I'm considering switching from storage heaters to electric heating. Can someone help me understand the real costs?

Thank you for raising that point @Firedog. I did a test with our current storage heater the other day and despite putting it on the very minimum input and output settings it still used the full 3.3kw for the 7 hours ie 3.3kw x 7hr x 12.29p = £2.83, whereas we only needed a few hours of heat throughout the day which with an electric radiator would have been 1.5kw x 2hr x 22.07p = 66p. I’m well aware this was on warm day and would be very different in the heart of winter, however our current storage heaters run out of warmth by the evening in midwinter and the ‘winter’ period that heating is required is comprised of many milder days, especially at both ends, so I can’t help thinking it might balance out or even work out cheaper overall. Also, one of our other storage heaters in the bedroom is a 2018 model and puts out so much heat at nighttime that despite being on the ‘off’ output setting it is too hot to sleep (even in midwinter) and therefore has to be permanent switch off at the plus which means the room is cold and damp - not good for the woodwork or the walls. I think we’d have to have an electric radiator in the bedroom, kitchen (not enough space for a storage heater) and bathroom so it’d probably be better to get them in every room so that we aren’t paying the higher daytime rate for heating in these rooms. 

I was trying to look into time or day tariffs and it seems OVO offer a Smart Economy 9 tariff however when I called them to ask for the rates the advisor told me that she couldn’t tell - such a bizarre response, I’ve never had any energy company refuse to tell me their rates before! Heat pump tariffs are quite similar to Eco 9 or 10 tariffs but frustratingly they are only available to those with heat pumps. There doesn’t seem to be much help out there for the many people living in electric only apartments were heat pumps are not an option. 

Hey @Lea881,

Where did you see the Economy 9 tariff? Our support team uses a tool to display what tariffs are available to you based on your account. It could be that a specific tariff isn't available for you or isn't currently offered. If that's the case, the advisor doesn't have access to giving the information. 

Let us know, and we can take a look with you 😊

Thanks Chris! Here is the OVO Smart Economy 9 tariff I was referring to: https://www.ovoenergy.com/help/article/electric-heating/economy-9

Yes my radiators run on the lower rate. The rates are high 25.47, Low 21.35 so not that low really. The low rates are available during the day because that is how THTC is set up. 

Thanks awills61 that’s really helpful!  No 21.35 isn’t that low, it’s not that different from our standard flat rate of 22.07. I wish we could get lower rates during the day but sadly Eco 10 and 9 seem to have been phased out and Heat Pump tariffs only help people who can have heat pumps / own a house. It’s very frustrating as looking at it from an environmental point of view I don’t feel millions people should have to have storage heaters on for 7 hours a night just to get a bit of heat in the evening the following day, or face paying extremely high prices for electricity because they don’t have gas or other viable options. 

E10 is available in my area (North Scotland). It’s one of the tariffs being offered as a replacement fro THTC alongside the smart meter switch.

That’s good. It doesn’t seem to be available in the South of England. OVO have an Economy 9 but don’t seem to be able to tell me the rates so maybe it isn’t available to new customers. 

I don’t know where you’re looking, but all of OVO’s tariffs are given on this page: Our prices | OVO Energy. Put in your postcode, then use the filters to find tariffs for Electricity only with a multi-rate meter and your preferred payment method.

I found these for my great uncle’s home in Fareham:

These are the variable (price-capped) tariffs; note the figures exclude VAT. E10 looks more attractive - ten hours of offpeak power at a lower rate. Of course, the E9 hours might suit you better if you’re willing to pay the premium. I’m not sure what the hours might be down there in the Southern region: according to Smart Economy 9 help | OVO Energy, they’re like this:
 

Economy 9 offpeak times in GMT

• 3am - 6am

• 12pm-3pm

• 7.30pm-10.30pm

It’s not quite so easy to track down the timings for E10. My best guess from available sources is: 

Economy 10 offpeak times in GMT

• Midnight-5am

• 1pm-4pm

• 8pm-10pm