Energy Info
A key part of the service provided by the Electric Heating Company is ensuring that every customer carefully considers the Meter and electricity Tariff they choose to operate their electric heating or hot water product.
The Electric Heating Company believe that customer education is vital to help them take a responsible approach to operating their electric heating or hot water. Therefore, the Electric Heating Company can provide each customer with some basic advice on;
- Indicative whole house electricity costs for specific circumstances;
- how to operate their chosen product efficiently;
- how to heat their home efficiently; and
- Information on electricity Tariffs available to the customer which might suit their lifestyle.
Where a customer has replaced an existing heating system with a new EHC electric heating system, we recommend the customer considers an electricity tariff which suits their individual lifestyle and heating system installed.
There are a couple of options open to the customer regarding this.
- Sourcing a single rate tariff with the supplier of your choice. Please ensure you are on the lowest possible rate for your area. Prices do vary from area to area.
- An economy 10 tariff (only offered by a couple of energy suppliers). This tariff offers the customer 10 hours off peak electricity for all house consumption, split into 3 blocks (morning, afternoon, evening). These hours vary from area to area so please check off peak times with the supplier of your choice.
Single rate tariffs and economy 10 tariffs are available nationwide and are more suitable than the economy 7 tariff used with electric storage heaters.
A single rate tariff is an option where economy tariff times do not suit your lifestyle.
To help reduce energy costs further consider installing Solar PV or Solar Thermal with your EHC Heating system, for more information on renewable energy solutions from EHC please visit our renewable’s page.
The Electric Heating Company recommends customers to review their energy suppliers and tariff on an annual basis. There are a range of comparison websites available to assist with selecting the right tariff for your lifestyle.
For further information please contact a member of our team who will be happy to assist.
Energy Guidance
- When heating is required the thermostat should be set to the “Comfort” temperature which ranges from 18 to 21 degrees. Higher temperatures will incur higher costs.
- Always operate a closed door policy.
- Outside doors should always remain shut. Internal doors, such as bedrooms etc. should be kept closed.
- Make sure you know how the controls work on your heaters or heating system. Each radiator has a control dial so that room temperatures can be set individually.
- The Programmer controls the time periods when the heating goes “on” and “off”. Times can be set using the keys on the Programmer. Instructions for programming the heating times will be in the operating manual provided however a shorter version appears on the inside of the “pull down” cover of the Programmer.
- Set your timer to bring heating on automatically in living rooms about half an hour before you get up. In very cold weather set the timer to bring heating on earlier.
- Use heating efficiently, don’t let rooms get too hot. Adjust the heating controls if they do. Don’t open windows as heat will be released too quickly.
Conserving heat within your home – and keeping cold out – will ensure a warmer home without incurring high energy bills. Free, independent energy advice can be obtained from the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on Free phone 0800 512 012.
Draughts let cold air from the outside, and into warmer rooms from cold rooms within the home. Draughts can be reduced with relatively simple inexpensive measures;
- Draught seal around window and door openings.
- Fit draught strips to the bottom of the doors, fit internal letterbox covers.
- If possible, hang heavy curtains on windows and doors.
- Use plastic or clear film secondary glazing to cut draughts and heat loss in window areas.
- It is important that draught strips should be fixed securely to the bottom of doors.
- Ventilation ducts and bricks should not be blocked up, especially in rooms with gas or open fires. They ensure circulation of some fresh air.
Heat is always escaping through the structure of the house: the roof, windows, doors and walls. Insulation and double glazing will reduce the rate of heat loss, keeping your home warmer and helping to reduce energy bills.
Loft – You should insulate your loft as hot air rises and most heat escapes in this direction. A 270mm thickness of insulation quilt is recommended. Many older houses may have no insulation at all in the loft, or less than the recommended amount.
Walls – Older houses with a cavity wall may benefit from having insulation material injected into the cavity.
Doors & Windows – In the evening and at night, close your curtains to reduce heat loss. Double glazing or secondary glazing will keep rooms warmer (and quieter) Lagging Hot Water Cylinders &
Pipes – Energy may be going to waste in your home if the hot water system is not properly insulated. A jacket to insulate the hot water cylinder can be bought quite cheaply and is usually easy to fit –the jacket should have a British Standards “Kite mark” on the label. Newer hot water cylinders are supplied with insulation already in place. Hot water pipes can be lagged to prevent heat escaping. Exposed pipes in the roof space, or other areas where they may freeze in cold weather, should also be lagged.
The ideal living room temperature for older people is 21◦ C (70◦F). This is not simply a question of comfort. Once room temperatures start to drop, the threat to health is greater, and the risk of respiratory illness, stroke, heart attack and hypothermia increase. Whatever the heating system, try to make sure that your main living room is kept at this temperature while you are using it.
- Make sure you know how the controls work on your heaters or heating system.
- Set the thermostat controls for each heater or central heating radiators to maintain room temperatures at 21◦ C (70◦ F) during the periods you are using them.
- Don’t let rooms get too hot. Adjust the heating controls if they do. Don’t open windows as heat will be released too quickly.
- Set your timer to bring heating on automatically in living rooms about half an hour before you get up.
- In very cold weather set the timer to bring heating on earlier. The bedroom should be warmed before going to bed
This information has been provided by the National Health Service. For further advice call Free phone 0800 085 7000.