Energy

podine

When I asked Octopus for their cheapest tariff I got an email back asking if I had solar panels and a battery. I do have solar panels but no battery.

What difference does it make. Would my tariff be cheaper if I didn't have solar?

QrizB

Solar panels plus a battery would allow you to join one of Octopus's Flux tariffs, which can work out cheapest for many people over the summer months.

Without both solar and a battery, Flux isn't an option.

Screwdriva

Like you, we don't have a battery but do have 8.45kWp of Solar installed (18 bifacial panels) which are expected to generate 7+ mWh per year.

We expect to export (sell) ~85% of this at 16p per kWh (£1K) and import (purchase) around 1600 kWh from the grid at ~16p per kWh (£250). This results in ~£710 + ~£160 saved by consuming ~1000 kWh of Solar generation. = ~£870 saved per year by using the grid as a "battery".

As much as I want one, a quality battery like the PW3 wouldn't make financial sense for our household i.e. we would not recover its cost within the 10 year warranty period. It may do so for yours, depending on how much power you generate/ import/ export and the tariffs you can take advantage of.

There are other reasons to invest in a good one (regular blackouts, off grid living, replacing fossil fuel sources) but these can be quite subjective. All that said, some questions for your situation:

- What import/ export tariffs are you on?
- How many panels on the roof and can you fit more?
- How much do they generate? What do you import from the grid and export to the grid?
- Any plans to get a heat pump to replace a boiler?

badmemory

A battery means you can fill it up between 2 & 5am on cheap rate. Which I do as well as using as much as possible during that time. Without the battery there is a limit to how much you can use in the middle of the night.

JKenH

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81950867#Comment_81950867

I’m not sure if any Flux tariffs are currently available. They weren’t when I checked a couple of days ago but things are constantly changing. . Ideally they are designed for solar plus battery but until around a year ago I was on Flux (non Intelligent) without a battery. You do need a compatible battery for Intelligent Flux.

I am currently on an EV tariff (Go) without an EV which I find to be excellent with a battery because of the cheap nighttime rate just dropped to 4.99p for me (but your mileage may vary) and 25.8p daytime rate. I rarely (unless by mistake) import any daytime rate. In March my import was 752kWh @8.56p (Go nighttime rate was 8.5p up to 31 March). It wouldn’t work so well without a battery.

JKenH

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81950895#Comment_81950895

I’m not convinced I will see a return of my investment on my PW3 battery but I don’t regret getting it.

Firstly, I actually enjoy it. I love numbers/statistics and the Tesla app gives me plenty of those. It’s not boring because it thinks for itself and can be (apparently) illogical about whether it imports or exports or does nothing. Trust it and it generally does a good job of keeping your bill down but if you are going to have an unexpectedly heavy evening usage you may have to intervene. It’s designed to be fit and forget if you want to be but, if you are retired like me and have time to interact with it, it can be interesting.

Secondly I need electricity just as I need a car. It’s a utility but just as one might spend more in a car than you need to get from A to B why not enjoy your utility? Do we do a payback calculation to justify a better car? No.

Thirdly, and this is the one I am really noticing, it makes for an easier life. My wife no longer asks is it ok to put the washing machine on as the answer is always yes because it doesn’t matter if the oven is on or the ASHP is blasting away to clear the early morning chill. I was always watching my IHD to see how much electricity we had spare. I might have enjoyed the challenge of juggling load and solar generation but my wife didn’t. I get that sense of satisfaction having filled my battery up at 5p/kWh that I can basically be as profligate as I want (within limits) with electricity usage. It means at 7am we can enjoy heating the bathroom not feeling guilty that it’s costing us 25p/kWh. My wife often said to me that if she was on her own she would have a flat rate tariff because that’s what we all were basically brought up with and that’s what a battery does for you except it’s a lot cheaper. The more switched on you are about electricity costs the more juggling you do and you have worked out the cheapest options and arranged our lives around them. For someone not wanting to do that batteries are a good option.

NedS

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81951061#Comment_81951061

Only the fixed Go is currently available and it's showing a nighttime rate of 9.5p for me. 4.99p is a great rate while it lasts.

JKenH

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81951449#Comment_81951449

I believe it is fixed until 7 Jan 2027 which is the anniversary of my switching to Go from Agile. Some people, I think, got Intelligent go at 3.49p cheap rate.