Economy 7: The Complete 2026 Guide

What Economy 7 Actually Is

Economy 7 is one of Britain's oldest time-of-use tariffs, introduced originally to soak up spare overnight generation capacity from large power stations that couldn't easily be switched off. The deal is simple: you get a discounted rate for seven hours overnight, and in exchange you pay a higher rate — usually somewhat above the flat-rate peak figure of around 28p/kWh — for the other seventeen hours of the day.

It's a dual-register arrangement. Rather than one meter reading, Economy 7 meters record two totals: units used in the day, and units used at night. Your bill is then calculated from those two separate readings at two separate rates, rather than a single blended figure.

This structure differs from a modern smart time-of-use or EV tariff, which can offer more granular pricing and sometimes shorter off-peak windows, but Economy 7 remains widespread because so many homes were fitted with the meters and appliances (storage heaters, immersion timers) that assume it.

How the Meter Works: Dual-Register vs Smart Meter TOU Mode

Traditional Economy 7 meters are dual-register electromechanical or digital meters with a built-in time switch, often controlled by a signal sent down the network (the Radio Teleswitch Service, or RTS) that tells the meter when to flip from day rate to night rate.

Newer installations achieve the same result differently: a smart meter (SMETS2) can be configured by your supplier to record consumption in two time bands and bill accordingly, without needing a separate RTS receiver. This is generally considered more reliable, since the switching schedule is set digitally rather than relying on a long-wave radio signal.

Rates change — always check the supplier's current pricing. Correct as of July 2026.

Off-Peak Windows: Why They Vary by Region and DNO

There is no single, nationwide Economy 7 off-peak window. The exact hours are set by your regional Distribution Network Operator (DNO) and can vary from one part of the country to another, and even street to street depending on how local substations were historically configured.

As a rule of thumb, most Economy 7 windows fall somewhere between 23:30 and 08:30, but the precise 7-hour block within that range differs by area — some households get midnight to 7am, others get a window starting earlier or later. This matters for load-shifting: if you're timing appliances, an EV charger, or a battery charge cycle, you need your actual confirmed window, not a generic assumption.

Your supplier or a meter reading will confirm your specific times. It's worth checking this directly rather than assuming, especially if you've moved house or had a meter changed recently.

The RTS Switch-Off: Is Economy 7 Being Phased Out?

A common and reasonable question: with the Radio Teleswitch Service being decommissioned, is Economy 7 disappearing? The answer is no — not the tariff structure itself. Economy 7 as a pricing concept (a cheap overnight window, a pricier daytime rate) continues to be offered by suppliers.

What is changing is the technology behind it. RTS-controlled meters relied on a long-wave radio signal that is being switched off as part of the wider move to smart metering. Households still on RTS-based Economy 7 meters need to have them replaced, typically with a smart meter configured to deliver the same dual-rate billing digitally.

If you're affected, your supplier should contact you to arrange a meter exchange. It's sensible to respond to that outreach rather than let it lapse, since an ageing RTS meter with no working signal can end up stuck on one rate or become harder to bill accurately.

Who Economy 7 Suits

Economy 7 was built around storage heaters, which charge up with heat overnight and release it through the day, and immersion hot-water tanks on timers that heat water while the tariff is cheap. If you have either of these, Economy 7 is often the most straightforward option available.

It also suits EV owners who haven't switched to a dedicated EV tariff — charging overnight during the off-peak window can bring meaningful savings compared with daytime charging, though a purpose-built EV tariff (see /tariffs/ev-tariff-comparison) may offer a deeper discount over a shorter window.

The group most likely to get new value from Economy 7 in 2026, though, is anyone with a home battery. A battery doesn't need you to change your habits at all — see below.

Who It Doesn't Suit

If your household's usage is concentrated in the evening — cooking, lighting, entertainment, heating between roughly 5pm and 11pm — and you have no way to shift that load, Economy 7 can work against you. You'll be paying the higher day rate for the bulk of your consumption while barely touching the cheap overnight window.

Without storage heaters, a timed immersion, an EV, or a battery, there's often little reason to be on Economy 7 rather than a flat-rate or standard tariff. It's worth reviewing your own usage pattern, ideally against half-hourly data if your meter provides it, before switching.

Economy 7 vs Smart TOU and EV Tariffs

Economy 7 competes with newer smart time-of-use tariffs and dedicated EV tariffs, which typically offer shorter off-peak windows (often 5-6 hours) at rates that can sit at the lower end of the general off-peak band. The trade-off is a narrower charging opportunity, which matters more if you're relying on a car charger than if you're charging a battery, which can usually complete a full cycle within either window type.

See /tariffs and /tariffs/ev-tariff-comparison for a fuller look at how these structures stack up against each other, and /tariffs/is-electricity-cheaper-at-night for the underlying logic of why night-time rates exist at all.

The Killer Pairing: Economy 7 and a Home Battery

This is arguably the most important shift in how Economy 7 is used in 2026. Historically, Economy 7 only benefited households whose actual physical consumption happened to fall overnight — storage heaters and timed immersions. Everyone else paid the higher day rate for almost everything.

A home battery removes that constraint entirely. The battery charges from the grid during the 7-hour off-peak window, filling up on power priced in the off-peak band, and then discharges that stored energy through the day to cover household demand that would otherwise be billed at the roughly 28p/kWh peak rate. Your actual usage pattern becomes irrelevant — the battery does the timing for you.

This is why Economy 7, an old and sometimes overlooked tariff, has found a genuine second life as a pairing for battery storage — including for households with no solar panels at all. See /guides/battery-storage-without-solar for more on how that works, and try /calculator to model potential savings based on your own consumption.