My ASHP Journey in Bonnie Scotland.

NedS

cannugec5 said:

I have another date for SMART meter. It is next month, just a couple of weeks away. 

I am now busy studying the different tariffs available. I’m torn between Cosy and Agile. I have downloaded the Octopus Compare app and am studying how it functions but without any live data it is pretty meaningless. 

I have an idea of the complexities of Agile though. I think it is well named as you have to be pretty nippy to get the best from it I think. But we are both home all day so I think I could keep up with the constant changing of when to use the dishwasher etc. 

Once I have real data I will be able to see the daily averages etc. 

I’m wondering if people are subscribing to and deriving benefit from the ‘pro’ version? 

I think Cosy can work well if the cheap times slots work for you. In winter, one of the largest usage will be your ASHP, so if you think you can predominantly run your heating in the cheaper slots, then great. For those with large batteries who can charge/discharge them 3 times a day, Cosy is pretty attractive.

I've stayed with Agile for now. The 4-7am slot doesn't really work for us as we don't get up much before 9-10 am, and normally turn the heating on mid morning. If we ran the heating 4-7am, the heat would be gone by the time we got up. The 1-4pm slot is great - heat the house up before peak rate, but then waiting until 10pm for the next cheap slot is just too long / too late (8-10pm would work a lot better for us).

So overall Cosy is still too much of a compromise for this ASHP owner without batteries.

Exiled_Tyke

NedS said:

cannugec5 said:

I have another date for SMART meter. It is next month, just a couple of weeks away. 

I am now busy studying the different tariffs available. I’m torn between Cosy and Agile. I have downloaded the Octopus Compare app and am studying how it functions but without any live data it is pretty meaningless. 

I have an idea of the complexities of Agile though. I think it is well named as you have to be pretty nippy to get the best from it I think. But we are both home all day so I think I could keep up with the constant changing of when to use the dishwasher etc. 

Once I have real data I will be able to see the daily averages etc. 

I’m wondering if people are subscribing to and deriving benefit from the ‘pro’ version? 

I think Cosy can work well if the cheap times slots work for you. In winter, one of the largest usage will be your ASHP, so if you think you can predominantly run your heating in the cheaper slots, then great. For those with large batteries who can charge/discharge them 3 times a day, Cosy is pretty attractive.

I've stayed with Agile for now. The 4-7am slot doesn't really work for us as we don't get up much before 9-10 am, and normally turn the heating on mid morning. If we ran the heating 4-7am, the heat would be gone by the time we got up. The 1-4pm slot is great - heat the house up before peak rate, but then waiting until 10pm for the next cheap slot is just too long / too late (8-10pm would work a lot better for us).

So overall Cosy is still too much of a compromise for this ASHP owner without batteries.

Very early days for me, but I thought it worth sharing a different experience. We have an EV so qualify for Intelligent Go  (or whatever they now call it).  So by day I'm paying standard rate. However I have the heating switch off late evening and then 'fire' up (if that's what you do with an ASHP) in time for the morning while on the cheap rate. I also heat all our water on the cheap rate over night. So far this is working well but this approach will only be tested properly when we get into the depths of winter.

cannugec5

I’m looking forward to my shiny new smart meter tomorrow. I’m impressed already. The installer phoned earlier this afternoon ( yes, on a Sunday) to confirm he expects to arrive at about 12.30. The original time given was 08.00 to 17.00 so this is perfect. While on the phone I was able to give him precise directions, which is often useful as our postcode is now shared by over 100 properties. This means sat navs get here and then have no idea which way to turn! 

As we have extremely poor mobile coverage they cannot phone me on arrival at the hamlet! 

I’m looking forward to seeing data on Octopus Compare, so I can make that decision on the best tariff. I’m also looking forward to the Octoplus rewards so I can actually see what is available. The free coffee would be of no use to me as we don’t have any chain coffee shops around, but I’m intrigued to see what else is there. 

cannugec5

I don’t know why I even bothered. 

New smart meter will not communicate. 

He said try booking a new appointment after Christmas when they are starting to fit a new hub that communicates via the mobile network here. Interestingly he ( Mr Octopus) had 4 bars on his mobile phone. I get zero-1 on mine. (But I’m with Vodafone although seriously considering switching. )
So, although the rest of the village have working Smart Meters, at the moment we can’t. 

matelodave

Smart meters don't use the mobile phone network in Scotland or the North of England. The use a dedicated UHF network provided by a comms company called Arquiva.

I'd guess that if they do have problems then the fall back is to use the mobile network but that's probably the exception.

cannugec5

matelodave said:

Smart meters don't use the mobile phone network in Scotland or the North of England. The use a dedicated UHF network provided by a comms company called Arquiva.

I'd guess that if they do have problems then the fall back is to use the mobile network but that's probably the exception.

No, they don’t usually use the mobile network in Scotland. But the installer said agreement has been reached today to do so in circumstances such as ours. But they don’t yet have the physical meters to do so. Next time an installer comes they will have his notes ( so he said) to try first the usual radio system but if it fails again to have a Mobile Hub with them
to install instead. 

Sounds promising but having waited nearly 2 years for an appointment I’m not sure they will be back here so soon. 

Reed_Richards

In the BBC show on smart meters there was a guy in Glasgow who couldn't get a signal despite trying multiple different meters.  The final successful solution was to use a meter that worked over the mobile phone network.  So that supports what @cannugec5 was told.

Exiled_Tyke

This is the article accompanying the show which @Reed_Richards referred to. It usefully explains the issue and impacts.  Apologies if this has already been posted elsewhere.       https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq52382zd1no

cannugec5

Having read our new meter on the last day of the year, I have noticed that it is recording on 2 registers. We are on a single tariff so I find it a bit odd. Initially when I spotted it I freaked out, concerned that I might have submitted the wrong figures last time, but having checked it was correct - the total. 

I have had a look on the Octopus site for information on how to read your meter, to see if this was ‘normal’ , but my brand of meter isn’t listed. It is a DLMS meter 
As my meter isn’t communicating the only reading Octopus has is those I’ve submitted myself. As the installer had suggested I have messaged Octopus again to request another installation anyway, so hopefully this will never develop into a problem. 

cannugec5

I’ve had an update from Octopus today. 

We have been approved and signed off for a cellular communications hub. 

The installer is obliged to try once more with radio signal hub first, but when that fails can proceed to install the cellular one at the same visit. 

The only thing is there are currently no appointments available, but even so this surely feels like a step forwards.