Economy 10 Meter: How It Works, Times, Costs and Benefits

If you have storage heaters or electric heating at home, you’ve probably come across the term “Economy 10.” It’s one of the older time-of-use electricity tariffs in the UK, designed to give households cheaper power at specific times of day. This guide walks through what an Economy 10 meter is, how it works, when the cheap hours actually fall, and whether it’s still worth having in 2026.

What Is an Economy 10 Meter?

An Economy 10 meter is a type of electricity meter that supports a time-of-use tariff offering ten hours of discounted, off-peak electricity spread across a 24-hour period. Instead of paying one flat rate for every unit of electricity you use, an Economy 10 tariff splits the day into “peak” and “off-peak” windows, charging a lower price during the off-peak hours.

It was introduced as an evolution of the older Economy 7 tariff, adding three extra off-peak hours during the day and evening rather than restricting cheap electricity to the night alone. This makes it particularly suited to homes that use electric heating or hot water systems that need topping up outside the middle of the night.

How Does an Economy 10 Meter Work?

An Economy 10 meter has an internal clock and switching mechanism that automatically changes between peak and off-peak rates at set times. The meter records usage separately for each rate — usually shown as two or three separate readings (sometimes labelled “day,” “night,” or “low” and “normal”).

Because the switching is automatic, you don’t need to do anything to activate the cheaper rate; it simply applies during the pre-set hours. However, this also means you need to actively shift your energy use — running appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, or immersion heaters — into those off-peak windows to actually benefit from the lower prices.

Economy 10 Meter Times: When Is Electricity Cheaper?

Exact Economy 10 times vary by region and supplier, but the ten off-peak hours are typically split across three separate windows rather than one continuous block.

Night-Time Off-Peak Hours

Most Economy 10 tariffs offer somewhere between five and seven hours of cheap electricity overnight, roughly between midnight and 7am. This overlaps closely with when Economy 7’s single off-peak window would fall, and it’s when demand on the national grid is lowest.

Daytime Off-Peak Hours

The remaining hours are usually split into a short afternoon window (often around 1pm–4pm) and a shorter evening window (commonly in the region of 8pm–midnight, or a couple of hours in the early evening). This daytime and evening top-up is the main feature that distinguishes Economy 10 from Economy 7, giving you a chance to run appliances or top up storage heaters without waiting until the middle of the night.

Why Economy 10 Times Vary

The specific off-peak windows are set by the regional Distribution Network Operator (DNO), not by your energy supplier, and they differ across the UK’s various regions. On top of that, some areas adjust their timings when the clocks change for British Summer Time, while others leave the meter running permanently on GMT. This is why two neighbours with different suppliers — or even the same supplier in different postcodes — can have noticeably different off-peak hours. The safest approach is always to check the specific times with your own supplier rather than assuming a generic schedule applies.

Who Can Benefit from an Economy 10 Meter?

Economy 10 tends to work best for:

• Homes with electric storage heaters or electric wet heating systems that need to draw power outside a single night-time window
• Households with hot water tanks and immersion heaters that can be timed to heat during off-peak hours
• People with flexible daily routines who can run laundry, dishwashers, or other high-consumption appliances during the day and evening off-peak slots
• Homes without mains gas, where electricity is the main heating fuel

It’s generally a poor fit for households that use most of their electricity during standard daytime working hours and can’t shift that usage.

Benefits of an Economy 10 Meter

• Cheaper off-peak rates — off-peak electricity can cost roughly half the price of a standard flat-rate tariff.
• More flexible than Economy 7 — three extra off-peak hours, spread across the day, make it easier to use cheap electricity without waking up at 2am to run the washing machine.
• Well suited to electric heating — especially storage heaters and immersion-heated hot water systems that benefit from more frequent, shorter charging windows.
• No behaviour change required to receive the discount — the meter switches automatically, so you’re never billed the wrong rate by mistake.

Disadvantages of an Economy 10 Meter

• Peak rates can be higher than a standard single-rate tariff, so if you can’t shift much usage into off-peak hours, you could end up paying more overall.
• Higher standing charges are common on many Economy 10 tariffs.
• Fewer suppliers offer it compared to standard or smart meter tariffs, which limits your ability to shop around.
• Switching complexity — meters with a separate “heat” or “heatwise” circuit have three readings instead of two, which can complicate a supplier switch.
• Inflexible timing — because the off-peak hours are fixed and set by the DNO, they may not always line up with when you actually want to use electricity.
• Ageing technology — many Economy 10 meters are old electromechanical units, and the times shown on the meter may not always reflect the current time accurately, especially around clock changes.

