex EPDM tape being used to replace degraded duct-tape joins Tape with integrated fabric is best. If you can’t find an EPDM tape then Scotch (3M) do a Tough Duct Tape which is UV resistant. (Duck Tape is also used - mainly by those who’ve only heard an audible description and don’t mind the bill.) Here’s an example of what might be considered good insulation: @nealmurphy: “I’m happy that the insulation has been done well and is neat and tidy and I believe suitable materials have been used. Following the independent audit the only comment mentioned about the external insulation was that the joints where the pipes entered the house could be better taped to ensure that it didn’t come away.” Here’s another example: @juliamc: “My heat pump is a split system. An R32 refrigerant takes energy from the outside unit into the inside unit as a gas under pressure (I believe). The insulation for the pipes is more important inside the building to prevent condensation. Insulation on the outside pipework doesn’t need to be as thick as that for monoblock systems which contain water, but it does have to be UV resistant. However I now have a good thick covering of Armaflex taped onto the pipes.” Here are some before and after shots on a different location, one installer vs another: Before: @hydrosam: “External insulation at connections to external heat pump unit showing poor detail with non-UV resistant insulation used to repair corner and cable-ties to hold it on. Valve also not easily operated without damaging insulation. After: Before: @hydrosam: “External insulation to wall run with non-UV resistant insulation used, joints not taped or glued, cable-ties used to secure insulation which squeeze joints and cause them to open. Entry through wall could allow weather to enter building. Poor detailing around anti-frost valve leaving exposed metal leading to unnecessary heat loss.” After: @hydrosam: “External insulation at right-angle bend on pipework showing exposed pipe resulting in heat loss and allowing weather to enter and degrade.” @Transparent writes that: “The metal valves should be completely encased with an insulation tube having a larger bore. A round hole is made in the insulation on the opposite side to the lengthways split. It can be fitted by temporarily removing the handle on a manually-operate valve. That split is then on the opposite side of the valve body, and must be sealed with exterior-grade Class-O insulation strip.” insulation cut to encapsulate a valve with handle @Transparent: “All joins between sections of insulation, and the split at the back should be taped with Armourflex. Cable ties not only compress the insulation, but also force the joins apart.” From @Primary Pro: One of the biggest issues was condensate insulation and external heating pipework insulation. If any joint / valve/ fitting is not sealed correctly, moisture/rain/snow will get in and not only reduce the efficiency of the heat pump/system but also deteriorate the insulation. All Class O, including the HT type, is not fully waterproof and has to be installed to their manufactures instruction. The issue with this is that sealing and painting class O cant be done in humidity higher than 80% or temps lower than 10 ℃. This means most of the time in UK, it cant be fitted correctly. This is why you will see many installations with Tie Wraps fitted, trying to keep the insulation on however, if there are any gaps or holes, this will effect the efficiency of the heat pump/system and insulation as you can see from the photos: Here’s a great video, found by @nealmurphy (with permission to share here) showing an approach taken by a ASHP pipe installer and insulator: Indoor ASHP pipe insulation @Transparent: “Once inside the insulation layer of the property it is more common to use less expensive pipe insulation with a wall thickness around 9-12mm. Internal insulation is commonly fitted without needing to tape