Heures Creuse switch tails

[bim and charles]

I hope I am not being really stupid, but if someone can explain this scenario, I would be very grateful. I have recently rewired an old house in Haute Vienne, and in the process, EDF changed the meter to a modern Heures Creuse  meter, as we intend to use Night storage heaters. We have used English NSH because of the price difference. i have put each storage heater through its own contactor in the consumer unit. EDF left us with the normal large tails for the power and a pair of 1.5 mm tails which were looped back on themselves. I assumed that these tails were the tele switch tails to activate the contacters when cheap rate electricity is available. However, the black 1.5mm tail does not become live when the meter switches over to Heures Creuse, so obviously the contacters do not activate. Am I missing something really obvious? Any ideas gratefully recieved.

Charles. 

[Gyn_Paul]

"...am I missing something really obvious?"

 

Yes, and so did I at first. It's not a source of volts, it's simply either side of a switch (which is why they are both black.) If you put an avo meter across it you will find it's open circuit until 23h30 (or whatever it is in your neck of the woods) then it becomes a closed circuit.

 

So. you need to feed it with a supply of volts from something like - say - a 2 amp mcb and then use this to fire up (a) relay(s) to feed your nsh's

Make sense?

 

paul