Octopus Tracker

matt_drummer

Telegraph_Sam said:

I have now put in 2 manual export readings at the same time as my norrmal import readings on 4th of the month. I am keeping a separate Excel record of the readings and what they should equate to in ££' s. Without this I wouldn't have a clue as to what should be in the Outgoing Fixed account which I have yet to "find". The meter reading history is what is shown as the last entry as I am putting in the new one.
For the same Ireason I don't know if Octopus has recorded their own (estimated) readings at any point.
I really don't think that there should be this degree of smoke & mirrors if the system was functioning properly. Can I take it that you have by now arrived at a compromise position that gives you at least some measure of access to your OF account not to say control?

You have a smart meter?

What does your Octopus dashboard show?

Mine has a section for electricity import and a section for electricity export.

It shows the total import and export by day, month, week or year and you can also choose a custom date range.

The import is charged at your import rate(s) and shown on the bill.

The export is credited at the export rate for the amount exported during the billing period with the total amount exported during the period shown.

My export rate is 15p per kWh, I guess yours is the same?

I exported 700.200 kWh in August so that means they will credit me with £105.03 for August.

My bills run from the 10th to the 9th of a month so if I want to check they have credited me with the correct amount I just select the appropriate date range in the custom section.

At any time, it's really easy to work out what you are going to get.

There is no running daily balance, why would anybody really need that?

If I export 20kWh today then I know I will get credited with £3.00.

It's not rocket science!


So, just using simple mental arithmetic for the bill I will get on Tuesday, I know my standing charge will be about £15.00, my import charge will be about £3.60 (18kWh at 20p) and I will get about £100 for exports.

My account will be credited with something like £85 on Tuesday.

I don't feel the need to know the exact amount each and every day and I doubt many people would need to although I accept that a few people will want to.

Can't you just make a similar mental calculation?

Once you have checked it a couple of times on receipt of your bill wouldn't that give you confidence that it was working as it should and you can just leave them to it and know roughly what to expect?

Qyburn

Telegraph_Sam said:

I have now put in 2 manual export readings at the same time as my norrmal import readings on 4th of the month.

If they've not issued a credit, which would appear online on your balance history and also sent to you by email, then I think you should phone them. As I wrote they told me the first credit needs some manual step at their end, and they didn't do that until I phoned.

matt_drummer

Qyburn said:

Telegraph_Sam said:

I have now put in 2 manual export readings at the same time as my norrmal import readings on 4th of the month.

If they've not issued a credit, which would appear online on your balance history and also sent to you by email, then I think you should phone them. As I wrote they told me the first credit needs some manual step at their end, and they didn't do that until I phoned.

I have never needed to contact them. I just set it up, got the export MPAN and then they credit my bill.

I was just patient and let them do their stuff.

Sometimes I think interfering in the process just makes it worse and take longer.

Telegraph_Sam

I can work out manually what my total accumulated export credit kWh's should be given the opening and most recent meter readings x £0.15 on my  spreadsheet.
On the Octopus website I can read just the individual daily (not weekly or custom) export "consumption" figure history in kWh's. "Your usage for Wednesday ..."  "Half hourly time periods"
I can't see in my balance history something corresponding to one or more export credits though may be they are there somewhere.
What is missing when I log in is an export account that shows what has been paid in in kWh's and ££'s. And what has been paid out as a credit to my main account. Rather than leave it to supposition and guesswork.
From what you say it could be that your export view is more sophisticated than mine.
I don't believe that such an account is rocket  science - unless its location is somewhere that I have not yet spotted.

matt_drummer

Telegraph_Sam said:

I can work out manually what my total accumulated export credit kWh's should be given the opening and most recent meter readings x £0.15 on my  spreadsheet.
On the Octopus website I can read just the individual daily (not weekly or custom) export "consumption" figure history in kWh's. "Your usage for Wednesday ..."  "Half hourly time periods"
I can't see in my balance history something corresponding to one or more export credits though may be they are there somewhere.
What is missing when I log in is an export account that shows what has been paid in in kWh's and ££'s. And what has been paid out as a credit to my main account. Rather than leave it to supposition and guesswork.
From what you say it could be that your export view is more sophisticated than mine.
I don't believe that such an account is rocket  science - unless its location is somewhere that I have not yet spotted.

There is no such account.

You will just see a credit on your bill for what you have exported during the billing period.

What more do you need?

It is what it is.

There is no supposition or guesswork, you know what you export each day and Octopus show that, and then on your bill you get credited.

There's nothing else because nobody needs anything else.

Do you export a lot?

I export about 7mWh a year and manage just fine.

How much do you export, a lot more than me?

Telegraph_Sam

Correction: If I look under My Energy / My Energy Insights it does give me, for both import and export, the splits by day, week, month and year. My main criticism remains however.

matt_drummer

Telegraph_Sam said:

Correction: If I look under My Energy / My Energy Insights it does give me, for both import and export, the splits by day, week, month and year. My main criticism remains however.

Which is what?

Qyburn

matt_drummer said:

I was just patient and let them do their stuff.

Sometimes I think interfering in the process just makes it worse and take longer.

I'm sure it's not always needed, and I expect you're more patient than I am.

The Octopus guy certainly implied that a manual step had been missed and would not progress until he actioned it. That was about four weeks after they got the export MPAN and the meter enrolled, and nine days after they recorded both end of month readings and generated a consumption bill but not an export credit.

Telegraph_Sam

Yes. Totally logically they should issue monthly export credit "bills" showing the corresponding meter readings exactly the same as I get for my normal import consumption.
I think that I was able to get round the hassle (manual step) you report on at the beginning of the process.

matt_drummer

Qyburn said:

matt_drummer said:

I was just patient and let them do their stuff.

Sometimes I think interfering in the process just makes it worse and take longer.

I'm sure it's not always needed, and I expect you're more patient than I am.

The Octopus guy certainly implied that a manual step had been missed and would not progress until he actioned it. That was about four weeks after they got the export MPAN and the meter enrolled, and nine days after they recorded both end of month readings and generated a consumption bill but not an export credit.

Yes, I am very patient.

I had one month where I got a bill but no credit.

I just left it and the credit came a few days later.

Patience grasshopper!