Economy 10 is the name of a tariff provided by
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
suppliers created in 2004. Similar to the
Economy 7
Economy 7 is the name of a differential tariff provided by United Kingdom electricity suppliers that uses base load generation to provide cheap off-peak electricity during the night.
Houses using the Economy 7 tariff require a special electricity ...
this is designed to be used with high thermal mass heating such as
storage heater
A storage heater or heat bank (Australia) is an electrical heater which thermal energy storage, stores thermal energy during the evening, or at night when electricity is available at lower cost, and releases the heat during the day as required. ...
s,
underfloor heating
Underfloor heating and cooling is a form of central heating and cooling that achieves indoor climate control for thermal comfort using hydronic or electrical heating elements embedded in a floor. Heating is achieved by conduction, radiation and ...
, and is also used with electrical boilers driving radiators or water-based heat stores.
In contrast to Economy 7, which only provides off-peak electricity during nighttime hours, Economy 10 tariffs provide ten hours of
off-peak
Peak demand on an electrical grid is simply the highest electrical power demand that has occurred over a specified time period (Gönen 2008). Peak demand is typically characterized as annual, daily or seasonal and has the unit of power.
Peak de ...
heating split between night, afternoon and evening. The advantage of this scheme is that by matching the storage periods better to the times when heat is required, less heat needs to be stored during the day, when there may be no demand for heating. The afternoon and evening periods also provide a top-up to heating systems at off-peak prices.
Off-peak electricity costs can be half of the peak prices, but many Economy 10 tariffs levy an increased standing daily charge.
The structure of the ten off-peak hours is determined by the local
distribution network operator
A distribution network operator (DNO), also known as a distribution system operator (DSO), is the operator of the electric power distribution system which delivers electricity to most end users. Each country may have many local distribution networ ...
rather than the electricity supply company and they vary across the fourteen regions in the UK. Times are switched automatically, and it is common for the switching times to be locked to either GMT or BST when the meter is installed. Some metering systems use a
radio teleswitch
A radio teleswitch is a device used in the United Kingdom primarily to allow electricity suppliers to switch large numbers of electricity meters between different tariff rates, by broadcasting an embedded signal in broadcast radio signals. Radio ...
controlled by the supplier to vary switching times, and effect the daylight saving time switchover twice a year. Economy 10 thus requires a special multi-tariff meter, different from an Economy 7 meter.
For example, customers in central Scotland (within the Scottish Power Energy Networks DNO area) are on the following times:
* 3 hours in the afternoon (1.30pm - 4.30pm)
* 4 hours in the evening (8.30pm - 12.30am)
* 3 hours in early morning (4.30am - 7.30am)
Another set of times (West Midlands) are:
* 3 hours in the afternoon (1pm - 4pm)
* 2 hours in the evening (8pm - 10pm)
* 5 hours overnight (Midnight - 5am)
See also
*
Load balancing (electrical power)
Load balancing, load matching, or daily peak demand reserve refers to the use of various techniques by electrical power stations to store excess electrical power during low demand periods for release as demand rises. The aim is for the power supp ...
References
External links
Independent consumer advice on the Economy 10 tariff
Electric power in the United Kingdom
2004 introductions
2004 establishments in the United Kingdom
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