Yes I installed the velis myself - very straightforward - for info, done very very little plumbing, so think anyone could probably manage it.
Re the fridge, I think mine’s currently running inefficiently as the elements in freezer are a bit iced up. So just about to defrost and then see how it goes, and see if necessary to actually make the new fridge purchase.
Sparks thinks it’s the balon heater kicking in at the ‘cheap rate’ time. I haven’t been on the cheap rate since mid-March.
This chart is particularly interesting.
Consistent peaks, all day. Then the peak at 20:30 - 21:00 is me cooking. Peaks resume at +/- 0.8kWh.
Whatever else a chart shows, it shows that same repeated pattern, every day.
Sparks thought it could be a radiator. But A] I have set the rads to come on at 18C in the daytime and 12C at night. We haven’t had ambient temps lower than those two for many weeks. B] As the rads have thermostatic controls and timers there would be some variations in the timing, depaending on ambient and the room warming up and timing - not so very regular.
I’m going now to turn the balon off …
Vamos ver!
Through the night it is probably your fridge/freezer switching on and off. I have a monitor for my electricity since I have PV panels and you can see the “blips” throught the night on this plot for the last 7 days. Night time is the periods between the yellow peaks which is when the PV system is generating electricity. The large positive peaks on the green plot is when the kettle/microwave is used.
As for adjusting your ballon temperature, generally there is a plastic cover covering the electrics for the immersion heater and there on the PCB there will be a dial you can adjust. For mine I have to use a screwdriver to turn the dial. See the red dial in the picture
Wow, that looks very different to my usage. Given the temperatures now I’m surprised the radiators were suggested as the reason for the spikes. When we had the heat during June I also had spikes in use caused by the fridge freezer cycling as it tried to maintain temp. The following is what I used to measure the elec consumption to help identify where I could make changes - it works well, showing me how many watts any equipment draws, then if I leave the equipment plugged in to it I can see the kwhr usage for a day.
Is your fridge very old… perhaps with a badly fitting door seal…??
I’m just wondering why it’s working hard to remain at the correct temperature.
another thought… is it is direct sunlight (thus getting heated)
Have you checked that the fins around the back are clean and the internal drain is unblocked… so that evaporation can work successfully…??
Of course… if you house indoor temps are the same as outdoors… then your fridge might well be overworking… when the canicule hits.
and, last thought for the day… is the unit level on the floor… when we moved a small fridge… it ran amok for a few days until OH got it correctly level.
It’s a built in fridge which I don’t think is great as the heat generated can’t dissipate so efficiently. It is quite old now in terms of years, but not in terms of use as the house was a second home for many years.
I’ve just about run the freezer down, so will then do the ‘great’ defrost, remove it from the cupboard, give it a good clean at the back and underneath, then see if I get improvement. I hate throwing stuff out if it can be refixed/sorted out somehow, so fingers crossed I can revive it! After a bit of research I think the culprit could be the freezer elements that are clogged with ice 
but I’ll also check the other helpful points you mention - thanks alot, as really want to get the situation sorted out 
don’t suppose you have the “book of words” do you??? they usually have a “wot’s wrong” section
whatever… good luck
My fridge was new, delivered in late Nov. I turned it off for 4 hrs yesterday. The consumption chart shows no difference. The regular 0.8kWh spikes are there, as they are every day.
Sparks’s idea that it’s a rad doesn’t hold up.
This
is the chart on the day it was hot enough that I was reduced to flannel out of the frezzer * onto the bald pate.
I’ve switched off the balon. It’s ancient and 200L. I think I would do well with something new and 80L.
Oh gosh, think the book of words disappeared many many moons ago - now just the net - what would we all do without it 
That made me chuckle 
all very much starts to point towards the ballon. With age the older type get horribly calcified and become very inefficient. For perspective, yesterday I used 4kwh, up from 3kwh on Sat.
I was surprised to feel the considerable warmth of my Echo Show [Alexa gizmo]. It’s just sitting there being a warm brick except when I tell Alexa to play music, while I cook +/- 8-30 - 9 p.m. [as reported daily by the consumption charts]
The blurb says it goes into ‘low power mode’ when not in use. If it generates such heat when in low power mode, I wonder how much power is used to heat the Universe when it’s working?
