Electricity Timer... Thingy

[andrewdodd13]

I've recently moved into a flat on my own, and right now I'm just setting up my electricity account and putting in the first meter readings. I've never really looked at anything like this before, but I noticed this clock next to the meters which appears to control the off-peak timer.

So, several questions:
1) If it's 6.15pm right now, I'm guessing it's wrong?
2) If it is wrong, does it control my actual low/normal readings, or just the overnight download for the radiators? (Although perhaps not for the actual radiators, it may be for the boiler, as the little digital thing next to the clock is labelled "panel heaters" -- Which is clearly wrong as well...)
3) If it is wrong, am I allowed to change it? It seems to be fairly securely screwed to the wall...

56k warning, picture in here!

Since the picture is slightly Mr. Blurry Cam, I might need to explain it... the little grey arrow thing next to the 7 has "time" written on it, I assume this means this clock thinks it's 7.15am - which is 13 hours off, so I'd guess 12 hours + DST. The barely visible piece of metal at 18 has "ON" written on it, so I'd guess that's when whatever it controls kicks on...

Seriously though, I have no idea what I'm doing with this thing...

 

[HardwareGeek]

I must admit i don't know much about this...

Do you have 2 elec meters, that record your power usage in kwh / units?

If yes - could have equipment for an off peak supply
If no - you don't have an off peak supply

Off peak meters:
Afaik they are radio controlled by time signal so the clock being wrong on there probably doesn't matter but this is just a guess. If you originally meant the digital clock being the wrong time (looking at the pic the box next to it looks like a digital programmable timer), not the meter (if they even have clocks, idk ) then it would just throw the programmed start stop times out by the error in the time, this may have more precisely controlled when the heaters came on, rather than just on off with the time signal or work with the normal supply if you dont have an off peak supply.


Off peak supplys were generally used for old storage heater systems to use the cheaper off peak electricity to heat them up overnight then they slowly released the heat all day. It may very well be redundant atm, most people don't have storage heaters or the like any more Afaik, so possibly it doesn't even power anything anymore. Also might give you a clue if you see where the wires go from the meter, incoming with be from the main fuse, probably via a henly block to divide the feed, the outgoing could power a separate fuse box that used to run storage heaters etc


Edit: redone to make more sense

 

[andrewdodd13]

Oops, must've missed your reply last night, sorry!

I do have two electric meters, one Normal and one Low reading - on a meter to the right of the dial clock - and as you say they're most likely because of the storage heater systems which the flat does have.

I gave up and phoned the landlord, the dial clock controls the hot water, and the digital one is for the panel heaters. Hadn't been noticed since I've never actually turned the hot water on (electric shower, I'm not filthy!), but it was wrong so it needed to fixed by 13 hours. I'm guessing the last tenants must've charged a fortune if they used the hot water...