Off peak hot water is one of those things most Queensland households have without really thinking about it. So many people only give it their first ever thought once the hot water runs out mid-afternoon and doesn’t come back until well after dark.
If that’s been happening to you lately, you’ve probably wondered whether there’s a way to override it.
The short answer: Usually yes.
The longer answer is that how you do it depends on:
- Your setup
- Your hot water system type
- How permanent a fix you’re actually after.
What off peak hot water actually is
In Queensland, off-peak hot water runs on what Energex and Ergon Energy call an economy tariff.
Tariff 31 supplies power for:
- A minimum of eight hours a day
- Generally overnight
- At a significantly cheaper rate than standard power.
How much cheaper? We’re talking up to around half the usual cost. So it’s well worth it.
Tariff 33 supplies power for:
- At least 18 hours a day
- Excluding the evening peak
- At a smaller but still worthwhile discount.
Either way, your hot water system only draws power to reheat during its scheduled window – not whenever it happens to run low. And that’s exactly where the trade-off between savings and convenience comes from.
The upsides & the downsides
Like most things designed to save you money, off-peak hot water comes with an actual trade-off that you should fully understand before you come to rely on it.
1. The savings
The main appeal – obviously – is substantially lower running costs.
Off-peak rates can be a good deal cheaper than standard electricity, and since hot water is one of the bigger draws on a household’s power bill, that discount really adds up over a year.
2. Running out at the wrong time
The obvious downside is timing.
Because, some days, you:
- Do a couple of big loads of hot-water washing
- Have guests staying over
- A teenager has a long shower in the morning and a bath after school.
All that adds up to a system having heated up overnight running completely out of water before the sun even starts to dip in the sky. And then you’re basically stuck waiting for the next scheduled window rather than getting instant hot water back.
3. Not every system is affected the same way
Off-peak tariffs are built around electric storage tanks, which are designed to hold enough heated water to see a household through the day after an overnight heat-up.
Heat pumps, though, can run on the same tariff – but since they heat more slowly than a standard electric element, they’re more prone to running short if the household uses more hot water than usual. That’s especially the case if it’s a smaller tank paired with the shorter Tariff 31 window.
Gas hot water systems, whether storage or instantaneous, aren’t affected at all, since they’re not drawing from an electricity tariff in the same way. Electric instantaneous units generally aren’t suited to off-peak in the first place, since they need power the moment water’s running rather than stored in advance.
4. The boost switch, if you have one
Some off-peak systems are fitted with a manual boost or override switch, sometimes located near the switchboard or meter box, that forces the system to heat outside its scheduled hours.
Pressing it draws power at the standard, more expensive rate for a set period, which is a fair trade-off for an occasional shortfall but not something worth using as a daily habit. It will eat into the savings the tariff is meant to provide in the first place pretty quickly.
Not every installation has one fitted, anyway, so it’s worth checking with an electrician if you’re not sure whether yours does or whether one can be added.
5. Changing your tariff altogether
Wondering how to change hot water heating times?
If running short has become a regular problem rather than an occasional one, the more permanent fix is contacting your electricity retailer about switching tariffs. For example, you could move from Tariff 31 to Tariff 33 for a longer daily supply window, or off the controlled load entirely onto standard power.
Remember, the actual timing of an economy tariff is set by the network operator – it’s not something you can adjust yourself.
6. Dual-element systems
If running short is a recurring problem, it’s worth knowing that some electric hot water systems come with two heating elements built in from the factory – not just the usual one.
- One element runs on the cheaper off-peak tariff as the main way the tank heats overnight
- The second element is wired to general power as a boost you can draw on during the day if needed.
It’s a useful option to know about the next time you’re replacing your hot water system – particularly if running out has been an ongoing frustration rather than a one-off.
Just want to know how to change electric hot water heating times?
If you’re simply wondering how to turn off off peak hot water altogether, whether that means using a boost function for a single top-up or switching tariffs permanently, the answer is yes – it is possible to do. It just depends on which outcome you’re after. Because while a quick boost may solve today’s problem, a tariff change or a second element solves the recurring one.
If your hot water keeps running out at the wrong time, or you’re not sure whether your current setup even has an override option, get in touch with Gold Coast Plumbing and Hot Water.
We’ll:
- Take a look at your system
- Explain what your options are
- Help you land on a setup that actually works for your household.
Reach out to our friendly team today.
