THTC - Total Heating Total Control

[dortmunder]

Hi. I'm slowly getting to grips with this system which heats the water and charges up the night storage heaters but still have a few questions about it. Maybe someone who knows it well could answer the following for me?


The off-peak (overnight) electricity is switched on and off by a radio signal from Scottish & Southern Energy (the Hydro). What are the On and Off times?


Is it true that the power to the water and storage heaters is activated during the day as well? If so, how often and at what times?


Any such daytime boost would still come from the off-peak meter (as it's connected to the off-peak consumer unit (the box with all the fuses on it)). Accordingly, the price charged would still be the lower rate, am I right?


Every night at 8/8.30pm the lights dim for a second or two. What's happening there?


On the meter there 2 big buttons, one red and one blue. The red one is marked Boost – is this for the householder to use and, if so, how would you stop the boost? (The blue button is something different entirely...)


Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Sianymo]

The off-peak (overnight) electricity is switched on and off by a radio signal from Scottish & Southern Energy (the Hydro). What are the On and Off times?

Whenever they feel like it!! No set times.. I think they are meant to put it on more often when it's colder.

Is it true that the power to the water and storage heaters is activated during the day as well? If so, how often and at what times?

As above


Any such daytime boost would still come from the off-peak meter (as it's connected to the off-peak consumer unit (the box with all the fuses on it)). Accordingly, the price charged would still be the lower rate, am I right?

Yup


Every night at 8/8.30pm the lights dim for a second or two. What's happening there?

The heaters are being charged, off peak electric comes on. You'll see the light come on where the heaters are wired into the wall socket.

On the meter there 2 big buttons, one red and one blue. The red one is marked Boost – is this for the householder to use and, if so, how would you stop the boost? (The blue button is something different entirely...)

My heaters have dials - put it to number 1 and the boost is off... boost is basically if you want a blast of heat - but don't leave it on as the heater will be drained of the stored heat.

[Kodiak]

OK I can only say how my set up is for THTC.

The Off-Peak Times is switched on and off according the the times set in my Meter not by any "Radio" Connection. They are early Morning about 4.30 to 7.30 am, Afternoon about 3.30 to 5.30pm Evening about 8.00 to 9.30 pm. These are only Approx times as I have forgotten the exact times.

Yes the water heater does come on during the day, see above.

All the water and storage heaters are on Off-Peak rate no matter what times they are set for. Also if you storage heater has a Built in convector heater this is on the same rate.

Lights dimming?? Get your meter checked as no Idea why this happens, it is does NOT happen for me.

Two Big Buttons, I only have one and this is for scrolling through to check the meter readings etc and also for the Meter Man to change the rates.

[captain chaos]

The lights dimming will always be around 8pm.

Even if you dont have economy seven you may see this effect as I do .

Its the load from all the economy seven heating coming on and the time taken for the auto-transformers in the sub station to take the voltage back up to the correct level .

If you keep an eye on a normal filament bulb at around 8pm it will dim then come brighter in a couple of steps.

Hope this helps

[Bobinovich]

Are you sure you're on THTC Kodiak? Mine is definately radio controlled as described by Sianymo, rather than on a timer. As for the boost button I've never used it - didn't know it was there although I was vaguely aware of red & blue buttons!

A quick Google tells me that it is only Scottish Hydro who offer THTC (although scottish Power have a similar system called Comfort Plus) and that it is ONLY operated by the supplier via a teleswitch.

[dortmunder]

Excellent information there, thanks to you all. Sianymo, I know what you mean about the buttons on the heaters - I was actually referring to buttons on the electricity meter itself.
http://img247.imagevenue.com/loc355/th_36992_010_122_355lo.JPG (http://img247.imagevenue.com/img.php?loc=loc355&image=36992_010_122_355lo.JPG)

[Buttercup]

[quote=Kodiak;506879]OK I can only say how my set up is for THTC.

The Off-Peak Times is switched on and off according the the times set in my Meter not by any "Radio" Connection. They are early Morning about 4.30 to 7.30 am, Afternoon about 3.30 to 5.30pm Evening about 8.00 to 9.30 pm. These are only Approx times as I have forgotten the exact times.

I've THTC but the times, according to the electrician, are not pre-set, but come on and off at varying times governed by the Hyrdo. They tend to be off peak but there's no general rule.

[kriklah]

Total Heating Total Control ??!!! how about crap heating and no control!!:confused

i have never really been able to figure out our heating power set up. the storage heaters and hot water - controled by Hydros radio box, i have no idea what times they are set for but they arent what it would have picked given the choice. i know its on around 6am and 12pm cos ive seen the light on the wall beside the storage heater on, but dont know when it comes on or goes off. we also have electric panel heaters which i think swtich tarrifs throughout the day, so if left on, when the THTC switches off, im paying standard rate for the radiators. there are two clock timers (indipendant of Hydro) that i should be able to control the times the radiators come on/off, but since they apear to have come out of the Ark, they have never worked!!

then of course theres the bill at the end of it. in 2007, the jan-march bill came in at around £1400, (noooo thats not a typo, one thousand four hundred).needless to say we called hydro, explaining that we are a house, not the castle next door!! even a 4 bed detached house with kids leaving every light on shouldnt generate that much, even hydro thought it sounded iffy so fitted monitors to the meters. no discrepancy was found, so i made a major effort to reduce the usage. used coal fire in living room every day, manually switched off bedroom radiators once everyone was up and out to school, didnt use tumble dryer(racks infront of fire instead)and changed every lightbulb in the house to energy saver. also switched off all the storage heaters, used a little convetor heater in the main hallway that did a far better job of heating the downstairs hallway(which is a fair size room) and the upstairs than the storage heaters had ever done. Jan-march 08 bill was £900, major improvement, but still thats £300 a month!!!(still think we are supplying the castle!!) found out another neighbour has same setup, and and same size bills so its not just us. i am currently dreading the next bill

however this year i am downgrading the heating/water. i am getting a solid/multifuel boiler put in, and replacing the electric panel heaters with water central heating off the boiler. ok, so i will still have to buy in the coal/wood/peat, but it will be a darn site cheaper and much cosier!!