Octopus Energy tariffs??

QrizB

Luke80 said:

From those graphs, why would anyone go with Go or E7 vs Intelligent? The latter seems to have a longer 'offpeak' period than Go and a lower import rates vs E7 as well.

@Luke80 Intelligent Octopus needs you to own an EV or charger from a (relatively short) list of Intelligent-compatible hardware.

Go is open to owners of an EV.

E7 is open to pretty much anyone. It gives the longest period of off-peak electricity - seven hours - and is what storage heaters are normally designed to work with. Shorter periods of off-peak electricity risk leaving you with a cold house during the winter months.

Luke80

QrizB said:

Luke80 said:

From those graphs, why would anyone go with Go or E7 vs Intelligent? The latter seems to have a longer 'offpeak' period than Go and a lower import rates vs E7 as well.

@Luke80 Intelligent Octopus needs you to own an EV or charger from a (relatively short) list of Intelligent-compatible hardware.

Go is open to owners of an EV.

E7 is open to pretty much anyone. It gives the longest period of off-peak electricity - seven hours - and is what storage heaters are normally designed to work with. Shorter periods of off-peak electricity risk leaving you with a cold house during the winter months.

Thanks.
When I check on their website, it says that I am not but because I'm not on a fixed export tariff, rather than that my car/charger are not compatible (both are listed within the dropdowns on their site).

I guess I'll email them to check.

Also does anyone know if the offpeak hours apply to any usage or is it just for charging the car?

QrizB

Luke80 said:

Also does anyone know if the offpeak hours apply to any usage or is it just for charging the car?

With E7 and Go, it's any usage. I'm pretty sure it's the same with Intelligent.

Exiled_Tyke

QrizB said:

Luke80 said:

Also does anyone know if the offpeak hours apply to any usage or is it just for charging the car?

With E7 and Go, it's any usage. I'm pretty sure it's the same with Intelligent.

Yes it is the same with Intelligent. Octopus decides when to charge the car (which can even be outside of the six hour window if it suits them) but all consumption within the six hours gets the cheap rate. So put the washing on at night and the dishwasher etc.  I have to be careful not to have too many things on at once to avoid blowing the house main fuse in the middle of the night.  

EricMears

Luke80 said:

Also does anyone know if the offpeak hours apply to any usage or is it just for charging the car?

Have your suppliers any way of knowing what electricity is used by car and what by rest of house ?  Most people have just one import meter.

Luke80

Thanks everyone, hopefully they say my car is compatible.

k6chris

EricMears said:

Luke80 said:

Also does anyone know if the offpeak hours apply to any usage or is it just for charging the car?

Have your suppliers any way of knowing what electricity is used by car and what by rest of house ?  Most people have just one import meter.

I was wondering this too....could I top up my battery in winter?

EricMears

k6chris said:

I was wondering this too....could I top up my battery in winter?

Of course you can - indeed should.  Not only could it save you money,  it would help to balance grid demand better.  But not just in 'winter'  batteries might need a top up when a summer day has been overcast.

yp70479

One other thing that might influence you is where your battery is located and where you live. If your battery is located outside (not in a garage, but out on the wall of your house) the temp can drop quite sharply over the winter. Batteries will generally still power your house if their internal temp drops below 0 degrees C, but they won't be able to charge up. As temps are generally colder at night, this could affect your ability to charge at a cheap rate from the grid overnight. However, all the time your battery is "working" fairly hard it generates heat, which keeps it in the operating temp range. This is where economy 7 can be useful - because all through the coldest period you can set your battery to do a long slow charge - this keeps it warm and you have a full battery in the morning. Flux is great for the summer, but it has a limited charge time and finishes by 5am - which is usually the coldest point of the night.

Netexporter

yp70479 said:

One other thing that might influence you is where your battery is located and where you live. If your battery is located outside (not in a garage, but out on the wall of your house) the temp can drop quite sharply over the winter. Batteries will generally still power your house if their internal temp drops below 0 degrees C, but they won't be able to charge up. As temps are generally colder at night, this could affect your ability to charge at a cheap rate from the grid overnight. However, all the time your battery is "working" fairly hard it generates heat, which keeps it in the operating temp range. This is where economy 7 can be useful - because all through the coldest period you can set your battery to do a long slow charge - this keeps it warm and you have a full battery in the morning. Flux is great for the summer, but it has a limited charge time and finishes by 5am - which is usually the coldest point of the night.

That is a very good point. I've been pondering the pros and cons of indoor/outdoor location for my planned battery installation. That has tipped the odds in favour of indoor.