Octopus Agile

NedS

Spoonie_Turtle said:

That's very useful to know.  Probably Cosy from Saturday for us then.

We've been on Cosy since last Autumn but I do monitor Agile prices daily, and the Cosy cheap rate has consistently been lower that Agile rates this winter, so for those with a battery Cosy has been the clear winner (although I don't think you have a battery?)

For reference, last winter we averaged an import price of around 20p/kWh on Cosy without a battery, so that may be a more realistic point of reference versus Agile (without a battery)

Spoonie_Turtle

NedS said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

That's very useful to know.  Probably Cosy from Saturday for us then.

We've been on Cosy since last Autumn but I do monitor Agile prices daily, and the Cosy cheap rate has consistently been lower that Agile rates this winter, so for those with a battery Cosy has been the clear winner (although I don't think you have a battery?)

For reference, last winter we averaged an import price of around 20p/kWh on Cosy without a battery, so that may be a more realistic point of reference versus Agile (without a battery)

That's right, we don't have a battery (or solar, just the heat pump). 

Agile has worked out cheapest for us up until now because of the above-SVT day rate on Cosy, aside from the odd very expensive day, but next week doesn't look good and we need some cheap daytime periods.  Our routine usage isn't optimised for Cosy (currently would average ~25p/kWh) but the things that can be shifted will help bring that down.  [Average on Agile for the month has been ~20p/kWh.]

Slinky

If you have solar and a battery, but not a heat pump, Economy 7 may be worth looking at if your battery capacity matches your house usage. We are averaging 13p on import, charging the battery overnight with 97% of our usage being on night rate.  I don't rule out going back to Agile at some point, but this is a nice stress free option at the moment, that doesn't require daily updates to the inverter schedule.

EssexHebridean

We're still averaging out well under the cheapest we could get on the current fix on offer, so at the moment I'm sticking. Being able to run DW & WM overnight is the game changer for us - and the fact that generally the prices have been dropping straight back off the evening peak (at the time I am cooking tea) helps a lot too. 

For now - I'm sticking, but keeping a close eye on both fix offerings and the average price we're paying. 

NedS

Spoonie_Turtle said:

NedS said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

That's very useful to know.  Probably Cosy from Saturday for us then.

We've been on Cosy since last Autumn but I do monitor Agile prices daily, and the Cosy cheap rate has consistently been lower that Agile rates this winter, so for those with a battery Cosy has been the clear winner (although I don't think you have a battery?)

For reference, last winter we averaged an import price of around 20p/kWh on Cosy without a battery, so that may be a more realistic point of reference versus Agile (without a battery)

That's right, we don't have a battery (or solar, just the heat pump). 

Agile has worked out cheapest for us up until now because of the above-SVT day rate on Cosy, aside from the odd very expensive day, but next week doesn't look good and we need some cheap daytime periods.  Our routine usage isn't optimised for Cosy (currently would average ~25p/kWh) but the things that can be shifted will help bring that down.  [Average on Agile for the month has been ~20p/kWh.]

If you are averaging 20p on Agile, I'd say you will be hard pressed to beat that on Cosy. We managed 20p average last winter (and Cosy prices were lower then), but we had no heating at all between 4-7pm and that got pretty miserable on some colder evenings as our house drops at least 1degC per hour.

What Cosy does give you is certainty and routine (Mrs S used to struggle with constantly checking Agile prices), protecting you from those potential 100p Agile peaks and all day high prices should prices surge.

Spoonie_Turtle

I wrote a whole thing then checked the emoncms forecast and it's changed to have rather more wind than it did when I made the Cosy decision, so I'll see what tomorrow and Saturday's prices do on Agile and go from there. 

It wasn't a decision for the long term* based on overall Agile prices, but based on Agile currently being more expensive than normal and the prospect of it staying that way/getting worse next week until who-knows-when - our average p/kWh for the last week is 24 (20 was for the whole month), compared with 25 on Cosy with current unoptimal usage.  The dishwasher and me showering are the only things that make use of cheaper overnight rates on Agile whereas everyone else showers during the day, and with the weather we're needing the tumble dryer which is an absolute no overnight for my parents.  (And I can make sure to shower during the 10pm-midnight cheap slot.)

*I know technically the T&Cs say 30 days between switching, but I don't think planning to stay for at least a couple of weeks is taking the mick.

masonic

Spoonie_Turtle said:

*I know technically the T&Cs say 30 days between switching, but I don't think planning to stay for at least a couple of weeks is taking the mick.

I had seen somewhere recently that the 30 days was being enforced now, so you should be prepared to stay for those 30 days if an earlier switch back is refused.

My current monthly average is 17p, so even if things get a bit painful next week, I dare say riding it out will be the best option for me.

Netexporter

It seemed terrible and never ending this time last year, but when I totted things up at the year end it didn't make too much difference to the average unit cost.

Spoonie_Turtle

masonic said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

*I know technically the T&Cs say 30 days between switching, but I don't think planning to stay for at least a couple of weeks is taking the mick.

I had seen somewhere recently that the 30 days was being enforced now, so you should be prepared to stay for those 30 days if an earlier switch back is refused.

My current monthly average is 17p, so even if things get a bit painful next week, I dare say riding it out will be the best option for me.

Thanks, yes I'm prepared for that to be a possibility.  (Though I haven't switched since March last year so sort of hoping that might incline them to leniency if it comes to it!)

greenbee

Import rate over the past 12 months is 9.71p, over the past month is 13.71p. So feeling much better about the idea of importing a bit more/getting laundry done over the next week or so!