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Related to this: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/20/national-grid-to-pay-households-more-to-use-off-peak-power
I'm currently with EDF with a dumb meter. I have a works EV taking up space on my drive and I can see potential to take advantage of the National Grids plan to pay £3 per kWH if you reduce consumption at peak times when the grid starts creaking. (and a separate incentive of £20 per month rebate by ensuring you don't use more than 12.5% of your power between 4-7pm) I could easily achieve either of these by temporarily, or permanently setting my van to charge overnight instead of as soon as I get home and plug it in.
I've tried to get a Smart Meter from EDF but they have put me on an indefinite wait list...and I've realised they haven't signed up to the above incentives anyway.
Octopus are supposedly officially signed up but I can't find info about the £3/kWh rebate, only the 12.5% £20/month rebate.
OVO and E.ON are both apparently interested but I can't find info from them either.
My main block is getting a smart meter fitted but it sounds like I need to switch in order to get one anyway. And I don't want an EV specific tariff as my employer pays for the charging directly to my account so I wouldn't benefit from the cheap rate to offset the more expensive day rate.
Is anyone here sorted and in scope to benefit from these schemes?
How do you intend to participate ? Have you got a v2g charger that lets you back flow from vehicle battery ?
We have a house battery and solar pv and have participated in the ovo power move scheme. That is 20 quid per month to move to less than 12.5% of your daily consumption between 4-7
It requires a smart meter
I also thought the national grids plan was kyboshed as unnecessary - that articles dated October
Octopus send emails to their customers telling them when the savings periods are. I think they are paying out £2.25 a kWh of the £3 NGESO pay them.
I’ve made about £18 so far.
PS - if you’re charging your van at home get an overnight tariff. I charge the car at 12p a unit 1230-0430.
What’s that in octopoints haha.
Are you traditionally a heavy user of electric because the others I know on here using that octopus scheme have made about 23 pence off of it
I have a battery and just stop using anything off he mains during the saving period.
So do they.
Are they offering different rates in different regions
The savings on octopus are based on your own historical usage over the previous 10 days. If you are only on battery power at that time anyway then the savings will always be low. That's what we are seeing too. I'm up to about £2.50 from the saving sessions.
As above, octopus send out a note with a link to sign up to that's days saving session. 3 or 4 sessions so far. Also looks like they are hiding the £20 extras with "streaks". If you sign up and save on consecutive sessions they give you a bit extra.
I don't have a home battery or v2g facility.
I thought the £3/kWh idea was that they use your smart meter and work out how much consumption you have reduced during a specified period, so if I normally charge my van from 16:00 to 20:00 and average say 15kWh for that time period, when they request that you reduce consumption I just charge the van later and suddenly I'm 15kWh below my normal average and get a credit.
It conflicts with the £20/12.5% incentive, as if I always charged off-peak then I wouldn't have the facility to reduce my average consumption on demand (unless I had cold beans for dinner). But I guess I could adapt my charging schedule to whichever incentive is most profitable...either the safe £20 a month, or betting that you are going to have the opportunity to cut peak time consumption on demand.
There is no benefit in an EV or overnight tariff as I'd be stuck with a higher day rate whilst my employer benefits from cheaper vehicle charging at night (it all gets tracked and credited by a couple of apps)
Octopus send emails to their customers telling them when the savings periods are. I think they are paying out £2.25 a kWh of the £3 NGESO pay them.
I'll give them a ring, sounds like I might be able to benefit either way as long as I can get them to fit a smart meter (they say roughly 14 days but not guaranteed... And until then you stay on their standard tariff)
I am taking part in the Octopus Saving Sessions and have earned 'Octopoints' worth nearly £30 so far.
My house is heated by a heat pump and well insulated so if I turn the heating off and avoid cooking I gen hold my power consumption below 0.2kW and the house does not cool down noticeably in an hour or two.
I think that only those using electric heating have significant potential for shifts in electricity use away from peak periods, though not cooking until later will also help.
Are octopoints just credits that offset the next bill?
I've given up on that saving session. I'm now charging battery at 16p on E7 overnight and discharging on Agile when above 50p during day if it looks like there maybe some sun to top back up any export. The snow on panels has scuppered one day of my master plan
hmmm, I'm not clear on whether I lose the energy price cap if I switch, and whether the price cap applies to the smart tariffs.
temporarily, or permanently setting my van to charge overnight instead of as soon as I get home and plug it in.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to plug your van in during peak times to bump up your average usage ready for the saving sessions?
I imagine all this backwards scheme has accomplished is to encourage people to actually shift their loads to peak times.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to plug your van in during peak times to bump up your average usage ready for the saving sessions?
Yes, if they wanted to shed load frequently that would be the best option, however if they don't offer it very often and you are making less than £20 back, it would be better to charge offpeak so you drop under 12.5% betwen 16:00 and 19:00 and receive the £20/month
We get notifications by email from Octopus inviting us to take part in the next period. Last one was Tues 17.00 -1900. I knocked the main switch off, cuddled up with my gal under a couple of oodies and got the kindles out. Lpg lounge gas fire kept her happy. We opted to donate our credits to their hardship fund, £22.00 to date.
I only hope it is a hardship fund for consumers and not Octopus 😂😂
From what I hear there is very little, if any appetite for any energy companies to take on new customers at the moment.
I have also been in on the octapoints money back and so far amassed about £4 just by delaying cooking with the oven as that is the big energy draw at that time.
Yes thats the impression I get from Octupus's multiple warnings about switching to them! It doesn't say I would lose the price cap so I guess the overheads of switching doesn't make it viable for them