Skip to main content
M
Rank 2
Michali
Rank 2
February 22, 2023
Solved

Economy 7 storage heaters and low EPC rating- Should we go single rate?

  • February 22, 2023
  • 20 replies
  • 5191 views

Good day, we have three very old (1992) storage heaters in our flat. SSE installed our smart meter last year in April and it provides us with day and night readings on Economy 7. We are now with OVO. We are happy to continue although the cost of running them is very high. However, our EPC rating is F! Other factors contribute to this low rating but we need to change the heaters if we want to sell our flat in the future and increase the EPC rating.  I understand from other posts that OVO cannot change the meter to single rate so it appears we have to find modern storage heaters that still use economy 7 but do not give us such a low EPC rating. Is there no way OVO will change the meter to single rate if we find alternative  heating. I should add we are all electric, no gas supply. Thank you! 

Best answer by M.isterW

Updated on 13/03/25 by Ben_OVO:

 

I would ignore the EPC and focus on comfort and cost for your heating. You want a system that heats the property effectively and isn't too expensive to run.

Storage heaters aren't a bad option for running costs, if you have cheap rate overnight electricity. You can get modern versions but they aren't much better than the old ones. There's not much you can improve on them.

If you want to heat rooms selectively you could use different electric heaters. They will cost more to run for each heater but you'd be heating less of the property.

You could fit a completely new system with pipework and radiators and a Tepeo electric boiler. That uses cheap rate electricity to provide heating and hot water. It would be expensive and disruptive but should work very well. An alternative with radiators is an air source heat pump but you might not have space for the outside unit.

The final option you might consider is an air to air heat pump. This heats using warm air and as it's a heat pump it's far more efficient. You'd need to get an expert to tell you if it would be suitable for your flat.

Energy saving advice can be found on our website, but as an Energy Supplier we don’t deal so much in the household appliance side of things. For any energy saving upgrades in the house we’d recommend speaking to a qualified electrician. It’s also worth doing a quick google search for energy saving advice / companies in your local area. Your local Council may also offer this sort of advice, and might be able to recommend what grants or discounts might be available.

 

 

20 replies

Blastoise186
Super User
Blastoise186Super User
Super User
February 22, 2023

Hey @Michali !

To be honest… If you’re on Storage Heaters then you are best remaining on Economy 7 until you come off them.

While OVO can’t directly change the meter settings per se, there is a trick they can do. And that’s to set the tariff rate to be the same across both registers so that it simulates a flat rate. It’s not perfect, but it does the job really well!

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    February 22, 2023

    Good day, we have three very old (1992) storage heaters in our flat. SSE installed our smart meter last year in April and it provides us with day and night readings on Economy 7. We are now with OVO. We are happy to continue although the cost of running them is very high. However, our EPC rating is F! Other factors contribute to this low rating but we need to change the heaters if we want to sell our flat in the future and increase the EPC rating.  I understand from other posts that OVO cannot change the meter to single rate so it appears we have to find modern storage heaters that still use economy 7 but do not give us such a low EPC rating. Is there no way OVO will change the meter to single rate if we find alternative  heating. I should add we are all electric, no gas supply. Thank you! 

    @Michali what are you thinking of swapping the old storage heaters to in order to improve the EPC? 

     

      M
      Rank 2
      MichaliAuthor
      Rank 2
      February 22, 2023

      @Michali what are you thinking of swapping the old storage heaters to in order to improve the EPC? 

       

      no idea right now! Any suggestions that take into account the issues above, please? 

      M
      Rank 2
      MichaliAuthor
      Rank 2
      February 22, 2023

      Hey @Michali !

      To be honest… If you’re on Storage Heaters then you are best remaining on Economy 7 until you come off them.

      While OVO can’t directly change the meter settings per se, there is a trick they can do. And that’s to set the tariff rate to be the same across both registers so that it simulates a flat rate. It’s not perfect, but it does the job really well!

      That’s very useful information! Thanks! I will keep that in mind. I just have to find a way (or storage heaters) that will increase the EPC rating. 

        Firedog
        Super User
        FiredogSuper User
        Super User
        February 22, 2023

        To be honest… If you’re on Storage Heaters then you are best remaining on Economy 7 until you come off them.

        @Michali

        I’d suggest that you do your sums before deciding. The E7 night rate was increased by a lot at the last price-cap review on 1 January, far enough to persuade me to switch to a flat rate using the trick that @Blastoise186 mentioned. I don’t know if this graph would be of any help to you:
          

        The cost figures are calculated using current (2023Q1) rates for the East Midlands region. Costs will be different for users elsewhere, but the proportions will be similar. 

          
        You’ll see that for E7 to be cheaper, you have to be using more than 42% of your annual electricity consumption at the off-peak rate. This would be quite normal for those with night-storage heaters. If you need help working this out, shout!

         

        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. |
          M.isterW
          Rank 6
          M.isterW
          Rank 6
          February 22, 2023

          Which area in your EPC needs improving? Can you post the scores for each area?

          1992 4 bed detached house. Solar PV + battery, Zappi EV charger, Mitsubishi Ecodan ASHP and i-life2 fan assisted radiators.... No gas 😊
            M
            Rank 2
            MichaliAuthor
            Rank 2
            February 22, 2023

            Thank you so much! That is a brilliant graph! So I am presently dark yellow and would be light yellow if I changed to simpler energy. At the moment we are definitely using over 42% of our energy consumption but I don’t have an annual average yet. I would have to look back at my SSE bills as I have only been with OVO for a few months. The OVO app is way better than the SSE one! But I come back to the EPC concern. If I remove the old storage heaters and go on the simpler energy plan, with an alternative heating system, it appears I would be paying more annually and surely that would adversely affect the EPC rating? 

            Jeffus
            Rank 20
            Jeffus
            Rank 20
            February 22, 2023

            Certainly if you switch your Storage Heaters for any direct electric heating your EPC will be worse, simply due to the way the EPC rating is calculated. 

            Whether you are on E7 or not doesn’t effect your rating.

            You can probably improve your EPC with things like insulating, LED lights etc. 

            There should be details on your EPC if you have a copy as @M.isterW has mentioned. Can you post the details? Without personal information obviously. 

            You could almost certainly get a higher rating for more modern storage heaters, but there will be other things you can do as well. 

             

             

             

              juliamc
              Rank 20
              juliamc
              Rank 20
              February 22, 2023

              If you have access to the roof you could install pv ? 

                M
                Rank 2
                MichaliAuthor
                Rank 2
                February 22, 2023

                You guys are great! This EPC is several years old but not much has changed, except the lighting. 

                The building is a council building, solid brick I believe and is comprised of 20 flats. We own a flat on the ground floor.

                The hot water is supplied by an Ariston water heater. I don’t understand why this has a poor rating as it only kicks in to heat water when necessary. It is not off peak as reported below. I would have thought it was energy efficient, but it seems not!

                The lighting would now be deemed very good as we only use low energy bulbs. 

                 

                  Show more replies
                  Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement

                  OVO Energy Ltd, Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, BS1 6EZ, (Company no. 06890795) registered in England and Wales.

                  OVO (S) Gas Limited is registered in England and Wales (Company No. 02716495) at Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, BS1 6EZ.

                  OVO (S) Gas Limited is part of OVO Group Ltd