Electrical load control – change the start-up of a storage heater

Electrical load control allows you to schedule electric storage heaters, such as water boilers or storage heaters, to start at night or during the day. You can utilize the service in Caruna Plus.

Electrical load control enables you to manage your electricity consumption. Load control can also reduce electricity network consumption peaks when the devices do not switch on at the same time, and the load they cause does not strain the electricity network. Electrical load control is also a form of climate action, as less carbon-intensive fuels are used to generate electricity during the most inexpensive hours of the day!

Electrical load control is automatically available to all our customers who have night or seasonal distribution as the electricity distribution product, and controlled electrical devices have been connected to the electricity meter. When you deploy the service, the control connection time group is set in the "Basic control" category during deployment. After deployment, you can change the connection time group yourself.  

You can check your electricity meter to see which group you are using and conveniently alter the connection times using the Caruna Plus service if you have one electricity meter with load control connections installed. These properties include detached houses and most semi-detached houses. 

When the service is put into operation, we charge you for the connection of load control cables to the meter by our contractor according to our service rates. Otherwise, the use of the service is free of charge and does not affect the distribution product or the pricing grounds.

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Optimise your electricity consumption with load control

Customers using the night or seasonal distribution product

Customers using the night or seasonal distribution product, who buy exchange and night electricity from their own electricity supplier, especially benefit from load control.  

Electrical load control enables a storage heater to be switched on from the electricity meter at night when the prices of night and exchange electricity are usually lowest.

Solar power producers

You can use solar power control to switch on equipment such as water boilers during the day, even though the price of electricity is not the cheapest then. With electrical load control, you can schedule your storage heaters to switch on during the day for a few hours and, if necessary, also when night electricity is available. 

The devices start at the same time during the day, even if the weather is cloudy and you would not expect to get your own production.

How can I change the connection times of electrical load control?

We offer several electrical load control connection options from which you can choose the most suitable for your needs. If you are not satisfied, you can always change the connection time back to the old one. The service is free of charge and does not affect the electricity distribution product or the distribution of pricing. 

Detached and semidetached houses: properties with one electricity meter 

You can conveniently change the connection times in the Caruna Plus service if you have one electricity meter with load control connections installed. These properties include detached houses and most semi-detached houses. 

Housing companies: properties with several electricity meters 

It is not possible to change the connection times for housing companies where the company has its own electricity meter that controls the electrical loads of individual apartments. In this case, the electrical load control connected to the company's meter controls all the electricity meters in the apartments connected to it, and no changes can be made to apartment-specific meters.  

If you want to make changes to the company’s electricity meter, first contact your property manager.

What is the right connection time for me?

You can already use basic control

The basic control connection times have been available to you since electrical load control was first deployed. The electrical loads of different households are switched on in stages between 10 pm and midnight. The connection times are divided into three groups, and the group is drawn at random upon deployment. Check your electricity meter to see which group you are in. 

The operating times for basic control are as follows: 

Switch on Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 
Monday 22.00 23.00 00.00 
Tuesday 23.00 00.00 22.00 
Wednesday 00.00 22.00 23.00 
Thursday 22.00 23.00 00.00 
Friday 00.00 23.00 22.00 
Saturday 23.00 22.00 00.00 
Sunday 23.00 00.00 22.00 
    
Switch off    
Mon–Sun 7.00 7.00 7.00 

Operating all night 

The all-night connection time is suitable for properties where more time than normal is needed during the winter to heat electric storage heaters. The property can be, for example, a large electrically heated detached house with small fuses (25 A). 

Load control is available every day of the week for nine hours from 10 pm to 7 pm. The group ID on the electricity meter is 4. 

Optimise night time usage 

The connection times direct consumption to the quieter hours of the night. You can choose the duration that best suits your needs. If your water boiler normally heats up in three hours, you should not start heating it until two o'clock at night. In such cases, a five-hour heating time will probably be enough for you. You will benefit most from these connection times if you have a night or seasonal distribution product and you buy exchange or night electricity. 

The connection times at night from Monday to Sunday are as follows:

 On Off 
Group 5 2.00 7.00 
Group 6 1.00 7.00 
Group 7 00.00 7.00 
Which connection time is good with solar panels?

The electrical load control service allows you to control the surplus electricity produced by solar panels to heat, for example, a water boiler. You can schedule your electrical devices to switch on during the day for a few hours and, if necessary, also when night electricity is available. 

When your solar panels generate overproduction, you can utilise the overproduction for heating a water boiler, for example, with these connection times. 

The connection times are available from Monday to Sunday as follows:

 On Off 
Group 8 10.00 15.00 
Group 9 11.00 16.00 
Group 10 12.00 17.00 
Group 11 9.00 18.00 

Take advantage of solar power production and night electricity 

The connection times in this group are suitable for you if you want to direct the energy from the sun to heat a water boiler, for example, but you want to heat it at night as a precaution. 

The connection times are available from Monday to Sunday as follows:

 On Off On Off 
Group 12 1.00 5.00 10.00 14.00 
Group 13 1.00 5.00 11.00 15.00 
Group 14 1.00 5.00 12.00 16.00 
Group 15 1.00 5.00 10.00 16.00 

FAQ

Will the water boiler heat up enough if I change the connection time?

Changing the connection time does not change the heating of the water boiler. Usually, domestic water heats up in about three hours. A new load control group will switch on the device for at least five hours. 

How do I know if I have electrical load control in use?

You can check your electricity meter to see if you already have a load control group in use. When load control is switched on, you will recognize it by a "click" in the electric cabinet. 

Read more about electricity meters
How do I deploy load control?

Electrical load control is not in use if the electricity meter does not have a relay or if electrical load control switches have not been installed. 

If your electricity meter has a relay, but electrical load control switches have not been installed, contact your electrical contractor, who will make the necessary installations for the electricity meter from the device to be connected. Your electrical contractor notifies us when the installation is complete, after which our contractor will connect the load control. 

If you want to replace the electricity meter and deploy electrical load control, contact our customer service via chat. In addition to a new meter, the deployment of electrical load control will probably also require electrical installation work.