Octopus Energy reviews: Give your feedback

masonic

Telegraph_Sam said:

This sounds like the usual fixed vs variable D/D debate, why up to now I have preferred the latter. I'm guessing that they have stated what underlying consumption they have based their calculations on such that you can challenge the figures if they seem unreasonable.

I have no experience of BRIGHT but must investigate. It depends I suppose what tariff (e.g. Go Faster) you are on as well as whether you have the motivation to go digging! I use the Explore your Energy Usage (?) download from the website and using a little Excel macro can make sense of the raw data to come up with a calculated ghost bill every month. May be that is what BRIGHT does. My moan with Octopus is that they do not seem capable of quoting the opening and closing meter readings that correspond to the consumption totals that they have used to base their monthly invoices on - as a cross check that everyone has the same hymn sheet.

Bright will tend to give you access to more recent data as it pulls more regularly, not just once every 24 hours (although I've found recently this has been less true). Otherwise, there is probably no advantage over what you are doing at the moment. I still like and use the Android app Octopus Compare, as this will give you pricing data and comparisons with other tariffs. But mostly I do what you do, although with a python script to pull the data from the API, generate some pretty charts, and automatically populate a spreadsheet and database so I have a record of all my historic data sliced up into half hourly readings, daily, weekly and monthly.

Telegraph_Sam

Sounds like you are several light years ahead of me. The difference being that anything remotely complex puts my not so new Samsung mobile into melt-down. I assume that BRIGHT is for mobiles only? Can one achieve the same results from a desktop PC?

Umiamz

masonic said:

Telegraph_Sam said:

This sounds like the usual fixed vs variable D/D debate, why up to now I have preferred the latter. I'm guessing that they have stated what underlying consumption they have based their calculations on such that you can challenge the figures if they seem unreasonable.

I have no experience of BRIGHT but must investigate. It depends I suppose what tariff (e.g. Go Faster) you are on as well as whether you have the motivation to go digging! I use the Explore your Energy Usage (?) download from the website and using a little Excel macro can make sense of the raw data to come up with a calculated ghost bill every month. May be that is what BRIGHT does. My moan with Octopus is that they do not seem capable of quoting the opening and closing meter readings that correspond to the consumption totals that they have used to base their monthly invoices on - as a cross check that everyone has the same hymn sheet.

Bright will tend to give you access to more recent data as it pulls more regularly, not just once every 24 hours (although I've found recently this has been less true). Otherwise, there is probably no advantage over what you are doing at the moment. I still like and use the Android app Octopus Compare, as this will give you pricing data and comparisons with other tariffs. But mostly I do what you do, although with a python script to pull the data from the API, generate some pretty charts, and automatically populate a spreadsheet and database so I have a record of all my historic data sliced up into half hourly readings, daily, weekly and monthly.

Unless you have any additional Hildebrand hardware on your HAN, Bright is at the mercy of the DCC for the latest data, no matter how often it polls. In my case (SMETS1) the DCC updates my HH data once a day around midday, so the Octopus API and Bright are usually in sync.

Umiamz

Telegraph_Sam said:

Sounds like you are several light years ahead of me. The difference being that anything remotely complex puts my not so new Samsung mobile into melt-down. I assume that BRIGHT is for mobiles only? Can one achieve the same results from a desktop PC?

Yes, from Guy Lipman’s site at  https://energy.guylipman.com/sm/home

masonic

Telegraph_Sam said:

Sounds like you are several light years ahead of me. The difference being that anything remotely complex puts my not so new Samsung mobile into melt-down. I assume that BRIGHT is for mobiles only? Can one achieve the same results from a desktop PC?

Bright is mobile only. The Octopus API can be polled from any device.

Umiamz said:

Unless you have any additional Hildebrand hardware on your HAN, Bright is at the mercy of the DCC for the latest data, no matter how often it polls. In my case (SMETS1) the DCC updates my HH data once a day around midday, so the Octopus API and Bright are usually in sync.

Mine has been working a little differently. The Octopus API is able to pull data up to 23:30 the previous day by about 7-8 am, as can Bright. However, Bright (sometimes) has data up to 6 am the same day by about midday and up to midday in the evening, whereas the Octopus API does not. The more frequent updates via Bright have not been very reliable, and although I don't check it very often, I'd estimate the odds are no better than 50:50 that there is more recent data on Bright than the API later in any given day.

Similar story with n3rgy - though I already have yesterday's data there, which is still absent from the Octopus API at the time of this post. Probably there is some interplay between DCC updates and the intervals between polling at the various providers.

MWT

masonic said:

Probably there is some interplay between DCC updates and the intervals between polling at the various providers.

The DCC doesn't store any data, it just processes the requests from those with authorised access to your meter and returns the results received from the meter in response to those requests.

That is one reason why you can get missing data on one source but have the data available on another, it just reflects the response or lack of response to their requests by your meter at the time they asked...

It also gives you a clue as to how well written their Adapter is, as it seems for example that n3rgy have a very robust system (written by themselves) which is capable of dealing with the failed messages requesting meter data more quickly than say Octopus (who use a 3rd party Adapter).

Telegraph_Sam

I can't say that I am particularly fussed over just how up to date (within reason) the information is since I check it usually only once a month before the invoice arrives. More relevant to me would be how user friendly the various alternative formats are and if there are features of really practical use included in one source and not in the other. Reliability comes into it as well obviously. I rather doubt if there is a point in using more than once source (regularly).

DPicard

Hi,

I assume that all/most Octopus customers have received recently an email advising about the revised Energy prices and government support in October and beyond. I have 2 questions, if anyone would know:
- The email says that Ofgem's October price cap announcement is due on Friday 26 August and is expected to see prices increase by up to 80%; is this correct? are we expecting an 80% increase from the rates in April or from same time last year?

- The government announced £400 support per household; is this a "credit" i.e. to be paid back or an actual "grant"?

Thanks in advance

Spies

80% from current SVR

Northern_Wanderer

DPicard said:

Hi,

I assume that all/most Octopus customers have received recently an email advising about the revised Energy prices and government support in October and beyond.

Not received anything at all.