Hi Bubbagirl,

We are still having problems keeping up with our electricity bills. We changed to an Economy 10 meter and we are with Southern electric.

We rent our house from the local authority and have asked on numerous occasions for them to come and check to make sure the system is set up correctly but they wont send anyone out. We did recently have a routine check done by the council and they engineer they sent was very experienced in these Altherma systems and he gave me a few tips to get it running economically but he didnt say we had any faults etc so im really not sure if we have the same problem as your having. Our bill is going up and up and we cannot keep on top of it. Southern electric suggested as having a prepayment meter fitted to pay back the debt but we wont do that.

How did you find out your system is faulty? When we moved in here a yr ago we were told this heating system would half our fuel bills but we cannot believe how expensive it actually is it run!

I borrowed an Electricity monitor from the library yesterday to see if we can get an idea of what's causing the high bills, you cant set it exactly because it doesnt have the facility to add the 3 different off peak times but it does give a good indicator that it definitely is the heating system that's using the electric.

We're really desperate for any help, other than not putting the heating on (with 3 young children it's not possible or even right!)we dont know what else to do!

Thanks (We're in Suffolk by the way)

Hello CATCOCONUT

I know its been a long time since your post unsure if you are still there.

We moved into our new house 2 years ago, with an Altherma system. To cut a very long story short we paid £3000.00 in the first year due to installation problems and we have paid £2500.00 so far this year, we are on economy 10. We are with Southern electric and queried their meter, it was fine.

We have now found that the Altherma system is faulty and is using 2-3 times the electric to run than any other Altherna system in our estate (and anyone in the UK) it seems. We are in major debts with the electric company, our maintenance company for the Altherma are playing games.

Was this anything to do with your problem? We are desperate to find someone else with this problem.

Thanks for any help.

maz.rory:

Before its possible to be more helpful you need to post more details of the heating system installed in your flat. Economy 10 is usually only recommended as an appropriate tariff when the particular heating system requires it.

At the same time, start monitoring consumption on your meter. Ask your supplier if its not clear how to do that and also post the various unit prices set into the meter. Again ask your supplier if its not clear how to do that. They should have a pre-payment helpline.

Hi Mr MPAN, I really hope you can give me some advice, u seem to be in the know. I moved into a top floor two bedroom flat and had a prepayment economy 10 meter fitted on 12 jan since then i have used £140 on my electricity (flat is electricity only). I live in northern scotland, think that is mpan 17, i have tried usinf washing machine etc during my off peak hours but doesnt seem to make any difference so im sitting wrapped in blankets freezing most of time. do you think i should switch providers or move to a different tariff, i dont really understand all this energy stuff. thanks

Hi,

Thanks for getting in touch but ive had an E10 meter fitted now. I hope ive done the right thing but it's only been in a week so time will tell i guess.

Im in Suffolk by the way, not sure wot mpan tho. Southern electric had to get some other company to fit the meter because of the area i live in, i think they said. Western power the company was called.

So... im grateful for your reply but i guess i'll have to see how things go with this new meter. Ive been told it can be changed to a single rate if we feel its not right for us.

Kind regards oh and u really should check your emails...u never know who wants u! lol

Hi,

To be honest working the heat pump am unsure but if you contact the manufacture then they can advise. Now Southern electric should be fitting E10 for you as you need at least 10 off peak to run the pump. What MPAN area are you in as different distribution area offer different tariffs and as you are mentioning Southern Electric I would imagine you are in England. Sorry for late reply and hope I can be of help but don't monitor my emails regulary but will do now.

Kind Regards

Mr MPAN

Hi There Mr Mpan,

Im hoping your still a member of this forum as i realise this thread is an old one.

5 mths back we moved into a property with a Altherma heat pump system. We know nothing about the set up other than how to programme times into the programmer for the heating and water to come on. I assume the system was set up correctly when blue flame installed it last yr. Ive asked for them to come out and check its running correctly but there not interested. This is a council owned property.

We've just received a bill for £500 for the lst 3 mths and after speaking to Southern electric we were told to change our excisting economy 7 meter for either a eco10 one or a single rate meter.

We currently do not use any electric during the night (no heating on or washing done) and are not sure on when to have the water heating up as it doesnt seem to last long before it runs cold.

Please could you advise us which meter to have installed to save us the most money as these bills are crippling us!

Oh and we cant change suppliers as we cannot pay the £500 bill lol

Thanks very much indeed.

[SSE HAVE JUST TAKEN OVER OWNERSHIP OF METER OPERTAVES FOR THEIR OWN CUSTOMERS IN NORWEB AREA SO I'D RECOMMEND YOU GET THE E10 AS ALREADY ADVISED, TIMES ARE 00:00 - 05:00 13:00 - 16:00 & 20:00 - 22:00 AM SURE. YUO SHOULD GET IT DONE VERY QUICKLY]

Hi MPAN

I am trying to find out about Economy 10 working with a new ground source heat pump with underfloor heating in a new farmhouse re-build, we about to commision this system but need to change to Eco 7 or Eco 10, we are with EDF energy, as you seem to know what you are talking about I wonder if you would be so kind as to advise which one to use? This is new to me and not sure what the benefits are, I do know Norweb hrs on Eco 10 are 2.30am-7.30 1.20pm to 4pm and 10pm to 12.30pm.

Many thanks if you can help.

Thyme

Thyme, you will need Eco10.

Jalexa, you have been very selective in the quote....you would do well as a journalist! That said it is a pain trying to find out about some of the more exotic systems out there.

dunloadin:

Many customers ....are ignorant of the fact that these systems are not Eco7...

OK, this is an old thread and I have been slightly selective in the quote.

What you say is hardly surprising. There is hardly any info indexed on search engines. Search your own company's website for product and tariff info ...... nothing, though I stand to be corrected.

Hi MPAN

I am trying to find out about Economy 10 working with a new ground source heat pump with underfloor heating in a new farmhouse re-build, we about to commision this system but need to change to Eco 7 or Eco 10, we are with EDF energy, as you seem to know what you are talking about I wonder if you would be so kind as to advise which one to use? This is new to me and not sure what the benefits are, I do know Norweb hrs on Eco 10 are 2.30am-7.30 1.20pm to 4pm and 10pm to 12.30pm.

Many thanks if you can help.

Thyme

MrMPAN, thanks for the info, you sound pretty switched on. I work in the Hydro DNO and have constant problems explaining to folk about THTC and Eco10, to both householders and call centres. Many customers and sales staff are either poorly advised, or ignorant of the fact that these systems are not Eco7; nor are they supported by many suppliers.

thanks for your help.

Hi,

Generally some suppliers can support some Two MPAN tariffs but the heatwise is a killer due the amount of registers on it. I'm sure EDF &/or Npower can take on these as am sure I've seen them supply before but give them a phone and advise you have two MPANs and the Tariff is called Heatwise and can they support and they will soon tell if they can or not and give you any rates. Dont go near Scottish & Southern, Scottish Power or British Gas as they are dead certs they cant do it. Also a good idea is maybe try companies like Telecom plus or Utilita as they are offering not bad rates for electric only but maybe able to support your heatwise. I know some companies offer discounted rates for online maybe Eon offer this and it sometimes helps save money.

Kind Regards

Mr MPAN

Hi Mr MPAN, I am on this old heatwise option in Leicester with EOn previously Powergen, would you know if I am able to move my suppler to another provider as I am trying to get cheaper bills, thanks