Advice for power with hydronic underfloor heating in Christchurch

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actioncam

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#267857 14-Feb-2020 14:50

Hi all,

We've just bought a house in Christchurch that has hydronic underfloor heating which I believe has a 14kwh heatpump. House is single level 260m2 built in 2015 and underfloor heating is throughout.

I've made some enquiries to see what type of power rates / plan we can get and I am told by Genesis that the current smart meter is configured for composite power which from what I understand is similar to an anytime power rate. I asked about day/night rates and I was told the meter would need to be reconfigured at a cost of $180 so that I can go on this type of plan.

Anyway I'm interested to know everyones thoughts / advice on whether I should go with an anytime power rate, or if it's worth spending the money to get the meter reconfigured and go on a day/night rate? I've never had underfloor heating before but have read other posts about using a cheaper night rate and just running it at off peak / night time (which is 9pm to 7am). It looks like anytime rates are about 25c while day / night is 29c / 12c.

Some other info, I work from home although our power usage is typically in the low user bracket.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

wellygary

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#2421059 14-Feb-2020 15:10

At a difference of ~13c from the composite rate to the night rate, you need you consume ~1300 Kwh to come out ahead,

If you have an ability to confine the floor heating periods to the night rate, then Its highly likely you will pay off the new meter in less than a Year, which would make it a no-brainer....

its a 240sgm house in Chch, I shudder to think what this will cost to heat ( get it on the cheapest rate you can)

Scott3

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#2421159 14-Feb-2020 18:04

I would shop anouther few companies for more competitive all day rates. 25c/key is quite high (unless you are on a low user plan with low daily rates)

k1w1k1d

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#2421221 14-Feb-2020 20:39

Pretty sure Genesis night rate is 11pm to 7am, not 9pm to 7am.

Goosey

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#2421272 15-Feb-2020 08:19

I'm sure you know, however when you first fire up the heater...it will take a couple days to take full effect (if it's been off for awhile).

i.e. heating the pad and the homes fabric, frame and 'bits' sitting on top of the pad will take time.

In the winter, you might find that running it all day on the lowest heat setting might do the trick in terms of efficiency / Cost.

raytaylor

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#2422019 17-Feb-2020 00:20

Normally there is a panel in a cupboard which exposes a bunch of taps where you can turn off areas of the house like unused bedrooms which dont need heating.

I'd also say this makes a great case for solar if you work from home - you actually have a chance of consuming the power you capture and if your putting it into heating, you will use a great deal.

I am also pretty sure you can combine a solar grid tie with a day/night plan too.

It might also be wise to look at one of those software-based power companies like flick which do spot pricing and get a feel by demoing the app to see how the spot price works for a while.

Ray Taylor

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rugrat

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#2422023 17-Feb-2020 06:03

k1w1k1d:

Pretty sure Genesis night rate is 11pm to 7am, not 9pm to 7am.

I always thought it was 9pm to 7am for Christchurch. Looking at other retailers can see this changes depending on the lines company. Seems harder to find region break down for Genesis. The water heating on the Orion page shows 9pm until 7am, and the water heating is suppose to be at night rates.

I was on night and day rate, spent $180 to reconfigure meter to go to night/day and weekends.

If you spend $180, do not go to night/day, go to weekend.

The weekend one gives all same benefits as night/day plus all day Saturday and Sunday are at night rates. The day and night rates are the same, just you are getting an extra 28 hours a week at the night rate.

Comparing to previous bills pretty sure the $180 has already been saved.

Don’t know how much power underfloor water heating uses, one of my mates has it, I do know when went round to his house that it was very comfortable.

Pretty sure he could control the rooms as well that it heated.