One way to save money is to use the night electricity tariff. If you install a multi-tariff meter and use powerful household appliances mainly at night, you can significantly reduce costs.
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The essence of multitariff metering
Electricity is consumed unevenly throughout the day and night. If the plants are working at full capacity during the day, the load is minimal in the evenings. As a result, all generators operate during the daytime hours, when consumption peaks, while at night some of them stop.
The uneven operation of equipment that consumes a lot of fuel causes overconsumption of resources. As a result, the cost of electric power generation rises sharply. To reduce costs, the suppliers introduced a tariff differentiated by zones of the day. Electricity is cheaper at night, which encourages people to use it more actively at night, thereby shifting the maximum consumption. You can take advantage of this advantageous offer by installing a three-rate or two-rate meter.
At what hour does the nighttime electricity tariff begin?
There are 3 options for tariffing electricity consumption:
- single;
- two-zone;
- Three-zone.
The payment coefficient is unified and constant; the time of day does not affect it.
If a single tariff is set, a traditional meter without differentiation is used to calculate costs. It is used only by consumers who do not want to change equipment.
To use a two-zone tariff, you must install a two-rate meter. The equipment will count the level of consumption in different time zones: 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daytime, more expensive, tariff is in effect. В 23:00 The device starts counting the costs at the night tariff. When calculating payments for services, it is necessary to multiply the data from the meter by the tariff set in the region. In the utility bill the data is entered in 2 lines (for daytime and nighttime rates.).
The three-zone tariff works in a similar way to the two-zone tariff, but the time limits are somewhat different here:
- night tariff is valid from 23:00 to 7:00 o'clock;
- The half-peak zones are the periods from 10:00 to 17:00 and from 21:00 to 23:00;
- peak time - 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Each time slot in the three-zone tariff has its own coefficient. But such a system is not widespread because of the small difference in the benefits of peak and half-peak periods.
The time period of the tariff
In the two-tariff method of calculation the night electricity tariff is applied, the time of its use is from 23:00 to 7:00. It is worth calculating how much you can save by using it.
For example, in 2018, the simple electricity tariff for the Moscow region is 4.04 rubles/kW⋅h. If we consider a two-tariff system, users pay 4.65 rubles/kW⋅h during daylight hours, and in the dark the tariff with a coefficient of 1.26 rubles/kW⋅h applies. Despite the fact that the difference between the single and daytime two-rate system is 61 kopecks in favor of the former, the savings are obvious. Electricity consumption at night will be more than 3 times cheaper.
Savings are possible only if a person is not at home during the daytime, but can perform some household tasks at night. Experts estimate that the transition to a differentiated tariff is beneficial if the consumer spends at least 500 kW per month.
Temporary peak zones
Having traced the daily dynamics, one can identify several temporary peak zones, or peak hours.
- The morning peak is between 7:00 and 10:00.
- The morning peak is followed by the first half-peak. This daytime zone includes the time from 10:00 to 17:00. There is a load on the networks, but it is not too great.
- The evening peak begins at 17:00 and ends at 21:00.
- The duration of the second half-peak zone is from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The night zone is not among the peak zones because from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the charges are minimal. To save on utility bills, you should install a special meter and try to use powerful devices at night. On a dual-rate meter, day and night (evening) are designated as T1 and T2. The first period begins at 7:00, the second period begins at 23:00. Peak hours are taken into account for three-tariff meters.
Day-night tariff
The two-phase method of calculating electricity is otherwise called the day-night tariff. It applies in many constituent entities of our country, but the tariffs for households vary. Differential treatment is especially popular in the capital. It benefits people who:
- actively use powerful electrical appliances, such as bakers, boilers, dishwashers;
- Have equipped their apartments with underfloor heating or convection heating system;
- have large country houses with an extensive lighting system, well or sewage pump, etc.
The service is available only to people who do not have debts for electricity, have paid a special fee for tariff identification and have signed an agreement with the supplier.
Benefits of the nightly electricity rate
The benefits of the feed-in tariff are obvious:
- Electricity consumers can achieve good cash savings. To do so, they need to adjust their regime by reducing their daytime consumption but increasing their nighttime electricity consumption.
- Suppliers are able to reduce the load on the equipment, resulting in less wear and tear and fewer breakdowns. This saves the budget.
- Evenly distributed load on the electrical grid is a good way to save fuel needed for power generation.
- Due to the absence of overloads, emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere are reduced.
- Modern meters are equipped with built-in memory modules. They allow meter readings to be saved even in the event of a power outage.
However, users should keep in mind that different cities have different preferential rates. Before you switch to a differential system, experts recommend making calculations and find out how profitable such a solution is. If at night in the house only the refrigerator is working, the consumer should think about the need for a two-rate system. Before you switch, you should calculate how long it will take to recoup the cost of the new equipment and the services of an electrician.
Disadvantages of the night tariff
Differential tariff has not only advantages. There are several disadvantages to the multi-tariff system:
- With increased nighttime electricity consumption, users have to monitor the operation of home appliances during the dark hours of the day. As a result, a person's daily sleep and wakefulness patterns are disrupted, which is fraught with health problems.
- If left unattended, there is a high risk of fire or flooding.
- Noisy appliances, such as a washing machine, can prevent neighbors or family members from getting a good night's sleep.
Another disadvantage is the initial cost of installing a new meter. However, with a two-rate meter, the savings are so great that they will pay for themselves in the first year.
How do I change my metering system?
There are a few steps you should take if you want a more economical rate:
- Contact the company that is the service provider in the area.
- Visit a branch that handles contracts for the supply of electricity to the population. The specialist will tell you whether it is possible to switch to a differentiated system.
- Write an application to install a two-rate meter. You can switch to the new tariff only if you have no debts for electricity.
- Pay for the removal of the old electricity meter, as well as pay for the new equipment, its installation, connection and configuration.
It is not necessary to buy new dual-rate equipment at all from the electricity supply company. You can buy it yourself at any specialized store, but in this case you will need to pass the meter for verification before installing it.
You can install both domestic and foreign-made meters, but experts recommend choosing the Russian version. Such devices are adapted to power surges and have state certification. In addition, the cost of the devices is lower, since the price is not affected by the exchange rate.
You can install and connect the meter yourself, but it is better to entrust this work to a qualified master. The specialist must have the appropriate electrical safety permit. At the end of the procedure, the consumer receives a special act, a copy of which is sent to the distribution company. In most regions of Russia, the power supply company provides a full range of services for switching to a differentiated tariff.
Modern dual-rate meters allow you to record not only the amount of electricity consumed, but also other network parameters. To find out the amount of electricity consumed during the period of interest, it is necessary to switch to the identification mode by pressing a few buttons on the meter. This section presents the data on energy consumption in the dark and light hours of the day. Once you know how many kilowatts are spent during the day and night, you can calculate the costs for the month. The recorded difference is multiplied by the coefficients established in the region.
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