Economy 7 heating is a system which utilises night storage heaters.
Night storage heaters are basically boxes that contain heat retaining material which is heated up internally by electrical elements (a bit like a smoothing iron)
during nightime. The heat builds up in the heater and is then slowly released during the day to keep a room warm.
Because the electricity used to heat them up is consumed during times of low demand, suppliers are able to offer an economy 7 tariff at much lower prices than
electricity used during the day. The night storage system is controlled by a time clock so that the power can be turned on and off at the aprropriate time
as and when decided by the consumer.
The electricity consumed is measuerd by a two rate meter which switches between day and night, the low period being usually between the hours of 1am
and 8am varying by an hour when the clocks are changed for British summer time (BST).

It is possible to have the economy 7 electricity tariff without having night storage heating, but unless you intend to use more than about 20% of your energy
during the early morning it would not be economic to switch. Also you may have to pay for the two rate meter to be installed.

Have a look at the whole picture objectively, use an impartial online price comparison tool. The results are displayed
in a table to make comparisons easy. Switching data is updated regularly and can give you a comprehensive guide to
the best and worst suppliers for your area. Switching suppliers need not be a long, complicated process.