Batteries and storage sessions

JKenH

I am just wondering, in term of impact on one’s electricity bill, whether battery ownership is impacting on making money from saving sessions?

Psychologically is it a challenge for those who take pride in achieving the absolutely lowest grid import possible to game the system by increasing consumption during the qualifying hours for the savings sessions? 

Is gaming the system ethical? For instance we switched off our oil CH yesterday and thoroughly warmed the house up with convector heaters. Over the first four sessions we saved enough to cover the previous month’s electricity bill (before the government bung).

Edit: I also posted this on the Green and Ethical money saving board as although there is some commonality of readership not all participate in both. 

peter3hg

I've only shifted usage in to the in day adjustment period that I would have used anyway. Personally I wouldn't "create" usage that I wouldn't have used otherwise.
I guess I would see using electricity for heating instead of the normal gas or oil as a grey area. I haven't done it but I suppose you aren't using more energy overall.

Alnat1

I've shifted normal usage into the 3 hour slot, so washer/dryer/dishwasher/cooking but I'll admit on 4 of the sessions I also filled our 4.8kW batteries. The sessions happened on low solar days (only 0.3kWh yesterday)

Do I feel guilty? Hmmm, slightly but it did allow me to shift a small amount of use from the Session time slot, which is what the exercise was trying to do. 

Magnitio

Agree that shifting usage is what is intended by the scheme. What is not ethical is what one person put on a previous post about turning everything on in the house during the 3 hour slot in order to maximise their profits.

Alnat1

I certainly wouldn't be turning the oven on and leaving the door open, even though the extra heat in the kitchen would have been appreciated yesterday. I did however cook 2 lamb shanks that took 75 minutes each and timed the cooking to end at 4pm. They were still nicely warm when we ate a little earlier than usual at 5pm.

_Sam_

peter3hg said:

I've only shifted usage in to the in day adjustment period that I would have used anyway. Personally I wouldn't "create" usage that I wouldn't have used otherwise.
I guess I would see using electricity for heating instead of the normal gas or oil as a grey area. I haven't done it but I suppose you aren't using more energy overall.

What about charging a car - normally we charge it every day, but during night time only when electricity is on low tariff. Would plugging it in during the adjustment hours instead be considered unethical?

peter3hg

_Sam_ said:

peter3hg said:

I've only shifted usage in to the in day adjustment period that I would have used anyway. Personally I wouldn't "create" usage that I wouldn't have used otherwise.
I guess I would see using electricity for heating instead of the normal gas or oil as a grey area. I haven't done it but I suppose you aren't using more energy overall.

What about charging a car - normally we charge it every day, but during night time only when electricity is on low tariff. Would plugging it in during the adjustment hours instead be considered unethical?

I think that's fine personally. I charged my car and ran the immersion heater which I would normally do at cheaper overnight rates.

Mstty

It's clear as we are the human race if there is a way to make more, even at the expense of morals and being green and ethical....most see the money reward as excuse enough.

Human race = Locust Plague

MattMattMattUK

Mstty said:

It's clear as we are the human race if there is a way to make more, even at the expense of morals and being green and ethical....most see the money reward as excuse enough.

Human race = Locust Plague

Some people are, many of us have morals and would rather not destroy our environment. 

Mstty

Many talk a good game @MattMattMattUK until there is monetary reward

MattMattMattUK

Mstty said:

Many talk a good game MattMattMattUK until there is monetary reward

There is monetary reward in a lot of green stuff though. Using less energy, driving less, driving an EV, eating less meat, flying less etc. all have a monetary reward in reduced costs. When I buy a house (I live in a flat at the moment and Covid put my house purchase back by 2-3 years) then I will be installing solar and battery storage, good for the environment and a monetary reward. My investments are all in green energy which would likely have performed less well than a whole market fund, I am not trying to game the energy system like some are based on this thread.

There will always be some who are unethical or immoral, who take advantage of situations, however the very reason that a civilised society functions is that people generally act in societal interest as much as their own interest.