Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast answer to this question as each 2-rate meter is configured slightly differently, depending on the manufacturer and region of the country you're in. The most common Economy 7 meter's Night register records during the 7-hour period between 00:30am and 7:30am and the Day register operates for the remainder of the time (7:30am - 00:30am) as indicated on the graph below (not accounting for daylight savings).


Graph of Economy 7 Operating Hours

To see whether you have an Economy 7 meter see our Guide: Economy 7 meters. If you do and would like to know which hours your particular meter counts as day or night, please get in touch by emailing us at help@so.energy. 

Please remember:

  • Register 2 / Low is not always the Night register. Please see How do I know which is my Day / Night register? for more information.
  • Operating hours are always quoted in GMT, so during the summer time (BST) your 2 rate meter's recording hours are shifted forward by 1 hour. So for example if your meter operates from 00:30am - 7:30am during winter, then it will record between the hours of 1:30am - 8:30am during the summer.
  • The Night register's precise start times may vary up to 15 mins from the expected start time, i.e. if it should start at 00:30 then it may actually start at any point from 00:15am - 00:45am. If it is greater than 30 mins out please get in touch so we can investigate this further.

I have an Economy 10 meter

Just as with Economy 7 meters there are many different types of Economy 10 meters, the main difference between these meters and Economy 7 meters is the duration of the Off-Peak or Night hours. An Economy 7 meter records for 7 hours and an Economy 10 records for 10 hours. The most common Economy 10 meter's Night register records during the 10-hour period between 10:00pm and 8:00am. The Day register operates for the remainder of the time (8:00am - 10:00pm).

Teleswitch meters

To add another layer of complexity, some 2-rate meters are 'tele-switches' i.e. each register's operating hours (Day/Night) vary and are controlled remotely by the local distribution network, meanings that the off-peak hours can change.

For more information please see:

Citizens Advice: Teleswitch meters.