random off peak hours

superdelpiero

Hello everyone,

since I moved in my current apartment one year ago, I noticed my heaters turning on at different times during the day.
They are controlled by a Devireg 710-2, which is controlled by the off peak signal coming from the ESB meter.

I was curious so in the last week I took apart the fuse box and with a multimeter I started measuring the off peak signal.

These are my measurements:

- Saturday the off peak signal came at around 19.30pm and when I went to sleep at 2.30am was still there

- Sunday no off peak signal the all day

- Monday no off peak signal in the afternoon/night (maybe in the morning, but I was at work so I don't know)

-Tuesday (today) the off peak signal came at 11.30am and has been on the all time, still now (21.23pm) is present.

Is this normal?

I have also a water boiler, with his own timer that runs every night from 3am to 7am.
I have always thought to pay less at night (because the tariff name is night saver), but I now I don't know anymore.. what time do I pay less, at night or when the off peak signal is on? (that means unpredictable hours)

I am an Airticity customer, I wrote them and they contacted ESB, who replied that everything is ok. Obviously I don't think so..


thanks anyone can help me to solve this mystery

EI: Una

Hi Superdelpiero,

We are having this checked out for you at the moment. Just for your information: the Nightsaver times for summer (just starting in the last few days because of the clocks going forward) are 12 midnight to 9am.

We will get back to you asap.

Regards
Una

superdelpiero

thanks a lot Una!!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I may be wrong on this but the meter does not send any signal to any appliance. The meter just records consumption. It is the timer on the heaters that pulls power rather than the meter pushing it. The fact that an appliance comes on is down to the appliance not the Day or Night Meters.

This is not an Electric Ireland query if you are with Airtricity but I don't think it's an Electrictity Company query of any sort. Speak to an electrician about it, perhaps.

superdelpiero

Kayla Numerous Chimp wrote: »

I may be wrong on this but the meter does not send any signal to any appliance. The meter just records consumption. It is the timer on the heaters that pulls power rather than the meter pushing it. The fact that an appliance comes on is down to the appliance not the Day or Night Meters.

This is not an Electric Ireland query if you are with Airtricity but I don't think it's an Electrictity Company query of any sort. Speak to an electrician about it, perhaps.

Hi Kayla Numerous Chimp, I appreciate your answer,
but there is actually a cable coming from the meter and plugged into the Devireg (I attached a figure from the manual, port number 4)

if you take a multimeter you can actually check when the signal is coming (I did, it's around 230V and it only comes for some hours).

And of course, I already called an electrician and he told me that the problem is with the meter.

EI: Una

Hi Superdelpiero,

Thanks for that further information. We are still checking this out for you - haven't forgotten! I will submit that additional information also.

Regards
Una

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I accept that there is a cable from the heater to the Meter. All appliances at some point connect to the Meter but the meter only measures usage. A Meter does not turn the appliance on or off, nor does it make it consume energy. Supply enters the premises via the ESB meter then via circuits to each appliance and that meter measures what they consume. A Meter is only a recording device not an activation device.

Electric Ireland: David

Hi superdelpiero,

I would recommend contacting your supplier again in order to have the timeswitch checked. While the meter does not send a signal (as Srameen correctly has pointed it, it is a recording device rather than an activation device) quite often night storage heaters will be synced up to the timeswitch, which control when the night units kick in.

superdelpiero wrote:

I am an Airticity customer, I wrote them and they contacted ESB, who replied that everything is ok.

A service order needs to be logged by your supplier to get the timeswitch reset/repaired - this involves sending out an ESB Networks technician to the premises. Merely contacting ESB Networks will not do any good, as they have to be on site to determine what the problem is.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

David.

ted1

Kayla Numerous Chimp wrote: »

I accept that there is a cable from the heater to the Meter. All appliances at some point connect to the Meter but the meter only measures usage. A Meter does not turn the appliance on or off, nor does it make it consume energy. Supply enters the premises via the ESB meter then via circuits to each appliance and that meter measures what they consume. A Meter is only a recording device not an activation device.

. Some meters have relays outputs generally used to provide a pulse signal for kwh, kvarh, 15 min intervals, day night rate. You can use the night rate signal to trigger an external source.