Payment for Reducing Peak usage increased to £3 per KWH

michaels

National Grid raises discounts for off-peak electricity use - BBC News

So with my battery set up this sounds like something I could arbitrage but the question is how is the 'baseline' from which any reductions are assessed calculated?

I think there was an Octopus trial so does anyone have the details of how it worked on the trial?

Will anyone with a smart meter be eligible or is it only Octopus who have the systems in place to monitor half hourly usage?

Thanks

michaels

Ok

this from Octopus:
OE-NGESO Domestic Scarcity Reserve Trial Results_vSEND (octoenergy-production-media.s3.amazonaws.com)

Suggests the baseline was calculated as the average use on the same day (+time) for the 4 previous weeks.  Presumably they would not want a ratcheting down so it would be based on the four-week period prior to however long the scheme lasts (November - Feb/March?), so basically the last 4 weeks of October.

Currently I am using time shifting to have zero use except for my tariff night rate period (1AM - 6AM).  It would cost me 40p per kwh to use some energy between 4.30 and 7.30 (the most likely period to be targeted by attempted demand reduction) but if I could use a few kwh now at 40p but then get £3 per kwh for not using for several occasions over the winter then it would be a win for sure.

Thoughts?

QrizB

michaels said:

Thoughts?

My thought is that you shouldn't try to game the system.

michaels

QrizB said:

michaels said:

Thoughts?

My thought is that you shouldn't try to game the system.

Because?  I am helping to keep the lights on for everyone else by using less when supplies are tightest - sounds like altruism to me.

Suggestion is that so far only Octopus, Eon and Ovo will be taking part

QrizB

michaels said:

QrizB said:

michaels said:

Thoughts?

My thought is that you shouldn't try to game the system.

Because?  I am helping to keep the lights on for everyone else by using less when supplies are tightest - sounds like altruism to me.

But you're already doing that, for your own benefit:

Currently I am using time shifting to have zero use except for my tariff night rate period (1AM - 6AM).

You're suggesting that you will intentionally make the peak-period load worse for a period so you can then reduce it again when the scheme kicks off.

This seems unethical to me. (You wouldn't happen to be a Conservative MP, would you?)

ariarnia

i think it sounds like a gambol and theres as much chance of it working as blowing up in your face. but so much of whats going on in energy has been recently re take a fix or not take a fix. so it really depends on how much you can afford to lose if you guess wrong. 

Spoonie_Turtle

In fairness a lot of people who have minimal or no usage to cut in that kind of timeslot are already saving in their bills because they already have a setup that allows them to do that.  It would certainly be rather self-serving to artificially increase it in the hopes of being paid more than they've used.  Also a gamble, but regardless of whether it paid off, it would be very much against the purpose of the scheme to knowingly add to the burden beforehand.

[Have to admit, this news has made me come back to the idea of whether we should ask for a smart meter - but last time I started reconsidering it several threads popped up in quick succession about smart meter problems, which rather felt like being told the answer!  Regardless, during periods of grid strain we will probably make sure not to have the washing machine or dishwasher on during those timeslots (they are only run every few days anyway, but just to be conscious of when they are put on), and dinner is often cooked a bit later anyway.]

Krakkkers

People will game any system.

On-the-coast

the “game” should be win-win
incentivise usage during off peak…
no particular need to deincentivise peak usage - because if the incentive is high enough people will shift usage. 

No need to make it complicated by linking it to what you did in previous month. 

[Deleted User]

On-the-coast said:

the “game” should be win-win
incentivise usage during off peak…
no particular need to deincentivise peak usage - because if the incentive is high enough people will shift usage. 

No need to make it complicated by linking it to what you did in previous month. 

Or if the incentive is high enough, people will stick with their normal behaviour, with normal peak time usage, and then just run an electric heater in the garden for the off-peak time if that's what you get paid for. 

It's difficult to make a high enough incentive for off peak usage without either paying for reductions (like this is) which is easily gameable, or making peak time completely extortionate.

On-the-coast

[Deleted User] said:

On-the-coast said:

the “game” should be win-win
incentivise usage during off peak…
no particular need to deincentivise peak usage - because if the incentive is high enough people will shift usage. 

No need to make it complicated by linking it to what you did in previous month. 

Or if the incentive is high enough, people will stick with their normal behaviour, with normal peak time usage, and then just run an electric heater in the garden for the off-peak time if that's what you get paid for. 

It's difficult to make a high enough incentive for off peak usage without either paying for reductions (like this is) which is easily gameable, or making peak time completely extortionate.

But the incentive shouldn’t be paying me to burn energy at night…
just make it much cheaper (but not free) to use energy when it is cheap. 

That’s win win - and basically what octopus & others should be heading for. 

The problem (& I am an octopus customer) is that to move to those tariffs at present you end up paying significantly more during peak times. 

I’m my case it’s not worth switching yet.