Octopus Agile

Netexporter

Giving you even more incentive to avoid peak time consumption, and lower prices at other times as wholesale prices are generally lower.

NedS

Netexporter said:

Giving you even more incentive to avoid peak time consumption, and lower prices at other times as wholesale prices are generally lower.

Indeed, but for those who are unable to shift any more usage to compensate (presumably we have already shifted everything we can, as we were already incentivised to do) or do not have a battery to mitigate peak time usage, Agile becomes less effective as the peak time premium remains static. The proportionally higher peak time premium reduces the savings we are able to make elsewhere in the day.

MP1995

Netexporter said:

Just got my latest bill and I wasn't expecting a particularly good result, what with the daily average being around 18p for most of the month, so was pleasantly surprised to average 14.73p/kWh, which is still over 25% below the SVT.

Long live Agile!

Surely that's much more than 25% off SVT

For our Easten Region its 25.25p the SVT price and we averaged 14p so that's 44% below SVT

Telegraph_Sam

Does this reduce the attractiveness of Agile (vs Tracker)?
I'm tempted to cancel my sub to Compare. Most (but not all) of my log-in attempts have failed due lack of data. Is this just me?

Newbie_John

Telegraph_Sam said:

Does this reduce the attractiveness of Agile (vs Tracker)?
I'm tempted to cancel my sub to Compare. Most (but not all) of my log-in attempts have failed due lack of data. Is this just me?

I think it reduces the savings difference between SVR and Agile/Tracker. Every new version of Tracker is getting worse, by either formula or higher standing charge, as well as Agile is getting indirectly more expensive - 30p at peak time used to be SVR but now it's 25% above it.

So I think the only way forward is to keep comparing all three and make a switch to the one that's cheapest for you.

My summer usage is literally cooking and washing machine + dishwasher. Sometimes I precook in off peak periods, sometimes don't - still waiting for a day when SVR is more expensive than Agile - gap is getting closer and closer (even Tracker is still more expensive).

Here with cooking during entire peak time - Tracker £2.00, Agile £1.97. 

Regarding the Compare app - not sure really, I'm on free version just for the short term comparison as that's what I need really - happy with Ocotpus app for the past months. But if your meter sync causes a lot of gaps and its hard to track then I guess not worth it. It works fine for me.

Telegraph_Sam

My Compare has just "recovered". Looks like it doesn't like driving at night.
Looking at the results - in each and every time period the totals are all but identical for my usage pattern. (no significant load shift). The big difference is Agile's volatility.
I guess that any increase in SC's and/or formula would have to be in a new version

tlcgrantham

Telegraph_Sam said:

My Compare has just "recovered". Looks like it doesn't like driving at night.
Looking at the results - in each and every time period the totals are all but identical for my usage pattern. (no significant load shift). The big difference is Agile's volatility.
I guess that any increase in SC's and/or formula would have to be in a new version

If tracker and agile are similar for your usage pattern without load shifting then agile is likely to work out cheaper for you with some load shifting? 

bob2302

Netexporter said:

Giving you even more incentive to avoid peak time consumption, and lower prices at other times as wholesale prices are generally lower.

It really shouldn't because you will be saving less per kWh for units that are harder to shift. The only way that makes sense is if you value doing better that others more than you value saving money.

Telegraph_Sam

tlcgrantham said:

Telegraph_Sam said:

My Compare has just "recovered". Looks like it doesn't like driving at night.
Looking at the results - in each and every time period the totals are all but identical for my usage pattern. (no significant load shift). The big difference is Agile's volatility.
I guess that any increase in SC's and/or formula would have to be in a new version

If tracker and agile are similar for your usage pattern without load shifting then agile is likely to work out cheaper for you with some load shifting? 

Expressed differently, if I can achieve comparable results with little or no major load shifting, then I'd have to load shift quite a lot in order to make much of a difference from switching to Agile.

wrf12345

It is logical that if enough people load shift then the peak price will fall and the cheaper periods will rise, which seems to be happening with Agile to a small extent. Of course if the incentives become less attractive then the reverse will happen and the cycle will start again. You also have periods when peak wind and solar radically reduce the price, though whether there is enough of them is up to the gods. There is another tariff on Octopus. supposed to be for heat pumps but not sure if you have to prove you have one, that has two half priced periods (based on the std tariff) and one very expensive peak period, which might be worth a look, though you will be hit with the full April s/c.