Octopus Energy reviews: Give your feedback

[Deleted User]

Telegraph_Sam said:

I guessed that there would be a few strings.  I don't have a "Powerwall 2" nor do I know what this is. Is this a smart meter by a different name? But I do have solar panels (and a res elec supply)

It’s a battery and no break Gateway costing about £8.5K.

https://www.tesla.com/en_gb/powerwall

Telegraph_Sam

End of discussions I fear. From the price you mentioned and from my past research I think this technology would be hopelessly uneconomic in my circumstances, failing a dramatic and sustained increase in energy costs. I would however "throw it open for discussion" if any other forumite has gone this route and has come to different conclusions. There must be some consumers for whom it makes financial sense.

MWT

[Deleted User] said:

bsms1147 said:

Telegraph_Sam said:

Welcome return today to somewhere near normality for Tracker electric. In the interim I was just looking through the many other "current" available tariffs, domestic and business.  One of these caught my eye: "Tesla Lite Incoming October 2020 v1".  Electric only: 11p / kwh and 0 p per day. Too good to be true?  There must be a barrier that prevents us switching to this?

Few caveats

I think that you will find that the above information is now out of date. Octopus has increased the cost of imported electricity for both Tesla and non-Tesla owners and imposed a 22p/day standing charge. I assume, but cannot confirm, that they will also have increased export payments.

That change is now itself out of date a day later...   The revised tariffs disappeared and it reverted to the 8/11p no SC again...

I think something is changing though as there are some odd numbers in the calculator on the TEP page.

Telegraph_Sam

11 p / 0 p is still showing as "current" for Tesla Lite Incoming.  I don't know what to make of "Incoming" - nor of "Lite"

MWT

Telegraph_Sam said:

11 p / 0 p is still showing as "current" for Tesla Lite Incoming.  I don't know what to make of "Incoming" - nor of "Lite"

This one isn't for everyone, it is for the Tesla Energy Plan which forms part of the Tesla Virtual Power Plant and requires that you have both solar PV and a Tesla Powerwall and of course a smart meter.

The Lite version is for people that don't own a Tesla car.

Telegraph_Sam

Something going on between Octopus and Tesla apparently.

MWT

Telegraph_Sam said:

Something going on between Octopus and Tesla apparently.

Octopus manage the Tesla Energy Plan billing and supply, Tesla control the Powerwalls as part of the Virtual Power Plant to support grid balancing at peak periods.

There is money to be made from storing power when it is cheap (import) and delivering the power back to the grid when it is expensive (export).

Telegraph_Sam

I believe I heard that feed-in tariffs for new solar installations are no longer as attractive as in former times, or have been abolished altogether. Which would imply that exporting kwh's to the grid is now not as attractive as it was?

MWT

This is a better section for a general solar debate:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/green-ethical-moneysaving

... but the short answer is that the changes and then removal of FiT made it less attractive to install solar, but the replacement, SEG, still pays you to export, and if you have the ability to store excess energy and choose when to export it then the Octopus Agile Export tariff can make it well worthwhile

The part that made FiT attractive was that it would pay you regardless of how much you actually exported, even if you never actually exported anything at all. SEG requires actual metered exports to take place before you get paid.

Telegraph_Sam

As you say, more properly a topic for a different forum. I have had solar panels for approx 6 years now and am not aware of any changes in tariff - I get FIT's "deemed" export-credited pro rata to my main generation. Sounds like Agile would "fit" - were it not for the financially unattractive storage requirements which I suspect would obliterate any earnings from exporting for most people.