Electricity tariff guide for electric heating

If you have electric heating in your home, choosing the right electricity tariff is just as important as choosing the right radiators or storage heaters. Different tariffs offer different off-peak times when your electricity will be cheaper. We’re here to help you spend less on your electricity.

The right electricity tariff will depend on what kind of heating you have in your home:

Electricity tariffs for storage heaters

A storage heater in a modern living room

Storage heaters are easy to use, simply set the input control to decide how much your heaters will use up during the off-peak hours. That heat is then used up during the day. The output control determines how much heat will be released during the day. Set the storage heater’s output to maximum during the colder hours but reduce it when it’s not so cold. This will depend on the size of your room.

Read our Winter heating tips article

Best tariff: Economy 7 (Domestic Economy in Scotland)

About Economy 7: You get one meter which has two rates. One meter records all energy used during the day, and the other meter records energy used overnight. You pay normal prices during the day, but cheaper rates for seven hours during the night. Electric storage heaters and a hot water tank are the best combinations on this tariff because you can charge them up during the night and use the heat and hot water in the daytime. Use appliances like dishwashers, slow cookers, and washing machines overnight, to help you cut down your energy bills.

Electricity tariffs for electric radiators

An electric radiator on the wall of a living room in a modern home

Homes with all-electric heaters but no storage heaters. Good insulation is vital for homes that rely on electricity for heat as the cost of electricity can be high during peak times.

Best tariff: Economy 10

About Economy 10: Economy 10 is a way to save money on your electricity bill by taking advantage of a lower ‘off-peak’ rate. As the name suggests, Economy 10 gives you a cheaper tariff for ten hours in each 24 hour period. With Economy 10 you get a single meter that has two rates. It’s not usually suitable for homes with gas, oil, or electric storage heating as it’s designed to work with electrically heated wet radiator systems. Try to use more energy over your cheaper times – the energy used outside of your off-peak times is more expensive than the standard energy rate.

Find the right heater for your room