Export tariffs - FIT, SEG, Octopus Outgoing Agile

QrizB

I was a Green Network Energy (GNE) customer and have just emerged from the transfer to EDF as Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR). I still need to get my GNE closing bill but my EDF account is fully functional, which has let me sign up for smart meters (don't all shout at once).

One of the questions EDF asked was whether I generate my own electricity. When I ticked "yes" the web form told me I would have to tell my FIT supplier and they would probably switch me from deemed export to metered export. OK, fair enough. My current FIT supplier is NPower but they've been promising for 6 months now that I'd be switched to E.ON (I understand NPower were taken over by E.ON, so this isn't a big surprise).

My FIT is old enough that my current deemed export is at 3.95p/kWh, so in a typical year of generating 2500kWh my deemed export is 1250kWh export payment is ~£50. Nothing to get too excited about I realise. However E.ON's SEG tariff is 5.5p/kWh. At that tariff, the same 1250kWh would be worth almost £69. Not a huge increase but worth having, particularly if my metered export turns out to be less than the deemed amount (and I have no real clue what my actual export is).

However that got me looking at Octopus's Agile Outgoing tariff. From the data here it looks as though Agile Outgoing is almost always a better rate than 5.5p/kWh during daylight hours when PV is doing its thing. Today, for example, there's a huge glut of wind energy and Agile (not the Outgoing one) went negative briefly overnight, Agile Outgoing is offering a minimum of 5.96p/kWh from 0600-2200 and as much as 15.48p/kWh during the evening peak.

I know I would need to switch to Octopus to get their headline Outgoing rates, and (depending on how the numbers stack up) this might be a deal-killer, at least in the short term as EDF's tariffs for former GNE members are pretty good. Let's ignore this aspect for now.

Questions:

1.I'm sure I've read that those of us receiving FIT payments can opt out of FIT export and claim SEG instead. Has anyone here done that and how has it been?

2. Is there anyone here using Octopus Agile Outgoing, and what has your experience been? (I was expecting to find a thread on the subject but it seems there isn't one.)

Edited for typos and to expand thread title, content unchanged.

mickyduck55

The only thing I know is you cannot be on Octopus "go" and claim SEG... Im guessing it would be the same with Agile?

Reed_Richards

I understand it is quite rare to be switched from deemed export to actual export.  It's one of the things I fear would happen to me if I was ever obliged to get a smart meter but people on this forum tell me it doesn't.

I always thought that if you opted out of the FIT then you were no longer payed either for generation or for export, deemed or otherwise.  If that's true it will upset your calculations big time.

AntonyTewks

mickyduck55 said:

The only thing I know is you cannot be on Octopus "go" and claim SEG... Im guessing it would be the same with Agile?

If you're on Go you get 3p SEG, if on Agile you get 5.5p SEG

QrizB

Thank you all for your replies.

Reed_Richards said:

I understand it is quite rare to be switched from deemed export to actual export.  It's one of the things I fear would happen to me if I was ever obliged to get a smart meter but people on this forum tell me it doesn't.

I can understand why it might worry some, but currently I've got no way to store my generated power and the only "diverter" is when I see my export is high and flip the switch on the immersion. I suspect I export somewhere between 40% and 60% of the power I generate, so moving to metered export isn't a big impact.

I always thought that if you opted out of the FIT then you were no longer payed either for generation or for export, deemed or otherwise.  If that's true it will upset your calculations big time.

According to Octopus's FAQ:

Under FiT guidelines, you get paid for being a generator, and paid for whatever you export.

You won’t be able to receive FiT export payments whilst also being on the Outgoing Octopus tariff. However, you will still be able to receive your generation payments. When you sign up to the Outgoing Octopus, you will be required to opt out of your deemed export payments from your existing FiT supplier (but there’s no requirement to switch your FiT contract to Octopus.)

Reed_Richards

Well well, you learn something new every day.  The potential downside, as you noted, is what you have to pay Octopus for your imported electricity. 

mickyduck55

AntonyTewks said:

mickyduck55 said:

The only thing I know is you cannot be on Octopus "go" and claim SEG... Im guessing it would be the same with Agile?

If you're on Go you get 3p SEG, if on Agile you get 5.5p SEG

Thanks for that but according to their website you cannot .... and my son was told the same

Martyn1981

Reed_Richards said:

I understand it is quite rare to be switched from deemed export to actual export.  It's one of the things I fear would happen to me if I was ever obliged to get a smart meter but people on this forum tell me it doesn't.

I always thought that if you opted out of the FIT then you were no longer payed either for generation or for export, deemed or otherwise.  If that's true it will upset your calculations big time.

Hi. I don't think there are any schemes where you opt out of the FiT, only the export (deemed export) payment.

Reed_Richards

mickyduck55 said:

I've been reading the FAQ and this bit gives the rationale:

Currently, you can't be on both Outgoing Octopus AND Octopus Go, our electricity consumption tariff designed for electric vehicle drivers. We've made this decision because both are such incredibly good value tariffs that it would be unsustainable for us as a business

QrizB

mickyduck55 said:

AntonyTewks said:

mickyduck55 said:

The only thing I know is you cannot be on Octopus "go" and claim SEG... Im guessing it would be the same with Agile?

If you're on Go you get 3p SEG, if on Agile you get 5.5p SEG

Thanks for that but according to their website you cannot .... and my son was told the same

There's a bit of confusion here but essentially you are both right. The Octopus FAQ says:

*Currently, you can't be on both Outgoing Octopus AND Octopus Go, our electricity consumption tariff designed for electric vehicle drivers – but any other consumption tariff is fine. We've made this decision because both are such incredibly good value tariffs that it would be unsustainable for us as a business – the equivalent of letting people buying goods in a shop using a "3 for 2" offer and then bringing them back for a full price refund! The combination of Outgoing and Agile works really well and offers potential for great savings. You can choose to be on Octopus Go and join our new SEG tariff for Outgoing, offering 3p / kWh for your export – just get in touch with our team to take this option.

(My bold.)
So if you're on Octopus GO you can't have Outgoing Agile at all, but there's a special (ie. reduced) 3p/kWh fixed SEG rate that you can get instead.

AntonyTewks

The 3p rate was only introduced in January so relatively recently. Theres an Octopus group on FB and you do hear of some occasions where the call centre arent fully aware of the options available