Economy 7 heating and hot water

Economy 7 (E7) is when a number of storage heaters and a water cylinder in a property provide heat and hot water at Off Peak (night) and On Peak (day) rates. At approximately 12pm, a satellite signal is sent to a property with E7. The signal switched on the heating system in the property for around 7 hours, ensuring you are only charged for Off Peak rates. The system then switched off at approximately 7am (these times vary in the summer due to the clocks changing, for example it would switch on from 1am-8am). If more heat or hot water is required you should contact your supplier and ask to switch to Economy 9 (E9).

Heating
Storage heaters are filled with bricks which store the heat overnight and release it throughout the day. There are two settings on each storage heater – one for storage temperature and one for the release temperature. These can be set to suit your requirements, ranging from the lowest setting ‘1’ to the highest ‘6’.


Hot Water
The water heater is also activated by the E7 satellite signal and has two elements, On Peak (day) and Off Peak (night). If you have a large family, you may need to use the booster swtich to heat more water throughout the day. The booster switch works in the same way as an immersion switch.

  • It is very unusual for both elements in the cylinder to break down at same time, so you should always have hot water.
  • A common problem is that the water provided is too hot. This indicates a problem with the thermostat.
  • Clothes should never be placed over storage heaters to dry. There is a risk that the storage heater with overheat if the vents are covered and the thermal link will burn out.
  • If the heating and hot water are not coming on, it usually indicates a wider supplier problem.
  • If you think you are being charged too much, write down the meter reading for On Peak (day) and Off Peak (night) over the period of a week. This will show if there is a problem with the meter, for example the Off Peak usage being charged at an On Peak rate.


If you have any concerns about any of the services in your home, please call us on 020 8801 1117. We are here to help.