Octopus Energy - My energy insights missing zeros on CSV files

mmmmikey

I use Octopus Watch and for the last few days I'm seeing a message along the lines of "8 hours data missing"" although the totals I'm seeing match my own. So I wonder if this is connected, and what Octopus Watch is reporting as missing is in fact zero, which would make sense this time of year as I have been generating more than I'm using for long periods during the sunny spell.

Thanks @UncleK I think you may be onto something, I'll investigate later today.

Qyburn

Anyone on Tracker tariff? I'm a bit worried that Octopus will see these "missing if zero" slots as actual missing data, meaning that the bill gets averaged out over the whole month, and any load shifting savings wiped out.

Alnat1

Last 3 days data also missing for me on Octopus Watch with message "no data yet for 20 August"

scdoubleu

Seeing the same problem here (Octopus Intelligent Go) with API data. They're definitely filtering out half hour segments where import is below 0.001 kWh - confirmed with my own metering set up.

Called Octopus. They're saying they have the full set of 48 readings for each day, so must be a recent change to their API. Whether it was an intentional change or not is unknown! Anyone know if there's a support contact for users of their API?

UncleK

I wonder why they'd change the API for the import and not the export?

KittenChops

Qyburn said:

I'm not sure I see any actual zeros either in import or export. But quite a lot of times the figure is given as "0E-20" what ever that means ..

I've found "0E-20" in my consumption data - it's when we had a power cut

mmmmikey

0E-20 basically means 0 with 20 decimal places, i.e. 0.00000000000000000000 - it's a notation used in computing to represent very small and very large numbers.

UncleK

Well Lordy Lordy. The CSV file on 30th August is back to the way it was, complete with zero values!

Scot_39

Qyburn said:

I'm not sure I see any actual zeros either in import or export. But quite a lot of times the figure is given as "0E-20" what ever that means ..

Normally id interpret an e- number as Form of Scientific notation [ often used in normalized or in uk standard form]

When express a number as y.y x 10^n  ( y.y times 10 to power of n)

So 1 = 1.0 x10^0
10 = 1.0x 10^1
100 = 1.0x 10^2

110 = 1.1x10^2

Or
0.1 = 1.0x10^-1
0.01 = 1.0x10^-2.

For small but not very small hardly a saving - it's just a convention.  But when get to tiny fractions  - or very large numbers more useful.

Essentially shifting the decimal point of the y.y relative to get real numbers - decimal numbers - base 10.

A way of handling very high or very low numbers without strings of digits - common in science and engineering - a lot less so in domestic sphere.

So just as say we might see money - wages, profits, debt etc summarised to £3kpm or at corporate / govt levels to £3m,  £3bn or £3tn, to avoid writing 3,000 3,000,000, 3,000,000,000 or 3,000,000,000,000 - scientific notation shortens larger to 3.0 x10^3, x10^6, x10^9, x10^12 etc.

The exponent gives an immediate indication of relative significance when working as they often do in a fixed unit system.

Or we might - choose to handle the range by changing the unit - express distances / lengths in mm, cm or m or km, older folk inches feet or miles to constrain numeric range instead.  We seldom need much lower - scientists and engineers can do - microns - micrometers-  millionths of 1m or 10^-6) , nanometers 10^-9) etc 

So basically 0e-20 if that is the case = zero

And output formating should perhaps be adjusted to eliminate it.  Just as banks seldom show interest sub 1p resolution.


(Computers use a similar concept for essentially integer binary representation of real numbers - but use powers of 2 - storing the significand the y.y, or rather the .y - the sign and an offset exponent power n - to represent as y.y x 2^n.  But they can at least iirc arguably represent true zero - if I remember 1st year uni - by at least one convention - setting all bits to zero.)

Qyburn

Scot_39 said:
Normally id interpret an e- number as Form of Scientific notation [ often used in normalized or in uk standard form]

I'm familiar with the idea although I don't use that specific format. Normally used where you couldn't otherwise fit the number in.  But since they express everything else to 20 decimal places there's no reason not to write "0.00000000000000000000". It takes up no more space than 
"0.00100000000000000000".