Getting solar and battery, when to get smart meter 15 February at 4:09PM edited 15 February at 4:10PM in Energy 9 replies 303 views

Slinky

We're pretty sure we'll sign off getting solar panels and a battery ordered within the next couple of weeks. At the moment we have SVT with EDF on an Economy 7 meter - we input two reads, they bill at single rate. They keep sending emails and texts about installing a smart meter, don't know what their waiting time for this is.

I'm quite liking the look of Octopus's Flux tarriff, but I think I'm correct that I can't move to Octopus without already having a smart meter? Or can I switch to them on a standard tariff, get a smart meter installed and pick a tarriff when the solar is installed?

EssexHebridean

You can switch to Octopus easily enough on the SVR - I switched to them in October and it was an extremely quick and easy process - took under 48 hours! Rumour seems to have it that they may have shorter waiting lists for smart meter installations than EDF too - although that may depend on where you are in the country.

Finally - don't forget if heading to Octopus to use a referral code from an existing customer of theirs - you probably have a family member or friend with them already I'd guess? All Octopus customers have our own code - and when it's used it earns both the code-owner and the new customer a £50 bill credit, so worth having! 

(The Octopus tariff you are looking at is called Flux I think - not Flex!) 

Dolor

Slinky said:

We're pretty sure we'll sign off getting solar panels and a battery ordered within the next couple of weeks. At the moment we have SVT with EDF on an Economy 7 meter - we input two reads, they bill at single rate. They keep sending emails and texts about installing a smart meter, don't know what their waiting time for this is.

I'm quite liking the look of Octopus's Flux tarriff, but I think I'm correct that I can't move to Octopus without already having a smart meter? Or can I switch to them on a standard tariff, get a smart meter installed and pick a tarriff when the solar is installed?

Smart meters are not available in all areas. One Octopus customer has reported on another forum that it took 6 months to get a replacement for a broken SMETS2 electricity meter.

Whether Flux will work for you depends very much on your array size; battery size and home consumption. Agile incoming and outgoing variable is something to consider.

Grandad2b

Slinky said:

I'm quite liking the look of Octopus's Flux tarriff, but I think I'm correct that I can't move to Octopus without already having a smart meter? Or can I switch to them on a standard tariff, get a smart meter installed and pick a tarriff when the solar is installed?

This is what we've done. PV was installed 3 weeks ago, switched to Octopus last week, smart meter due to be installed next week.
We haven't got a battery - the savings would be greater but the pay back time is just too long for us to bother. If/when we get an EV the numbers will change and we'll look again.

Dolor

@Slinky

Before Octopus will move you to a tariff that pays for exported electricity, it has to apply for an export MPAN for your smart meter. To do this, Octopus will need sight of the MCS certificate for your installation and DNO sign off on the completed installation (this took my DNO nearly 3 months). Octopus will then apply to the DNO for a MPAN. Once the MPAN is listed on the database, Octopus will start paying SEG. It will not back date for any solar exported.

Grandad2b

G98 from the DNO took just over a week, the MCS cert from the installer was next day. I've sent them off to Octopus so once the comms with the new meter are sorted we should be good to go. That's the theory, anyway.

Alnat1

Good luck with it all, enjoy your new PV system.

Slinky

Well I've decided that the best time to get my smart meter installed is when EDF will pay me £100 to do so. Have received a promotional offer by email and booked my slot for the first week of April. Haven't had the final quote through from the 3rd solar installer we asked to quote, so may as well stick with EDF for a while. Have found a friend who is with Octopus so we're all ready to do a switch to them when the timescale is right.

Petriix

EDF's E7 rates are rather generous for those with solar and batteries. Do the sums before switching. 

Slinky

I don't like the way EDF operate with their six monthly billing. Makes it so difficult to keep track of what our bills are even on a simple tarriff, want an easier life elsewhere.