Who will benefit from the Day-Night meter

The Day-Night dual-zone meter is often talked about as an easy way to save on electricity. However, in practice, the benefits will depend not only on the tariff, but also on lifestyle and consumption. For some households, the savings will be tangible, while for others they may be minimal. Let's try to figure out for whom the meter will be truly beneficial and whether it makes sense to buy it for money.

What you need to know about the Day-Night meter

The Day-Night meter is a two-zone (two-tariff) meter, which means that it has different electricity payment rates during the day and at night. The idea behind using the meter is that the nighttime tariff is 50% cheaper. The daytime tariff is valid from 7:00 to 23:00, and the nighttime tariff, respectively, from 23:00 to 7:00.

The Day-Night meter can be installed free of charge or purchased. Free installation of the meter is possible only at the initiative of the network operator. The operator can, for example, launch a program of mass replacement of outdated meters in a certain area of the city. The downside is that the customer cannot influence such a decision of the operator. On the other hand, DTEK offers to purchase a Day-Night meter. In this case, the customer is in control of the situation, but such a pleasure will cost 3999 hryvnias, which is 60% more than the minimum pension. In its press release, DTEK notes that with active use of the night tariff, the cost of the meter can be covered in 12-15 months. Let's try to figure out how realistic this possibility is.

Is the Day-Night meter always profitable?

Yes, the meter will be beneficial in any case, even if you do not change your lifestyle in any way. The fact is that part of the electricity is always consumed at night (for example, a refrigerator and router work around the clock). Another thing is that your benefit may be minimal. So if you have a meter installed for free, you are still passively benefiting. If you are considering a paid installation of a meter, you should consider how much energy you usually use at night or radically change your lifestyle.

How much can you save

Here are the main options for nighttime energy consumption and how to estimate the benefits.

1. Low nighttime consumption. Savings: about 80-100 UAH per month. Under these conditions, the purchased meter will pay off in 3+ years.
2. Average nighttime consumption. At night, either the boiler, washing machine, or dishwasher are running. Savings: about 150-250 UAH per month. The meter will pay off in 1.5-2 years.
3. Active nighttime consumption. A number of appliances run at night. Savings: about 300 UAH per month. The meter will pay off in about 1 year.

What to move to the night to increase savings

Of course, the more appliances you move to nighttime, the greater the savings. Here are examples of typical electrical appliances that you can save on.

1. Washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer, boiler. Most modern appliances have a delayed start timer. It can be set for the night so as not to interrupt your sleep.
2. Electric heating and underfloor heating. It makes sense to warm the room as much as possible at night and only maintain the temperature during the day. In this case, there is a danger of drying out the air, so keep the optimum temperature at 18-22 degrees.
3. Air conditioning. Allows you to cool the air at night in summer and heat it at night in winter.
4. Charging equipment - phones, laptops, power banks, etc. The savings here are small but stable.

Conclusion.

Thus, the purchase of a Day-Night meter will bring obvious benefits to those who use active nighttime electricity consumption: turn on lights and appliances, charge equipment. You will quickly return the money spent on the meter and start saving money. If your nightly consumption is low, you don't need to buy a meter. With an average level of consumption, the decision depends on your willingness to change your household habits. Without this, the savings will be minimal.

Олег Пархітько