Economy 7 vs Economy 10: what's the difference?

Economy 7 and Economy 10 are both multi-rate electricity tariffs: they charge one price during a cheap off-peak window and a higher price for the rest of the day. The difference is the size and shape of that window. Economy 7 gives seven hours of cheaper electricity, usually in one continuous block overnight¹. Economy 10 gives ten hours, usually split into three periods across the day².

That extra three hours is the whole argument. Economy 10 spreads cheap electricity into the afternoon and evening, which suits homes that want to top up heating or hot water outside the night. Economy 7 concentrates the discount into a single night block, which suits storage heaters that charge once and release heat the next day³.

The trade-off is the same for both: the daytime rate is higher than on a standard single-rate tariff, so the tariff only works if enough consumption lands in the cheap hours⁴. Economy 10 is also harder to buy. It is not as widely used as Economy 7, many suppliers do not support it or will not take new customers, and most comparison sites cannot quote for it³.

Economy 7 and Economy 10 at a glance

Both tariffs belong to the same family. They are older time-of-use arrangements that rely on a specific meter type, and both are associated with radio teleswitch metering, the system being switched off⁷. A household that sees cheaper electricity at different times of day may be on Economy 7, Economy 10 or Total Heat Total Control⁷.

The two tariffs are not interchangeable products on a shelf. Each is tied to the meter installed at the property, and the meter decides when the cheap hours actually fall.

What each tariff is: seven hours versus ten hours of cheaper electricity

Economy 7 is a time-of-use electricity tariff that charges two different prices depending on when the electricity is used⁹. The cheaper off-peak rate applies for seven hours out of every 24, usually at night¹⁰. The other 17 hours of the day are charged at the higher rate⁸. In practice the cheap period usually runs between midnight and 7am, though this varies across suppliers².

Economy 10 gives ten hours of cheaper electricity, usually in three time periods through the day². One common split is seven hours during the night and three hours during the day, most likely in the afternoon or evening³. Another description puts it as three hours in the afternoon, two in the evening and five through the night³. A third arrangement is three hours in the afternoon, four in the evening and three in the early morning⁵.

The variation is not a detail. On Economy 7 the household gets one long charging window and a predictable daily rhythm. On Economy 10 the cheap hours are broken up, which means heating and hot water can be topped up during the day rather than stored in one go. That suits some homes and defeats others: a storage heater that charges fully overnight has nothing to gain from an afternoon window, while a household that is at home during the day may use it well.

Both tariffs are static. The cheap periods are fixed, unlike newer electric vehicle and tracker tariffs, which are more dynamic and usually work best with a smart meter¹¹.

When the off-peak hours fall: why timing differs by supplier and meter

There is no national timetable. Economy 7's cheaper period runs for seven hours at some point between 11.00pm and 8.00am, and the exact window is set by the supplier and the meter⁶. The common description is midnight to 7am, but that varies across suppliers². The National Energy Action guidance gives seven hours, usually between midnight and 7am¹².

Economy 10 varies more. The off-peak times vary from supplier to supplier and region to region⁵. Not all Economy 10 tariffs operate on the same off-peak hours, and some suppliers change their off-peak hours when the clocks go forward and back³. Published examples include three hours in the afternoon, four in the evening and three in the early morning; two hours at lunchtime, three in the evening and five overnight; and four hours in the afternoon, two in the evening and four in the early morning⁵.

Because the meter controls the switching, the household cannot simply decide to treat a different window as cheap. A two-rate meter has a cheap and a more expensive rate, and it matters that consumption lands in the right one¹¹. The practical step is to confirm the actual hours for the property with the supplier, or read them from the meter, before planning anything around them.

Who each tariff suits: storage heaters, hot water and household routines

These tariffs are mainly intended for homes that run on electric heating and use storage heaters¹. Storage heaters work by using cheaper off-peak night-time electricity to create and store heat for use the next day, and are sometimes called Economy 7 heaters¹. They should always be used on an Economy 7 tariff to take advantage of cheaper overnight electricity¹³.

The fit is not limited to storage heaters. Economy 7 tariffs are typically used with electric storage heaters but are available to anyone¹⁴. Economy 10, like Economy 7, only works with electricity-heated homes and not those with a gas supply².

Two conditions matter more than the marketing:

• Room heaters used regularly are best run on a single-rate electricity tariff; using them on Economy 7 would mean paying the higher day rate for heat used during the day¹³.
• Storage heaters use Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs for cheaper energy at night, so the appliance and the tariff are chosen together¹².

For a household weighing independence, the picture is mixed. A storage-heated home on Economy 7 is buying its heat from the grid at a fixed cheap window, which is a form of price independence but not supply independence: the home still depends on the network, a supplier and, in most cases, a meter it does not control. Electric storage heaters do qualify as efficient heating under the current Decent Homes Standard summary table, which recognises off-peak or Economy 7 operation¹⁵.

Cost comparison: whether the off-peak discount outweighs the dearer day rate

The arithmetic is simple in shape and awkward in practice. Economy 10 offers unit rates of up to half the price of peak rates, but the standing charges are often higher⁵. During Economy 10 off-peak hours the price of electricity could fall by up to half of the average rate³. Economy 7's daytime rate will usually be higher than on a normal tariff⁴.