I must see if I can get Alexa to come out with the reminder “Unplug me before you eat” at about 9-15 pm
And that’s a great example of where you can use that energy meter plug - no longer are you guessing. I
have a great AV amp that I used for listening to music as well as for the original purpose which was to enjoy a good movie. Shocked by the energy consumption, I now have a separate bluetooth speaker that I use, consuming a fraction of the power. Must say it’s been a real voyage of discovery, primarily driven by the interest to cut my consumption and go solar:+1:
800w is much too high for a fridge/freezer, and only every 2 to 3 hours doesn’t fit either. The much lower 100W background in the plot will be the fridge/freezer. My large fridge plus 2 freezers consume about 250W max when all are on simultaneously and turn on/off quite frequently. What the 800W peaks evert 2 to 3 hours are is a mystery to be solved.
Insp Closeau 'ere. Ah 'ave solvéd le mystère!
Ah switchéd uf le balon in ze meeedel ov ze dye. Ze grand pics are ze seche-linge zen — almoz nozzing until - pouff! La cuisine! Saucisses de Toulouse wiz les spuds rotis & legumes. Also
Regardez! Leuk!
'Ere is ze dye beeferr
Resultat!
I always worry about not keeping a hot water tank at the correct temperature (to save on electricity bills) when there are significant health risks in doing so - particularly from Legionaries disease.
This is reference from an Australian, but nonetheless relevant source:
Thanks Graham. I have read that piece and appreciate the point.
I don’t have a thermometer that goes to 60C. I think my medical one would have a shaded area above about 45C and “You do not have a temperature. You are on fire!”
My hot water is scalding hot. I have not come across such hot water since the thermostat in a friend’s set-up failed and the boiler ran continuously.
They mention the water at the bottom of a tank. I am on my own and use very little of the 200L capacity of my tank. Assuming the draw is from near the top, there must be a consistent layer of ‘less hot’ water, as described in the piece, in the lower part of the balon.
Much safer to draw off most of a small tank than a small proportion of a large tank.
It all points to a replacement.
When do I want it? I want it NOW! 
Looking at the specs of a likely candidate, how can they offer the temps below 65C? 55C maybe but the others - dodgy?
The velis I mentioned allows you to digitally set the temperature very very easily, so you can vary it as you wish. The bumf I got with my cumulus suggested heating it up to 60’c once per month to deal with the legionnaires. And I now also have a very good turnover of water with the far smaller tank versus the previous 200l tank, so no doubt that also helps.
I guess so, but in the case of a larger balon, since the cold replacement water will enter at the bottom of the tank, there should be sufficient hot remaining at the top to avoid issues with legionella. A smaller balon might not work as efficiently in that respect as the circulation of the colder water might reduce the overall temps until the next heating cycle reheats the whole volume.
Does that make sense?
Yes. I follow you. But in my case, being on me tod, the water will have plenty of time between usages/heating cycles to get the whole lot back up to temp.
If I had a shower in the morning and the timing is set for say 20/30 mins 07:00 - 08:00 to bring it up to temp, then 60/90 mins 10:00 - 11:00 to reheat the refilled tank … a few litres for washing up later [no dishwasher] …
What do you think of those onions?
One lot advocate a 100L for 2 persons, another 65L … 
I gave up the hi/low charge format. Just not using the cheap rate period. I read that one must consume 40% + of one’s lekky in the reduced period to make it worthwhile paying the higher [than flat rate] the rest of the time.
As we see from my two charts, my balon [200l] goes on cycling 24/24. Sparks says we can fit a timer but that regular cycling pattern throughout the 24 hr reveals that the temp control is either duff or non-existent. Once up to skin-a-pig degrees, it doesn’t stop cycling.
Having switched it off about 10:30 yesterday and switched it on again about 10:00 this morning, the water was still too hot to ‘handle’ without the usual tap setting for a cold mix. I would expect a new balon to be just as effectively insulated.
So, on the flat rate, it doesn’t really matter when I set the time to heat a tank-full, just a question of having it timed right for usage.
Letsmile seems to have that sorted …
Our 200l balon (for the two of us) is set to work on the cheap rate night tariff so comes on about 22:30 each night automatically. There’s usually sufficient hot water during the day for all our needs and, of course, once the balon is up to temperature, it draws no more electricity (as far as I understand).
Just a different approach, I guess Chris.
