Economy 7 is a long-standing UK electricity tariff that charges two rates: a higher day rate and a cheaper rate for a block of overnight hours — traditionally seven of them, which is where the name comes from. It was designed for storage heaters and hot water, not cars. An EV can charge inside the cheap overnight window, but every other appliance in the house pays the higher day rate, and that trade is the whole decision.
Key Takeaways
- Economy 7 is a UK two-rate tariff: a cheaper overnight block, traditionally seven hours, and a higher day rate.
- It was designed for storage heaters; everything in the house shares both rates, car included.
- An EV charges well inside the window if the session is scheduled — but heavy daytime use can erase the saving.
- Modern EV tariffs serve the same purpose with car-shaped pricing and usually need a smart meter.
How an Economy 7 Meter Works
An Economy 7 home has a meter that records two readings instead of one. The meter switches between the two rates automatically, on a schedule set by the supplier and the local network — not by the householder. The exact overnight hours vary by supplier and region; yours are printed on your bill.
Two consequences follow. First, there is no separate circuit for cheap electricity: everything the house uses inside the window — car, washing machine, immersion heater — is billed at the cheaper rate, and everything outside it pays the day rate. Second, the tariff predates smart meters and does not need one; it runs on the older two-rate meter already on the wall.
What It Means for Charging an EV
| Question | Economy 7 answer |
|---|---|
| When is charging cheapest? | Inside the overnight window shown on your bill — the whole point is to fill the car there |
| Can a charger hit the window reliably? | Yes — set a schedule on the car or the charger, as how smart EV chargers work explains |
| What else benefits? | Anything that can run overnight — laundry, dishwashing, water heating all drop to the cheaper rate in the window |
| What is the catch? | Daytime electricity costs more than on a flat tariff, so a household with heavy daytime use can give back what the car saves at night |
The pattern is the same one behind every off-peak scheme: smart charging and time-of-use tariffs work by moving the session into the cheap hours, and a home charger session is long and predictable enough to move almost completely.
Economy 7 or a Smart EV Tariff?
Modern EV tariffs were designed for cars in a way Economy 7 was not: they are built around a smart meter and priced for households whose single biggest load is the car. Most need a smart meter fitted — whether you need a smart meter for an EV charger covers how that fits together. UK smart charge point regulations also mean new home chargers come with default scheduling intended to steer charging away from peak times.
The honest comparison is your own day-to-night split:
- A house already on Economy 7 for storage heating already pays the day-rate premium for a reason, and the car usually slots into the same overnight window without changing anything.
- A house with no storage heaters and ordinary daytime use often does better on a flat tariff or a dedicated EV tariff, because the day rate touches everything.
- Either way, the numbers are on your bill: compare what you use by day and by night now, before switching anything. No general article can price your household’s split.
Chargers That Fit a Two-Rate Tariff
Any smart wallbox with scheduling can hold the car back until the cheap window opens. The EVDANCE EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox (three-phase, tethered Type 2 cable, RFID and app control) sets the session by time in the app, so the same schedule works on Economy 7 or a smart EV tariff. The residential charging page sets out the home range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still get Economy 7?
Some suppliers still offer it, most often where a home already heats with storage heaters, but availability varies. Ask your supplier what they will put your meter on now — and weigh the day rate as carefully as the night rate before switching.
Do I need a smart meter for Economy 7?
No. Economy 7 runs on a two-rate meter and predates smart meters. It is the newer EV tariffs that usually require one, because their pricing is built on half-hourly smart readings.
What are the exact cheap hours on Economy 7?
They are set by your supplier and region, not fixed nationally, and can differ between homes on the same street. The hours that apply to you are printed on your bill — set your charging schedule from those.
Related Reading
- Smart Charging and Time-of-Use Tariffs: How Scheduling Cuts EV Charging Costs
- Do You Need a Smart Meter for an EV Charger?
- How Do Smart EV Chargers Work?