Is an Economy 10 Meter Worth It?

Whether Economy 10 is worth it comes down to how much of your electricity use you can genuinely move into the off-peak windows. If your household relies on electric storage heating and you can be disciplined about running major appliances during the discounted hours, the savings can be significant. If your usage is spread fairly evenly across the day — particularly during standard peak hours — you may find a standard flat-rate tariff, or a modern smart-meter time-of-use tariff, works out cheaper and simpler.

It’s worth running the numbers: compare your estimated off-peak versus peak usage against the specific unit rates and standing charge your supplier offers, rather than assuming Economy 10 is automatically the cheaper option.

Economy 10 vs Economy 7: What Is the Difference?

The core difference is the number and timing of off-peak hours. Economy 7 gives you seven hours of cheap electricity, almost always overnight (commonly midnight to 7am, though this varies by region). Economy 10 extends this to ten hours, adding an afternoon and evening off-peak window on top of a shorter night-time slot.

In practice, this means Economy 10 suits households that need to use cheap electricity throughout the day, not just at night, while Economy 7 suits those whose main electric load is overnight heating or charging. Both tariffs require a dedicated meter, and both are gradually being phased out in favour of smart meters, so availability of either can depend heavily on your supplier.

How to Read an Economy 10 Meter

Understanding Day, Night and Off-Peak Readings

Most Economy 10 meters display two sets of numbers, commonly labelled “normal” (or “day”) and “low” (or “night/off-peak”). Meters with a dedicated heating circuit show a third reading, often labelled “heat” or “heatwise.” When taking a reading, write down the digits from left to right, ignoring any numbers shown in red or after a decimal point, and make sure you note which figure belongs to which rate.

How to Submit Your Meter Readings

You can usually submit readings to your supplier online, via their app, or by phone, in the same way as a standard meter. Because Economy 10 meters have multiple readings, make sure you label each figure correctly (day/night, or normal/low/heat) when you submit them, since mixing up the rates can lead to an inaccurate bill.

How to Get an Economy 10 Meter

Can You Switch from a Standard Meter?

Yes — if your chosen supplier offers Economy 10 tariffs, they can usually arrange to install the meter and set you up on the plan. Not every supplier still offers Economy 10, so availability will depend on who you’re with or planning to switch to.

Installation Costs and Supplier Availability

Installation costs vary by supplier, and in many cases fitting the meter is included as part of moving onto the tariff, though this isn’t guaranteed. Because Economy 10 is a legacy meter type, fewer suppliers actively promote or install new ones today, so it’s worth contacting suppliers directly to confirm current availability and any installation charges before committing.

Economy 10 Meter vs Smart Meter

Smart meters are gradually replacing older Economy 7 and Economy 10 meters as part of the UK’s national smart meter rollout. Unlike an Economy 10 meter, a smart meter sends automatic readings to your supplier and can support more flexible time-of-use tariffs that aren’t limited to fixed, DNO-set windows. Some suppliers now offer smart-meter-based time-of-use tariffs that replicate — or improve on — the off-peak structure of Economy 10, often with more transparent, app-based tracking of your usage by time of day. If your supplier offers a smart meter upgrade, it’s worth asking whether an equivalent or better time-of-use tariff is available before sticking with an ageing Economy 10 meter.

How to Save Money with an Economy 10 Meter

• Run washing machines, tumble dryers, and dishwashers during the afternoon or evening off-peak windows rather than at peak times.
• Set immersion heaters and storage heaters to charge during off-peak hours only.
• Charge electric vehicles or other large battery devices during the off-peak periods where possible.
• Check your specific off-peak times with your supplier every so often, especially around clock changes, since incorrect assumptions about timing can quietly erase your savings.
• Compare your Economy 10 tariff rates periodically against other suppliers’ offers, including smart-meter time-of-use tariffs, to make sure you’re still on the best available deal.

Frequently Asked Questions