For simplicity I will not use temperatures but percentage of the heat range. (eg) 100% is the heat that your thermostat will turn off your hot water if you had continuous power supply. Also 70% of that heat, when your thermostat would turn on your hot water system, if the electrical power was on continuous supply. (This is just hypothetical figures ) Because every one has showered the temperature range is say 60% of the necessary heat to turn off the hot water system. At this point the power stations have this massive power generation being produced, and the only way they can use it is to start turning on the relays in your power box to heat up your hot water. Now, as there are hundreds of sections in the community on different circuits, some hot waters will start heating up. Maybe the first ones might go from 60% to say 75% heat, and then your relay is switched off and the next group of relays are turned on, until they get a bit hotter and then they go off and the next batch go on. This I am informed is how it goes all through the night, with your hot water not getting to 100% because then there would be no where for the power to go. By say 6am, the power is need to go to factories and work shops to start up machinery and mums start turning on the jug, frypan, toaster, coffee maker and so on, so your hot water relays are turned off again until about 9am when you can expect some more power is diverted to your hot water units in turn. Not until they reach the 100% hot mark, but just enough to sell you some electricity, then divert the power to the next group, over and over until major demand is required where the power company can sell the power at full price. This same situations about 6pm when mums start turning on the ovens frypans, electric jug and so on. The hot water relays and swimming pool relays are turned off again. You are promised a certain number of hours for each of the cheaper tariffs. I am not certain what those hours are but they are minimum hours. Not to mention if it is a public holiday, your hot water can be turned on and off in cycles all day and night because there are no factories needing the power. You are led to believe that these tariffs are cheaper. Sure they cost you less per unit but they control how and when your electricity supply is provided to your hot water. In simple terms, you get cheaper tariff any time the companies can not sell the power at full price. If you use the relay switch and time switch and use the more expensive tariff and use only what is needed when it is needed, you will be miles in front. Don’t believe me? Ok; phone your supply company and ask for permission to fit a “relay switch and time clock” and have them remove your “control relay and hot water metre” and connect your hot water to the top terrif and say you want the time clock to give you 2 hours from 6pm to 8pm and see what they say. So, where are we now? Your hot water unit has had power turned on and off thought the night and maybe during the mid morning and early afternoon except the times when the supplier can sell the power to the factories, businesses, and for the mums cooking breakfast and dinner. Going back to the chief inspector, I was told that I should get an electrician to come, supply a Time Switch and a Relay Switch (combined) and set the time clock for an hour or two at say 6pm so the hot water system is nice and hot for the family to have their evening shower. This way, the most time that you are being charged for heating your hot water is for that couple of hours before it is required. If every one did this every electricity supplier would get cranky and maybe go broke. So, the ‘relay switches’ would be turned off when the computers realised what was happening. Therefore you arrange for the Supplier to come and collect their Relay and Hot Water Meter because you have had the electrician connect your hot water unit direct to your normal power metre. Yes, the cost of the power per unit is now at the normal expensive rate, but your usage is drastically reduced because you are not getting charged for intermittent power on and off all through the day and night using up the power that the supplier can’t sell to the factories shops, and mums cooking. Remember the office Urn example?
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 11:51:35 +0000