That means the tariff is a bet on load shifting. One published modelling assumption for Economy 7 uses 34.38p for on-peak and 15.43p for off-peak, with a 58:42 split between the two¹³. The split is the decisive number: a household that puts most of its consumption into the cheap window gains, and one that does not pays a premium on everything else.

The regulated caps show how the two-rate structure is treated. For 1 July to 30 September 2025, Economy 7 customers paying by Standard Credit faced an additional £82 a year compared with paying by Direct Debit, and prepayment customers paid £30 less than Economy 7 Direct Debit customers¹⁶. For 1 October to 31 December 2025, the Economy 7 Standard Credit premium was £84 against Economy 7 Direct Debit, and the prepayment position was £30 less than Direct Debit¹⁷. Payment method therefore moves the cost of an Economy 7 supply by tens of pounds a year before any consumption is counted.

Availability: where Economy 10 is offered and which suppliers support it

Economy 7 remains on offer as a tariff from most energy suppliers⁶. Economy 10 is a different proposition. It is not as widely used as Economy 7, and not all suppliers offer tariffs that support it¹². There simply are not many Economy 10 suppliers available⁵. Many suppliers do not support Economy 10, or may not offer tariffs to new customers¹¹.

Buying it is harder than buying Economy 7. Most price comparison sites, including Uswitch, do not compare Economy 10 deals, and Uswitch does not currently allow households to switch between Economy 10 plans⁵. Many comparison sites cannot support comparisons for Economy 10 meters because of the complexity of the three different rates⁶. Economy 10 tariffs are not offered by many UK suppliers, and those that do offer them do not always advertise the fact³. Most energy comparison sites also do not allow a search for them³.

The practical route is direct: approach suppliers individually to see which tariffs are available¹¹. Time-of-use tariffs generally are becoming less common as the legacy meters that support them are phased out, which affects both Economy 7 and Economy 10¹⁸.

Northern Ireland has its own picture. The Consumer Council publishes a regular Economy 7 price comparison table for Northern Ireland, with editions dated 28 August 2024, 28 January 2026 and 28 August 2026, and states that the tariffs listed are correct on the day of comparison¹⁹. Households there should use that table rather than a GB-wide comparison.

Smart meters and Economy 7: what changes when you switch meters

A smart meter can be fitted on an Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariff²¹. All smart meters can support tariffs that charge different prices at different times of day and night, including Economy 7, and Economy 10 meters are also available²². Smart meters are compatible with Economy 7 tariffs and fixed rate tariffs, and can enable a household to join newer time-of-use tariffs without changing the meter again¹.

The complications sit with Economy 10 and with older metering:

• Economy 10 tariffs do not work with existing smart meters, and many suppliers do not sell tariffs for them²³.
• A smart meter on Economy 10 depends on which supplier the household is with³.
• An Economy 10 meter can be requested from a supplier, which may charge for it, while a smart meter can be requested at no additional cost¹.
• Switching from one Economy 10 plan to another may require the meter to be reprogrammed by an engineer⁵.
• A specific Economy 7 meter is only compatible with Economy 7 tariffs, and records peak and off-peak usage separately¹.

Radio teleswitch metering is the pressing issue. Anyone with these systems on Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs will need a new meter to ensure their heating and hot water continue turning on and off as usual¹⁶. Households no longer on an Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariff are in no rush: the meter will continue to function normally and, provided all electricity is on one circuit, there should be no difference, though the Centre for Sustainable Energy recommends smart meters¹⁶. The RTS switch-off is the deadline that forces the change for everyone still on a teleswitch-controlled supply.

Switching away from an Economy tariff: what to check first

Economy 7 has not been withdrawn. It remains on offer as a tariff from most energy suppliers⁶. Moving to a single-rate product is therefore a normal change, but the meter is the constraint. If the property does not already have an Economy 7 meter, a supplier will need to install one to put the household on the tariff, and the reverse applies when leaving⁴.

Costs to check before switching:

• Switching away from Economy 10 to a standard tariff may require a fee to have a standard meter installed⁵.
• Switching back from Economy 10 to a fixed tariff means paying to replace the meter with a regular one³.
• A household that wants Economy 10 must have an Economy 10 meter to get the tariff¹².

For homes with solar or a battery, the tariff choice interacts with self-consumption. Rates for selling electricity to the grid are much lower than tariffs for using electricity from the grid, so using solar electricity in the home is much more cost-effective than exporting it²⁴. Guidance for solar and battery households points to a dedicated solar and battery tariff, or a good export tariff matched with a dynamic import tariff or an Economy 7 tariff¹⁹. A battery-only household is advised to look at either a dynamic tariff or Economy 7¹⁹. Solar panels themselves are permitted development in many cases, with the associated electrical works covered by building regulations²⁵, and solar PV is among the measures funded under the ECO scheme²⁷.

The wider point for independence is that neither tariff changes where the electricity comes from. Both are grid tariffs with a supplier, a standing charge and a meter that decides the cheap hours. What they change is the price of shifting load, and that only helps a household that has something worth shifting.