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In November 2023 I finally got a Smart Meter installed by ESB Networks. This allowed me to avail of a special night rate between the hours of 2 and 4 AM from my electricity provider, Electric Ireland.

↑ Smart Meter took about 30 minutes to install.

With a madman in the East the electricity rates for the winter were at record levels:
- Day rate (09:00 to 23:00) 0.416 /kWh
- Night rate (23:00 to 09:00) 0.205 /kWh
- Special night rate (02:00 to 04:00) 0.120 /kWh

Most of my heating comes from 3 storage heaters, 2 of which also have a manual top up heating element, Dimplex xmc718n. Despite their reputation, I don't mind having storage heaters as you can warm them up during night rates and they are non-polluting.

My main issue was the automatic timer that regulates when they come on, the Devireg 710-2. The idea behind this is the controller will detect when the night rate will start and base how long it runs on the outside temperature. Great in theory, but in practice not so much. Even more so with an apartment with a BER rating of F.

↑ Devireg 710-2, commonly used in apartments.

My apartment is not well insulated so I always have to use the manual element in the evenings at the top rate. It also has no way to detect when the special night rate is, so I was paying almost twice as much as I could have been and with little control over long the heaters would run.

Having weighed up the costs, I decided it made sense to replace the Devireg with a digital timer and get a qualified electrician to install it. Total cost was €152 (€136 for electrician, €16 for timer), so it should pay for itself in under 1 year (probable saving of €1 per day, for 6 months of heating).

↑ New Digital Timer installed on fuseboard. The timer has a battery backup in case of outages.

Since getting the timer I can already see an improvement in usage, and another bonus is my apartment is warmer.

↑ Usage between 2AM and 4AM has increased.

2 hours of heating between 2 and 4 AM comes in at about €1.60 versus about €2.90 on the standard night rate. There will be nights where the storage heaters need more than 2 hours of heating, but there will still be a saving of €1.30 a night.
By running the storage heaters longer at night I should also use less of the manual heater during the day, so that should also save money in the long term.
Electric Ireland will be dropping their prices in 2024, but it's likely the day rate will still be around 30c by the end of the year. Estimated savings would be about €250 a year.

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Replacing a DIN timer on fuseboard 08-Feb-24 In November 2023 I finally got a Smart Meter installed by ESB Networks. This allowed me to avail of a special night rate between the hours of 2 and 4 AM from my electricity provider, Electric Ireland. ↑ Smart Meter took about 30 minutes to install. With a madman in the East the electricity rates for the winter were at record levels: - Day rate (09:00 to 23:00) 0.416 /kWh - Night rate (23:00 to 09:00) 0.205 /kWh - Special night rate (02:00 to 04:00) 0.120 /kWh Most of my heating comes from 3 storage heaters, 2 of which also have a manual top up heating element, Dimplex xmc718n. Despite their reputation, I don't mind having storage heaters as you can warm them up during night rates and they are non-polluting. My main issue was the automatic timer that regulates when they come on, the Devireg 710-2. The idea behind this is the controller will detect when the night rate will start and base how long it runs on the outside temperature. Great in theory, but in practice not so much. Even more so with an apartment with a BER rating of F. ↑ Devireg 710-2, commonly used in apartments. My apartment is not well insulated so I always have to use the manual element in the evenings at the top rate. It also has no way to detect when the special night rate is, so I was paying almost twice as much as I could have been and with little control over long the heaters would run. Having weighed up the costs, I decided it made sense to replace the Devireg with a digital timer and get a qualified electrician to install it. Total cost was €152 (€136 for electrician, €16 for timer), so it should pay for itself in under 1 year (probable saving of €1 per day, for 6 months of heating). ↑ New Digital Timer installed on fuseboard. The timer has a battery backup in case of outages. Since getting the timer I can already see an improvement in usage, and another bonus is my apartment is warmer. ↑ Usage between 2AM and 4AM has increased. 2 hours of heating between 2 and 4 AM comes in at about €1.60 versus about €2.90 on the standard night rate. There will be nights where the storage heaters need more than 2 hours of heating, but there will still be a saving of €1.30 a night. By running the storage heaters longer at night I should also use less of the manual heater during the day, so that should also save money in the long term. Electric Ireland will be dropping their prices in 2024, but it's likely the day rate will still be around 30c by the end of the year. Estimated savings would be about €250 a year.