or glue the joins.” @juliamc writes: “All the hot pipes in the airing cupboard (image above) are lagged with Climaflex pipe insulation. It’s very easy to cut through using a bread knife, taking care to get the mitre joints to line up. I’ve used Climaflex clips (£3.84 for 50) to ‘stitch’ together the open seam of the pipe insulation, which I found quicker and neater than taping, particularly over the curved pipework where the seam tended to open. It was useful to practice on the airing cupboard pipework before tackling the loft pipes, as any rookie errors and gaps would just allow heat to escape into the airing cupboard, as it does from the brass fittings. Even so the cupboard is noticeably cooler than with my old unlagged pipes.” Here’s another before and after combination. Notice the lack of insulation in the before shot! Before: After: Loft / garage ASHP pipe insulation @Transparent: “Loft insulation would normally have a much greater wall thickness because the loft in most houses is unheated (above the insulation level). The same would be true for the unheated area below a suspended floor. This underfloor void should have vents to the outside. The air-flow prevents moisture build-up, which would otherwise result in fungal rotting of timbers.” @juliamc: “Photo above show the volumiser as installed with no insulation, and in the image below is my improvement of 25mm foil backed duct wrap”: @Transparent writes: The most common foil insulation over the past decade has been Triso Super-10 from the French company Actis. But there is now a wide range of foils available from UK-based Superfoil. Note that foil insulation predominately offers a defence against thermal radiation. The traditional rockwool and glass fibre products counter losses through conduction and convection. They are different approaches and need evaluation for each situation. In some areas of the UK the Local Planning Authority (LPA) will not allow a house to pass Building Regs if it uses solely foil-based insulation in the attic/roof area. This is a controversial topic, based on the way in which the National Physics Laboratory and BRE specify the tests prior to awarding the required certification. That product accreditation issue should not prevent foil-based products being used to add insulation to component parts of a Heat pump installation. It can easily be cut to shape and produces minimal wastage. @juliamc: “Pipework was roughly insulated with 9mm which I am replacing with 13mm or 20mm Climaflex, however photos show that the insulation tends to shrink ! so I now have a few gaps to deal with”: Initial pipe insulation when first fitted Climaflex clips used to minimise gaps formed when insulation shrinks Another example here: @SandraAA writes: “The half insulated pipe is nothing to do with the ASHP, it’s to the cold water tank. The board at the back is the meter board and that no longer has the main controls. The hot water has a controller in the airing cupboard and the heating (including thermostat) is a wireless Honeywell unit.” @James_N: “Here’s the completed pipe insulation which I added. Now any pipe that gets warm has insulation.” @Amarritt writes: “The install is tucked into my loft as I had the old gas boiler there. They used the old flue and condense pipe holes to feed the new pipework and swa cable.” Conclusion There’s many shapes and sizes to a heat pump, and the pipes that connect the system together. No two installs look the same, but there are common principles for effective pipe insulation that are worth getting right. Just how much of an impact pipe insulation makes for the overall efficiency (and cost effectiveness) of the system might be up for debate, but we hope this guide has helped you to better understand what good insulation looks like. If you’re unsure about the pipe insulation for your heat pump, post a few picture below and our community members might just be able to help!

