Octopus Agile

Newbie_John

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82153091#Comment_82153091

Cosy now, I got scared when the war started early this year and fixed with Cosy.

But I have been on Agile for years before that.. my mind is still here 😅

Domnhallaich

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82138637#Comment_82138637

I am thinking that if I decide to fix after the price cap increase on 1st August, then said fix will be more expensive that what it would be now. I enjoyed the few days of negative and low prices and i utterly rinsed it but I am often out of the house during the day and can't switch my usage as easily. Also I don't have solar panels etc - just a smart meter.

Domnhallaich

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82138461#Comment_82138461

I looked at fixes last year shortly after joining Agile and I almost did it, when a message displayed telling me I would not be able to re-join for nine months.

I have separate policies for Gas and Electric. Tracker for Gas and Agile for Electric.

akh43

Currently looking at my options to leave Agile due to the prices. I assume if I decide to stay nothing changes after tomorrow as not affected by the price cap?

Looking at either Fuse fix 24 m (with them already on a fix for gas) or EDF Freephase Static or staying put. The main thing that puts me off is the 24 month contracts.

I have Solar, but not battery and am sure my average is nothing like as low as a lot of people quote on this thread, though not sure how to work my average out. September not been a great month for solar only 269 generated, lowest since March, and I only see the coming months getting worse as the weather does.

Any comments appreciated.

NedS

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82153887#Comment_82153887

As of tomorrow there is no VAT charged on electricity bills, so all things being equal, you will pay less on Agile as there will be no VAT added to the bill at 5%

It's impossible to know what may happen in the long term. Worst case scenario, the Iran war could drag out for another 2 years until Trump leaves office, supplies and strategic reserves could fall and prices could increase further. On the other hand, Iran and the USA may make a deal tomorrow to open the Strait of Hormuz and prices could fall.

The fact that you have solar at least partially insulates you from cost increases, as you are importing less than you otherwise would. Having a battery would presumably help further with a tariff like Agile as it would help you leverage cheap prices and avoid the peaks. Whether it would pay for itself is a difficult question to answer not knowing which direction prices are likely heading over the longer term, but again it does at least offer some resilience against price shocks.

akh43

Thanks for your insight.

I had forgotten the Agile would lose the VAT, but to be honest the last bill was only 40p VAT and even my Dec 25 bill was only £2.88 so not a great saving. I am quite a low user when I have been comparing I have been using 1983 kwh yearly estimate off my last bill.

When I queried with someone about getting a battery still being told the same as when I got my solar fitted that it would not be cost effective on my usage.

Spoonie_Turtle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82153374#Comment_82153374

That's weird!

From their Smart tariff T&Cs:

"1.3 You can always switch from a standard import tariff to a smart import tariff (provided you meet the eligibility criteria for that particular tariff), but if you switch away from a smart import tariff, you cannot switch back to a smart import tariff within 30 days."

Then not a peep about time limits in the Agile-specific section. Whereas Tracker:

"2.8.6 If you leave Tracker during your fixed term period, you'll need to wait 9 months before switching back to Tracker, but would be able to sign up to any of our other tariffs that you are eligible for instead"

https://octopus.energy/policies/smart-tariffs-terms-and-condition/

NedS

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82154027#Comment_82154027

With your low usage, a small 5kWh 'plugin' type battery would be ideal, if they are ever approved for UK use. They currently sell for around £1,600 and would allow you to store your solar generation to power the house overnight, as well as leverage a cheap rate tariff by charging at cheap rate and exporting at peak rates.

You can buy one now, but would require an electrician to install it to operate at a 3kW inverter rating.

laidbackgjr

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82153887#Comment_82153887

Your average unit rate for Agile is shown on your Octopus Bill each month, or there are third party apps like Octopus Compare that can link to your Octopus account and show you.

Currently as it stands my September average unit rate on Agile is 9.26p/kwh - I have Solar / Battery and therefore avoid the worst peaks and can make good use of negative times as well. I can't believe there is another tariff out there that would beat that for us.

greenbee

My last bill shows my average unit rate as 1.35p for September - I have solar/battery and clearly have made good use of the negative rates recently! Although other than the negative periods I don't use much imported energy at this time of year.

Previous bill the unit cost was 23.97p but I only imported 6.3kWh, so the bill was even lower.