Octopus Tracker or Agile? Solar with batteries

Slinky

We had 4.1kw of panels and 9.6kwh of batteries installed last year, up and running and receiving export payments from mid August.

We've been on Tracker for electric November 22 rate since mid December and have been happy with the savings, but being in the Eastern region have gone up about 3.2p per kwh on the new Dec 23 tariff.

We are low users, Octopus Compare shows we would have been about £3.50 better off in the last month on Agile, however we're now coming into the time where our solar should be giving us some decent export credit. We are on 15p per kwh fixed export until mid August. Obviously if we switch to Agile we'll be paid for export but at lower rates.

Is there anybody else in a similar situation who can give any advice? If we didn't have the solar and batteries, the switch to Agile would be a bit more of an obvious choice, but not sure it will work in our favour when we are exporting more to the grid.

We've also been exporting during the Savings Sessions which I don't think you can take advantage of on Agile? We've earned about £60 across the sessions so far this winter. I know there aren't likely to be any more after March.

zxzxzx

You can get the same as I am on if you contact Octopus.

Agile : In

Outgoing Octopus 12 months fixed @ 0.15p pKwh : Out

Slinky

zxzxzx said:

You can get the same as I am on if you contact Octopus.

Agile : In

Outgoing Octopus 12 months fixed @ 0.15p pKwh : Out

Oh, that's interesting. I didn't think you could get a fixed export if you have Agile import.

Netexporter

You can also take part in, and export during, the saving sessions.

Slinky

Looking more promising then. Thanks.

Alnat1

Also might be worth looking at Flux for over summer. I'm using Agile with the fixed export over winter and will swap back to Flux around the time clocks change, a bit earlier if March weather is good.

Slinky

Alnat1 said:

Also might be worth looking at Flux for over summer. I'm using Agile with the fixed export over winter and will swap back to Flux around the time clocks change, a bit earlier if March weather is good.

@Alnat1 How big are your batteries?  I looked at Flux but the cheap overnight rate is only just below the current Tracker daily  rate and the Flux standard daytime rate is about the same as the SVR with the peak at about 10p higher than Agile. The export rate between 4-7pm looks favourable, but I'm not sure we could export much, with 9.6kwh of battery and daily self use of about 6-8kwh. I think if we had compatible batteries so we could go on Intelligent Flux I'd be more convinced but we're not able to do that at the moment.

Alnat1

Slinky said:

Alnat1 said:

Also might be worth looking at Flux for over summer. I'm using Agile with the fixed export over winter and will swap back to Flux around the time clocks change, a bit earlier if March weather is good.

@Alnat1 How big are your batteries?  I looked at Flux but the cheap overnight rate is only just below the current Tracker daily  rate and the Flux standard daytime rate is about the same as the SVR with the peak at about 10p higher than Agile. The export rate between 4-7pm looks favourable, but I'm not sure we could export much, with 9.6kwh of battery and daily self use of about 6-8kwh. I think if we had compatible batteries so we could go on Intelligent Flux I'd be more convinced but we're not able to do that at the moment.

My solar details are in my signature and my daily use is also low, similar to yours. Once the weather picks up (think clock change time) and there's more daylight hours, you'll probably find that you rarely need an overnight charge, you'll have plenty of battery to run the load overnight and see you through breakfast.. By mid summer there's often still 50% left in my small battery after breakfast! Your battery should top up fairly early in the day and, depending on roof orientation, solar could still be covering cooking in the evening. You might even find you don't need all the battery capacity each day and could just fill it to 50%, losing less on the in and out.

I actually choose to delay filling the battery at all until around 11.30am or midday on a sunny days once we're on BST, as my system often caps for a few hours. The inverter can only send a max of 3.6kW AC to grid/load side but still allows the DC to go directly from the roof into the battery. This means I can squeeze a little bit more generation from the roof.

Another way I maximise the Flux peak payout is by exporting from the battery until 7pm as soon as I've finished cooking, usually from around 6pm for me.

Once the clocks go back in autumn, it's Agile and fixed again, as this is when I do need the overnight import.

I'll just add, using this method (plus saving sessions, the £400 govt grant and 3 x £50 referrals) I haven't yet had to pay anything to Octopus since the solar was fitted. The money made from export has covered all costs, including the gas central heating over 2 winters. My account is £198 in credit and the 2nd anniversary of install is only a week away. I do have a variable DD set up, one day Octopus might have to charge me something 

Slinky

Thanks for this info. I've decided to go to Agile now but will consider Flux in future once I know what sort of figures we get from our system.