Hi, can anyone help my understanding of this system please. I have a solar PV and battery system that is working great, with plenty of excess energy. We fitted an Eddi unit to divert any excess to the water tank with the hope of reducing the gas bill, associated with heating the tank. Everything is working and the excess energy is send to the tank and heats until “max temperature achieved”. However, I have left my gas water heating schedule on and noticed that even though the tank is already at temperature the boiler would fire up for the duration of time the schedule is set to run - should that happen? and is that using gas to heat an already hot tank?? Given the now amazing weather I thought I would turn the gas schedule off and set the Eddi unit to boast the tank using the stored (battery) energy in the morning and again in the evening, while continuing to use the excess to top up. Despite the energy going to the tank in the morning for an hour (05:00-06:00), I have woken up to warm, but not hot water to wash with. Also in the evening, by the time the rest of the family have has their showers, I have had to take a cold shower. I did notice that the boost hadn't happened last night - could that be that at the time it was set to heat, the tank was already at temperature so it didn’t start the cycle? Sorry for the long post, I just want to make sure that I get the savings and dont use the gas, if the tank is already at temperature. Forcing the boost with the Eddi unit has resulted in 2 cold showers for me out of 2 nights. I must be doing something wrong.

Wondered if anyone can answer my query Im an existing FIT payment receiver (solar panels installed with single string inverter 11 years ago) so receive a decent FIT payment. Recently had installed a EcoFlow 3.6kw inverter with 10kw battery storage, the generation meter was changed to a bidirectional meter as instructed and followed the correct schematic. However the meter is showing a negative number and I can’t seem to work out what the solar panels are generating apart from what shows in the EcoFlow app We charge the batteries up at night using an off peak rate and then any solar during the day tops the batteries up. am I correct in thinking there should be another meter of sort between the solar panels and inverter just to monitor the generation from The solar panels? installers seem to think by summer it will change to a positive but that’s no good to me right now when I’ve generated about 30kw of solar

HI, firstly please forgive my ignorance - I am not an expert in this field. I have PV system on my garage roof comprising 16 solar panels, a Solis inverter and a Pylontech battery. My problem is that my electricity meter records ALL electricity energy used in my house as being supplied by my electricity supplier from the electricity grid but which INCLUDES the electricity self-generated by my panels which has been considerable. My electricity supplier is over charging for the electricity being pulled from the grid as it records self-generated electricity as if it is being supplied by the grid. They have recently installed a new SMETS2 meter but the problem of them also charging me for my self-generated electricity persists (i.e. it is showing all electricity being used in my house as being supplied from the grid) and is costing a fortune! Can anyone help with what may be causing this and how it can be rectified please?

Battery alert showing on gas meter. and not excepting card

After using my 11kw TRIAQUA air source heat pump of and on for 10 years I found it a useless match to our daily living routines. We live in the Alps at 780 metres and had temperatures from as low as minus 24 Celsius to as high as +10 on cold Winter nights generally December and January are the coldest months. In order to get any warmth and comfort in our home in Winter we had to leave the pump running 24 hours 7 days a week which goes against all our inclinations to save energy. In our first year of operation we had a bill of 2600 Euros to heat our house at temperatures of somewhat less than 20 degrees. Our preference is to sleep in a cold room and to have our sitting room at around 24 degrees when it is minus 10 or below outside. In the morning for breakfast after we rise we are looking for 20-24 degrees instantly in the main sitting room and adjoining kitchen. We found none of the above was achievable at a sustainable cost using our heat pump which is supposed to have a COP of 2.8 from memory. At minus 2 our heat pump simply switches to the back- up internal electric heating element which runs at about 3 kw power usage. For us that works more efficiently than the pure air sourced power unit. But neither can ever achieve 24 Celsius in our main living areas when the outside temperatures are anywhere in the minus range. All in all if we had SOLAR generating above 5kw of power we would be better off just having an electric powered boiler and forgetting about using the heat pump full stop. We did not want to install Solar or wind power because Solar requires sun and that does not shine at night when we need most power so we then need storage batteries and the average windspeed in our valley was then less than 2 metres /sec. We solved our comfort needs by installing a 23 kw Swedish wood burner 16kw to the boiler and 7 kw to our main living room and connecting this into the heat pump radiator system. Our wood cost is 1000 Euros a year with mostly 24 degrees in the living area and background heat in the bedrooms for sleeping. Now we switch the heat pump on for one day a year for testing only. DOES ANYONE HAVE SIMILAR EXPERIENCES WITH AIR SOURCE HEATPUMPS?

Updated on 06/03/25 by Ben_OVO The Dimplex operating manual can be found here. I have asked before on this forum and still not had an answer. I have Dimplex Quantum storage heaters which were installed by my local authority after they ripped out gas central heating. Quantum meant to be economical and environmentally beneficial. However, to run just one of them is £25 per week I have 4 in total, but only run one of them. I am over £200 per month. I have two electric panel heaters which are more controllable and cheaper to run. But still over £200 per month for all my electric. I’m on economy 10 which I was told they should run on, but there’s hardly any providers can give this. I’m with OVO, formerly SSE. My next door neighbour still has gas central heating, is on a pre paid meter and is £125 per month for that and electricity. Same size house as mine. She runs her tumble drier umpteen times each week too. We’ve also got some great Forum topics which you might find useful 👇

How do I register interest for Battery Boost? The link from the email takes me to the app but I can’t then find how to register.

Can anyone please explain why suddenly a few days again the solis app started showing a massive surge of power from the grid, see below

Trying to register for Solar check because of Battery Boost.

