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Rank 2
January 23, 2025
Solved

Schedule of my storage heaters doesn't match the off-peak hours on my plan - Can you help me?

  • January 23, 2025
  • 57 replies
  • 2718 views

Hi, I recently moved in this flat. It comes with 2 storage heater which are made by creda. My electricity supplier is OVO and my plan is economy 7 and also have a smart meter. The problem is storage heater come on from 1 pm to 4:30 pm and also at midnight. But my off peak our is midnight to 7 am.There are no thermostat or time switch for the storage heater. Can you guide me with it?

 

Best answer by Chris_OVO

Hey ​@VOU30 & ​@Firedog

 

Just posting an update that we’ve managed to get the request pushed through so the meter should be reconfigured with the correct timings. I’ve asked ​@VOU30 to keep an eye on things over the weekend to ensure that the changes are reflected. 

57 replies

BPLightlog
Super User
Super User
January 23, 2025

Hi ​@VOU30 , the hours for an economy 7 tariff is as you’ve noticed during the early hours of the morning. There is nothing on the meter side of things that would switch on your heating during the afternoon so there must be something - possibly on the heaters themselves - which are adding the extra time slot. 
Storage heaters are designed to heat up during the night at off peak hours and then give out their heat during the day (when you need it). Sometimes, the heaters become exhausted of their heat energy later (sometimes afternoon) and so perhaps the thermostat is causing them to take power during that time. 
There is a boost circuit which allows extra heating so that might be involved as well. Photos or model numbers of your heaters might allow someone to guide you to making an adjustment. The Creda website does point to timers on the units

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
juliamc
Rank 20
Rank 20
January 23, 2025

When you say they’re On during the afternoon do you mean they’re drawing power or that they’re emitting heat ? How long are they On for from midnight, is that just the time they’re recharging ? 

I’m interested to know more about these as a friend is just about to buy a flat with Creda storage heaters.

VOU30Author
Rank 2
January 23, 2025

When you say they’re On during the afternoon do you mean they’re drawing power or that they’re emitting heat ? How long are they On for from midnight, is that just the time they’re recharging ? 

I’m interested to know more about these as a friend is just about to buy a flat with Creda storage heaters.

Hi ​@VOU30 , the hours for an economy 7 tariff is as you’ve noticed during the early hours of the morning. There is nothing on the meter side of things that would switch on your heating during the afternoon so there must be something - possibly on the heaters themselves - which are adding the extra time slot. 
Storage heaters are designed to heat up during the night at off peak hours and then give out their heat during the day (when you need it). Sometimes, the heaters become exhausted of their heat energy later (sometimes afternoon) and so perhaps the thermostat is causing them to take power during that time. 
There is a boost circuit which allows extra heating so that might be involved as well. Photos or model numbers of your heaters might allow someone to guide you to making an adjustment. The Creda website does point to timers on the units

I think it's an old simpler model. Doesn't have much function except input and out.

 

 

VOU30Author
Rank 2
January 23, 2025

When you say they’re On during the afternoon do you mean they’re drawing power or that they’re emitting heat ? How long are they On for from midnight, is that just the time they’re recharging ? 

I’m interested to know more about these as a friend is just about to buy a flat with Creda storage heaters.

It's draw power during pick hour. And about morning time I have check till when the draw power.

 

BPLightlog
Super User
Super User
January 23, 2025

I think it's an old simpler model. Doesn't have much function except input and out.

Here’s a guide which might help.

From what you’ve said, it sounds as if the heaters might be out of heat by the afternoon

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
VOU30Author
Rank 2
January 23, 2025

I think it's an old simpler model. Doesn't have much function except input and out.

Here’s a guide which might help.

From what you’ve said, it sounds as if the heaters might be out of heat by the afternoon

I've read the guide. Even the heater is out of heat or it's totally cold there is no way it can turn on the power supply itself (turn the red light on the wall switch on).

juliamc
Rank 20
Rank 20
January 23, 2025

Try setting output to 1 and input to 3 and let us know what it does please. This is almost identical to the ones I’m interested in, and it would be good to know if you can get them to work properly. Thanks.

VOU30Author
Rank 2
January 24, 2025

Try setting output to 1 and input to 3 and let us know what it does please. This is almost identical to the ones I’m interested in, and it would be good to know if you can get them to work properly. Thanks.

Sure, let you know tomorrow .

juliamc
Rank 20
Rank 20
January 24, 2025

@Firedog is it possible that the meter thinks it’s on Economy9 or 10 but the plan is Economy7 ?

Firedog
Super User
Super User
January 24, 2025

@Firedog is it possible that the meter thinks it’s on Economy9 or 10 but the plan is Economy7 ?
 

That deserves an (lol)! Anything’s possible, as we’ve discovered. 

I’ve asked around to see whether it’s possible to have a switch like the one in the last screenshot where the indicator shows whether there is power to the switch, regardless of whether it’s on or not. That would show when the switched circuit was energized by the meter’s ALCS. I did get some scary instructions involving swapping wires around inside the switch, but I chickened out of implementing them ...

I did think of the possibility that the ALCS was wrongly configured, e.g. to switch at E10 timings, but that seemed the most unlikely explanation. If the heater is wired on the constant (24-hour) circuit, then its input control could call for more charge at inappropriate times as the others have suggested. If it’s on the switched circuit, this couldn’t happen without activating the meter’s boost function to override the ALCS.

A safe way of checking the ALCS timings is provided by the little icons in the corner of the meter’s display:
  

Sadly not the clearest of photos.
The upper icon (labelled ı) is for the constant circuit, the lower (ıı) for the switched circuit.
In this picture, ı is closed (energized), ıı is open (not energized).


During offpeak hours, the lower icon will change. It depends on how the switches inside the meter are wired what it changes to, but many users are seeing LC1 LC2 instead of the o‍´‍o icon. 

The change will happen a few minutes (often around 10, but theoretically up to 30) after the nominal switching times. That means staying up until half an hour after the E7 offpeak slot is due to start and looking at the meter, then looking again half an hour after the offpeak period is supposed to end in the morning. If the indicators are as expected, the meter is energizing the switched circuit at E7 times. An extra check would be to see what the icons look like when the red light comes on at the heater in the afternoon. If ıı is open as I’d expect it to be, the heater isn’t wired on the switched circuit. 

Without further evidence, I’m inclined to ​@BPLightlog’s view that the heater is switching itself on when it gets cold and the heater is on the constant circuit. If ​@VOU30  isn’t happy with this, an electrician can make the necessary changes in the consumer unit (fuse box).   

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA | It may look as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you. |