Octopus Energy reviews: Give your feedback

Telegraph_Sam

Thanks for drawing the link(s) to my attention. I have applied for PH.
I would be interested to know how you became aware of Power Hour while I am officially still in the dark (no notification).
I suppose that this amounts to getting one 60-minute hour per month free regardless of how many kwh's are consumed in this hour. The key point will be how the hour in question is selected. In theory at least it could be an hour when my consumption is near to zero.  Determined in advance or applied retrospectively.

niktheguru

Sam the answers to your questions are already on the link provided by the previous poster.

https://octopus.energy/powerhour/

The answers are also clearly on the form that you completed to join powerhour which I'm sure you have fully read

It'll be an hour where the energy is the greenest and likely cheapest. Users will be emailed with 24hr notice to be told when that hour will be and you can use as much or as little electricity during that hour 

Telegraph_Sam

Readers following the smart / non-smart debate might find the following - just lifted from Yahoo mail - worthy of note and/or comment ...

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/why-electricity-suppliers-saying-no-060028761.html

nadsat

I've not paid much attention to utilities for a while having switched to Octopus Tracker a while ago but now see that prices have gone up a lot. Anyone still on the tracker? I've run a few quotes using Octopus Flexible, which may be the closest to tracker, as a comparison but they all come out higher. 

Seems to me there's no point in switching away from Octopus but is it best to switch to another of its tariffs. 

I investigated installing a smart meter a few weeks ago but the electricity supply can't be got at without dismantling a cupboard and no point in smart metering just gas. The Octopus installer said he wouldn't bother with a smart meter anyway as the savings from running a couple of appliances off peak will be small.

masonic

Telegraph_Sam said:

Readers following the smart / non-smart debate might find the following - just lifted from Yahoo mail - worthy of note and/or comment ...

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/why-electricity-suppliers-saying-no-060028761.html

I don't think this is the most common reason people have been struggling to get a smart meter installed, although it will inevitably become more common as the number of customers with a working smart meter grow. For most people the problem has been availability of an installer and technical problems during a scheduled installation.

nadsat said:

I've not paid much attention to utilities for a while having switched to Octopus Tracker a while ago but now see that prices have gone up a lot. Anyone still on the tracker? I've run a few quotes using Octopus Flexible, which may be the closest to tracker, as a comparison but they all come out higher. 

Seems to me there's no point in switching away from Octopus but is it best to switch to another of its tariffs. 

I investigated installing a smart meter a few weeks ago but the electricity supply can't be got at without dismantling a cupboard and no point in smart metering just gas. The Octopus installer said he wouldn't bother with a smart meter anyway as the savings from running a couple of appliances off peak will be small.

Over the last month I've saved 35% vs Flexible Octopus by being on Go Faster. It would be a 20-25% saving even if I used none of that energy off peak. That may be considered small to some people, but to me it is significant. I don't know how the tracker has been doing recently, but it wasn't working out very cheap earlier in the year.

Telegraph_Sam

Others will confirm that I was very sceptical about smart meters for a long time but eventually did switch meters in order to take advantage of the Octopus Go Faster "innovative" tariff.  It takes a little investigation to set it up but as someone who does NOT normally have all systems go at 3 am, I think it makes claims by Avro & co to be the cheapest look rather thin. If you are with Octopus this or one of the other innovative ["Go"] tariffs would be the one to switch to, the mainstream tariffs are distinctly pricey. Unless I have misunderstood something I was surprised at the savings.
PS Off peak can start at 8.30 pm

nadsat

masonic said:

Over the last month I've saved 35% vs Flexible Octopus by being on Go Faster. It would be a 20-25% saving even if I used none of that energy off peak. That may be considered small to some people, but to me it is significant. I don't know how the tracker has been doing recently, but it wasn't working out very cheap earlier in the year.

Telegraph_Sam said:

Others will confirm that I was very sceptical about smart meters for a long time but eventually did switch meters in order to take advantage of the Octopus Go Faster "innovative" tariff.  It takes a little investigation to set it up but as someone who does NOT normally have all systems go at 3 am, I think it makes claims by Avro & co to be the cheapest look rather thin. If you are with Octopus this or one of the other innovative ["Go"] tariffs would be the one to switch to, the mainstream tariffs are distinctly pricey. Unless I have misunderstood something I was surprised at the savings.
PS Off peak can start at 8.30 pm

OK so I should think again about the smart meter - it was the installer who talked me out of it! That and the pain  and expense of ripping out a built in cupboard. 

If energy prices were to come down to where they were when I took the tracker out then this of course would not be an issue but we are now spending about £6 a day on electricity (not much on gas in the summer of course). 

Also, the Octopus guy is not with Octopus for his own supply... with SSE I think. 

masonic

nadsat said:

masonic said:

Over the last month I've saved 35% vs Flexible Octopus by being on Go Faster. It would be a 20-25% saving even if I used none of that energy off peak. That may be considered small to some people, but to me it is significant. I don't know how the tracker has been doing recently, but it wasn't working out very cheap earlier in the year.

Telegraph_Sam said:

Others will confirm that I was very sceptical about smart meters for a long time but eventually did switch meters in order to take advantage of the Octopus Go Faster "innovative" tariff.  It takes a little investigation to set it up but as someone who does NOT normally have all systems go at 3 am, I think it makes claims by Avro & co to be the cheapest look rather thin. If you are with Octopus this or one of the other innovative ["Go"] tariffs would be the one to switch to, the mainstream tariffs are distinctly pricey. Unless I have misunderstood something I was surprised at the savings.
PS Off peak can start at 8.30 pm

OK so I should think again about the smart meter - it was the installer who talked me out of it! That and the pain  and expense of ripping out a built in cupboard. 

If energy prices were to come down to where they were when I took the tracker out then this of course would not be an issue but we are now spending about £6 a day on electricity (not much on gas in the summer of course). 

Also, the Octopus guy is not with Octopus for his own supply... with SSE I think. 

Octopus' non-smart tariffs are expensive compared to the cheapest in the market. In your position you have to weigh the cost and inconvenience of dealing with that cupboard. It may be better for you to switch elsewhere when that's factored in - you can run the comparison against Flexible at one of the comparison sites and get a guide to the savings on offer. I think it is highly unlikely prices will be coming down to where they were. I'd not be surprised at all if we see further hikes as we head into the winter and demand increases.

Telegraph_Sam

"Also, the Octopus guy is not with Octopus for his own supply... with SSE I think." .. impartial advice?  I could imagine the installer not being over the moon when confronted with your cupboard 
 

tlcgrantham

Masonic said “I don’t know how tracker has been doing recently”.
   Tracker has today reached 6p/kw for Gas and 24p/kw for Electricity for some regions.