Economy 10 Electricity Heating Tariff Explained

Everyone has heard of Economy 7, but there’s also an Economy 10 tariff available for cheaper electricity. Here’s what it’s all about.

What is Economy 10 Electricity?

The traditional Economy 7 tariff is operational in hundreds of thousands of homes across the UK. Houses using this tariff benefit from 7 hours of off-peak electricity at a much reduced rate during the nighttime.

The government originally introduced this tariff in 1978 for homeowners who had only electricity on their property and used night storage heaters.

Many people have this activated if their home only has electricity and uses it with a night storage heating system. But there’s a tariff that goes one stage further, and that’s Economy 10, which, as you can imagine, provides 10 hours of off-peak electricity usage.

What are the Times for Economy 10?

The hours for the Economy 10 tariff are split on usage into three tariff periods (rather than two with Economy 7) as follows:

• 3 hours in the afternoon
• 2 hours in the evening
• 5 hours overnight

And as with Economy 7, the actual designated times when this tariff is effective vary from supplier to supplier. If you want to investigate this tariff, then it’s best to check with your provider to a) see if they can provide it for you, and b) what the times for the reduced rates are.

Not a Common Option, But it’s Still Available

Economy 10 is often referred to as a Heatwise tariff and is only available if you have an Economy 10 meter fitted. These meters are not standard and are different from Economy 7 meters. Your energy supplier may be able to install one, but you’ll likely face a high cost for this service.

There are only a couple of energy companies that still offer this tariff: E.ON and EDF Energy. You’re also unlikely to see these tariffs on price comparison websites or even on the companies we’ve just mentioned, as they are too specialised. So if you’re already on this tariff or want to learn more, go to those websites for more information or give them a call.

With the introduction of new Smart Meter tariffs over the coming years, it’s unlikely that suppliers will launch new Economy 10 tariffs. The tariffs may be phased out completely, depending on what happens in the marketplace once more data on your usage patterns is collected and new smart tariffs are introduced.

Certainly, npower discontinued its Economy 10 tariff before 2009 due to low demand. So if you’re already on Economy 10, you should always check whether there are cheaper tariffs available, either with Economy 7 or discounted standard tariffs.