Agile rates, solar and battery - I'm too dense to understand it all 15 January at 7:13PM in Energy 9 replies 139 views

CDeJay

First of all, hi!

I've had a bit of a look at the forum but I'm very dense so not sure I understand how everything will or won't relate to our setup.

We are in the process of installing a 5kw solar array with 5kw battery storage with some off grid capabilities in case of a power cut- the idea being that the battery will power various evening activities.

We've been offered an Agile tariff with octopus and I must admit I'm not really sure if this is a good idea or not. We live in SE England. 

We have relatively high daytime use as we both WFH in the most part. We also have air to air heat pumps that we run in the summer to cool the house and the winter to heat it, although we do have the option of gas heating in winter as well when the gas prices drop (if they do).

We only run appliances when awake as family members used to work for fire service and have horror stories of dishwashers bursting into flames etc.

Is there any benefit in the agile tariff with our setup and routine? Or just stick to price cap for now?

TIA

Mstty

Try it out you can switch off it anytime.

If the wind is blowing you can top up your battery cheaply in the night but if you are concerned about horror stories about electrical fires where does your battery sit in the house. About as much chance of that catching fire as anything else.

Mstty

Another first page thread that might be of interest

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6417588/best-tarrif-for-battery-storage#latest

Alnat1

Millions drive cars and occasionally there are serious accidents. Doesn't stop folks driving though. I guess you can say the same about appliances bursting into flames.

Most people with TOU tariffs will run their appliances overnight without any problems. If you're afraid of fires are you sure you want a battery? It's quite possible a battery could cause a fire too.

Spoonie_Turtle

Very simply, the point of having Agile with a battery is to be able to charge it during lower cost times and use it (so not needing electricity from the grid) during higher cost times.  Whether it's something that will work for you in practice depends on your usage patterns along with how much is covered by solar and whether your battery can store enough for peak daytime use if necessary.  Also with plunge pricing you can potentially get paid to use energy, which AFAIK is unique to Agile.

You could also look into Octopus' planned Cozy tariff for heatpump owners, which has the benefits of off-peak rates along with set times, but on the downside of rates being set means there's no plunge pricing like there is on Agile.  It's more like Economy 10 but with 3 rates, off-peak, standard, and peak.

CDeJay

Do batteries catch fire often? We are going to fit a fire suppression system in the house in the next year or so- may accelerate that a bit now!

Washing machine is quite loud so probably don't want that on at night though.

If we can keep chopping and changing then, maybe it's worth a go. Surely can't be worse than price cap!

Mstty

CDeJay said:

Do batteries catch fire often? We are going to fit a fire suppression system in the house in the next year or so- may accelerate that a bit now!

Washing machine is quite loud so probably don't want that on at night though.

If we can keep chopping and changing then, maybe it's worth a go. Surely can't be worse than price cap!

Well you stated you won't run a dishwasher/washing machine overnight due to insight into the firs industry. What do they say about batteries are they more likely or less to catch fire connected to the solar and as a black out supply and associated hardware than a washing machine?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-battery-energy-storage-systems

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/detailed-analysis-of-fires-attended-by-fire-and-rescue-services-england-april-2019-to-march-2020/detailed-analysis-of-fires-attended-by-fire-and-rescue-services-england-april-2019-to-march-2020

Petriix

If you come off Agile then you can't go back onto any Octopus smart tariff for a month. I think some people flipped between Agile and Go a little too often so they tightened up on it. 

Alnat1

Battery systems are fairly new and I can't find any stats on fires, I'd guess at least as much chance of the battery catching fire as there is of your fridge/freezer/washer/dryer/dishwasher bursting into flames, anything electrical can malfunction.

Edit. Does the fire suppression system have any electrical parts? If so, it would increase your chances of having a house fire, as anything electrical can malfunction 

Mstty

And don't buy any replacement chargers for phones/tablets and devices unless directly from the manufacturer's. Your bedside phone charging is a hazard.

Electrical first occur in approx 1 in 3125 homes each year. Top causes are cooking appliances, second on the list is laundry and washing appliances so washing machines dishwashers and tumble dryers.