Time of Day Meter (TOD)

ibro87

Hi- currently I have an all electric car as well as in floor heating. My electric bill for a 800 sq home is nearly $400/mo. At least 80% is contributed by the actual heating. The heat type is hydronic radiant with an ELECTRIC furnace. Looking at my Nest app the boiler also runs about 80% overnight. I am thinking about switching to a time of day meter which has a rate of 1/2 normal pricing. Off peak is 9pm to 9am and all day on Weekends. I would charge my car at night and also turn up the heat at night then turn it down in the morning so it would not cycle much since the slab does hold heat. Any thoughts on TOD meter and radiant heat?

Jamie Hall

This is true radiant -- that is, tubing buried in the slab? That has very long lag times, so that your strategy will probably reduce your bill (electric heat does cost...) but not reduce your comfort that much.

GroundUp

Often, true "off peak" units will have a plethora of thermal storage whether it be a stone lined internal storage in the boiler or an external water or masonry storage to be used during peak hours. Storing heat in the thermal mass of the slab is great and all, but that also means very poor temperature regulation in the space. The flywheel created by this type of storage often results in a hot house at 9 AM and a cold house at 9 PM and would usually save very little in terms of energy usage while also being uncomfortable

EBEBRATT-Ed

A simple time clock will do the job. It won't cost much to install and may save fuel but comfort may suffer.