Having installed our solar panels, we applied to receive the OVO Smart energy guarantee payments and sent the requested initial export meter reading on the 12th July, which will be seven weeks ago tomorrow. We were told that we would receive the welcome email within four weeks from receiving this initial meter reading. Is it normal to have to wait this long? I cannot speak to the SEG team by phone and any email sent just gets a standard reply that a response will be within 15 days. Getting frustrated now Malcolm

I am part way through installing an off-grid solar PV and wind turbine feed for a summerhouse and wondered if anyone has any experience or tips. One strange piece of info is that a first small turbine or ASHP is permitted development (conservation areas excluded) but if you already have a Heat Pump then you would need planning permission for a wind turbine. I have a small control system with battery storage which the panels and turbine will feed into and an associated power dump protection once the battery is full. It is a relatively small system but something that will power lighting, cooling and a small heater in winter. Once all in place I will post some photos for info.

My landlord is having solar panels installed on the property tomorrow, will I need to do anything with my smart meter? Like inform electric company etc thanks

Updated on 17/01/25 by Abby_OVO Update on RTS shutdown: As part of the RTS Project development, we are really happy to share with you our progress: As you may be aware, the RTS signal that instructs some of our meters when to move to the “Off Peak Period” will be closing down soon and we need to arrange for all of our RTS customers to have a meter exchange so they don’t lose any of their meter functionality. The RTS signal will end for our customers on 30 June 2025. The period between 1 July - 30 September 2025 will then be used to close-down the RTS signal and allow us to manage any unexpected customers impacted. After a very successful pilot, from the 17th June 2024 we will begin writing to our Economy 10 RTS customers to invite them to call us to arrange for their meter exchange. We are continuing to work at pace to enable the same solution for the majority of our other RTS customers and our aim is to begin writing to these customers from Aug 2024. We will continue to update you on our progress. Multi-rate meters are also sometimes known as ‘complex’ or ‘exotic’ meters These older types of meter are being phased out and support for them will be ending soon. If you have one of these meters, and think you’ll be affected, don’t worry- we’ll be in touch to arrange an upgrade to make sure your heating and hot water keeps working properly. So, what is an ‘exotic meter type’ and why is support for some of these meters ending? Let’s find out more... We’re saying goodbye to Radio Teleswitch Meters (RTS Meter) and Dynamically Teleswitched Meters (DTS Meter). Support is ending for old electric meters that use Radio Teleswitches. The Radio Teleswitch System (or RTS) was created to help with electricity meters that had special tariffs (such as Economy 7) before smart meters came along. Even though it has a few features that are seen in today’s smart meters , such as automatically turning heating or hot water on or off, it isn’t quite as smart. It can’t send us your meter readings remotely to make sure your bills are correct. RTS Meters (sometimes known as Dynamically Teleswitched Meters), are old meter types. A Radio Teleswitch device would also be installed, alongside the electricity meter, to pick up the RTS signals and control the time switching features on the meter. The shutdown of the RTS service would mean that the teleswitching features, to allow electricity meters to be switched between tariff rates and to allow the switching of electrical loads such as heaters, would completely stop working. Older meter types aren’t being installed by suppliers anymore, and many of these meters are reaching their end (certifications). Here are some of the RTS/DTS tariffs: Economy 7* Economy 10 * Total Heat Total Control Weathercall HeatWise WarmWise Storage Heat Control White Meter Superdeal Flexiheat Comfort Plus Comfort Plus Control Twin Heat *Economy 7 or 10 meters with controlled load. Controlled load is a special type of electricity rate, or tariff, for high-energy appliances. It's ideal for things that use a lot of energy, like underfloor heating or hot water systems.