Hydro Heat is a discounted electricity tariff that gives you access to cheaper power to run your electric heaters.
Basically, your heater circuits are connected to the hot water meter instead of the light and power meter which means you only pay the hot water rate of 16.7 cents per kilowatt hour instead of 26.8 cents. (As at June 2014)
It’s a very worthwhile saving but you need to comply with certain rules to be eligible.
The tariff is designed to reward consumers who choose electric heating as their main heat source. In order to qualify, you must have at least 3.5kw of direct wired heating in your main living area. This can be a wall mounted heater, a heat pump or ceiling or under floor heating.
Once your main heater is connected to HydroHeat you can also connect other smaller heaters throughout the house to the cheaper tariff. Typically this means panels heaters in your hall, bedrooms and bathrooms. These other heaters can be smaller than 3.5kw but they must be direct wired, not plugged into a power point.
Obviously connecting your main heater to HydroHeat is a good idea and it’s quite easy to do. As for the smaller heaters, the cost of direct connecting them needs to be compared to the predicted savings in running costs.
If the cost of direct connection is greater than the savings, then you would be better off leaving it and just pay the higher rate on your panel heaters. Each case is different and your calculations should also take into account how much the heaters are used and the length of time you intend living in that particular home.
Occasionally we find a heat pump or main heater that is still connected to the light and power tariff. This can be due to incompetence or laziness of the installer or failure to submit the correct paperwork to Aurora.
To make sure your heater is on the HydroHeat Tariff check your power bill and make sure you are being charged on Tariff 42.