* Want to find out more about this topic? Why not check out this helpful FAQ: Don’t forget- If you have a meter that’s affected, we’ll be in touch to arrange a meter and tariff upgrade to keep your heating and hot water working. Exotic Tariffs Storage heating control (SHC) With Storage Heating Control you usually have two separate meters. One meter records energy used during the off-peak periods, and the other records all other electricity used. Customers save the most if they have storage heating and hot water. These heat up during the off-peak times, on the cheaper rate, to last throughout the day. The standard meter records all the domestic usage (cooking, lights, electronic devices) in a home. There are no off-peak times for any domestic use, and these appliances can be used at any time. What about heating and hot water? SHC was designed to work with storage heaters. To benefit from the off-peak price, the storage heating and hot water would need to be connected to the off-peak meter. If you have this type of meter and are unsure if yours is connected, an electrician can check this for you. Out of off-peak times, any appliances connected to the off-peak meter won’t operate, so SHC isn’t suitable for direct acting heating, such as a towel rail or underfloor heating. As long as the storage heaters are connected to the off-peak meter, they’ll come on automatically during off-peak periods. SHC offers 8 hours per day for customers to charge their storage heaters and heat their hot water. At least 3 of these hours will be available from between 10pm and 10am. There’s also a minimum of 2 hours between 10am and 10pm. The times do vary which means we can’t give a customer the exact times their off-peak will operate. But, as long as the heating and hot water is connected to the off-peak meter, they should automatically come on when the cheaper rate is available. SHC doesn’t offer a cheaper rate for domestic appliances, which means regardless of the time these appliances are being used, they’ll always be charged at the standard rate. Dimplex Quantum storage heaters work in the same way as standard night storage heaters, by charging up during off-peak times at a cheaper rate. Quantum heaters have thermostats and a digital programmer, which means that operating them is much more ‘hands-free’. You can choose the times of the day when the heat can be released, and you can also choose the temperature. The heater automatically works out how much to charge overnight. A fan helps to draw air through the heater and warm up the room when the thermostat senses that the temperature has dropped. Quantum heaters are better insulated than older models, meaning that less heat escapes when it isn’t needed. This is better for both your wallet and the planet. Input/Output Dial Storage Heaters work by storing heat made by cheap off-peak electricity and releasing it during the day. An input setting allows customers to control the amount of heat that the heater stores during off-peak hours. The higher the setting the more heat is stored, but this also means running costs will be higher. An output setting allows a customer to control the amount of heat that the storage heater releases. The higher the setting, the quicker the heat is released into the room. The recommendation is to keep the output setting low when heat isn’t needed (like in the night or when the home is empty). Total Heating Total Control (THTC) How many meters? THTC is usually a two meter set up. Although pay as you go THTC meters normally only have one meter. What does it do? With THTC you normally have two meters with one rate on each. One meter records all of the domestic usage at the property (lights, sockets etc) and the other records the usage from the heating and hot water in the home. On the heating control meter there is the stored circuit which gives a customer between 5 & 12 hours daily based on the weather forecast to store heat, and around 5 hours 45 minutes to heat water daily. Because the off peak times are determined in part by the weather forecast we are unable to tell a consumer exactly when the peak/off peak hours are. There is also the 24 hour off peak circuit, this is for any additional heating and hot water in the home, panel heaters, focal point fires, electric towel rails, electric showers, and to boost hot water. What about heating and hot water? THTC was designed to work with storage heaters, and they should charge automatically during the off peak hours, along with the hot water. As long as any additional heating appliances are connected to the 24 hour circuit, they will be charged at the lower rate regardless of what time they are being used. This is not something we are able to check for a customer, they would need a private electrician to tell them what is wired where. To find out more about THTC and SHC please check out our helpful guide on the website . Superdeal Superdeal is usually a one meter set up. It is only available in the Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) 20 area. Unsure what your MPAN number is or who your Distribution Network Operator is? Check out our handy Tutorial below: What does it do? With Superdeal you get one meter which has three rates of electricity; Day rate, Night rate, and Off-peak rate. The Day rate records energy used between 7am and midnight, the night records domestic (lights, electrical appliances, sockets) energy between midnight and 7am, the stored records for 5 hours overnight and has a 2 hour afternoon boost. Superdeal provides 7 hours of off peak electricity over 2 periods for heating and hot water appliances. It provides a 7 hour off peak period overnight for all domestic appliances. What about heating and hot water? Superdeal was designed to work with storage heating, a customer receives 5 hours of charge over night for their storage heaters and hot water, and an additional 2 hours afternoon boost. During these 7 hours, the heating and hot water should automatically come on. This meter is handy for customers who need to top up their heat during the day so they have enough for the evening, if they have older heaters or if they are at home and use their stored heat frequently throughout the day. Flexiheat Flexiheat is designed to work with electric storage heating The tariff offers 7 hours of cheaper, off-peak electricity for stored heat Energy used outside of the off-peak times costs more at the standard rate, so if you have this set up we’d encourage you to use more during the cheaper times Usually not suitable for homes with Gas or Oil heating How does it work? With Flexiheat you get one meter which has three rates. One rate records all the electricity you use during the day, another records all of the electricity you use during the evening and weekend period, and the third measures all the electricity you use during the 7 hours of stored heat. Flexiheat works by storing up heat and hot water using the lowest possible rate of electricity. All the electricity you use during the off-peak times is charged at the cheaper rate, not just your heating and hot water. When are the cheaper off-peak times? A consumer is supplied with 7 hours at the cheapest rate for stored heat. At least two of those hours will be during the day - which tops up heating and hot water. They would also benefit from cheaper electricity for all domestic appliances used on weekdays between 7:30pm to 7.30am, and weekends from Friday 7.30pm to Monday 7.30am. In addition to this, Flexiheat customers benefit from cheaper electricity for all domestic appliances used between 24 December and 1st January. There is more information about Flexiheat and Superdeal here . Heatwise Heatwise is designed to work with electric storage heating. It can be a 1 or 2 meter setup which is only found in MPAN 11. The meter(s) generally have a combined 3 or 4 rates and provide 10 hours of off peak electricity for hard wired heating and water appliances. It’s usually not suitable for homes with Gas or Oil heating How does it work? All the electricity used during the off-peak times is charged at the cheaper rate, not just heating and hot water. When are the cheaper off-peak times? Afternoons Monday to Friday – 3 hours between 1pm and 4.30pm Afternoons Saturday and Sunday – 3 hours between 1pm and 5.30pm Evenings Monday to Sunday – 2 hours between 5.30pm and 10pm Night’s Monday to Friday – 5 hours between midnight and 7am Night’s Saturday and Sunday – 5 hours between midnight and 8am Economy 10 Economy 10 provides 10 hours of off-peak electricity for everything in the home and can be suitable for a number of electric heating systems, including wet electric central heating and storage heaters. Storage heaters will automatically store at the off-peak times on the lower rate. Electric immersion water heaters will also usually heat automatically during the off-peak hours and you may want to install an external timer to regulate when and for how long the water heats. The off-peak hours offered with an Economy 10 plan add up to 10 hours during each 24-hour period – which is why this plan is known as Economy 10. (MPAN) 10,11,12, 14,15,16,19,20, 21, 22, 23 (Traditional, Pay as you go & Smart) 12.00am - 5.00am 1.00pm - 4.00pm 8.00pm - 10.00pm (GMT) 1.00am - 6.00am 2.00pm - 5.00pm 9.00pm - 11.00pm (BST) 18 & 13 (Traditional) 4:30am - 7:30am 1:00pm - 4:00pm 8:30pm - 12:30am (Paygo & Smart) 4:30am - 7:30am 1:00pm - 4:00pm 8:30pm - 12:30am (GMT) 5:30am - 8:30am 2:00pm - 5:00pm 9:30pm - 01:30am (BST) 17 (Traditional) 4:30am - 7:30am 1:30pm - 4:30pm 8:30pm - 12:30am (Pay as you go and Smart) 4:30am - 7:30am 1:30pm - 4:30pm 8:30pm - 12:30am (GMT) 5:30am - 8:30am 2:30pm - 5:30pm 9:30pm - 01:30am (BST)