Cheap-rate electricity sounds great in theory, but how do people actually remember?

SmartEnergyDIY

I get the idea of using electricity at the cheaper times, and in theory it makes total sense.

But in real life I think the hardest part is just remembering at the right moment. It’s easy to say “run the washing machine later” or “wait until the cheaper period”, but day to day I think most people just forget or get busy.

For people who actually do this well, what works best for you?

Do you use timers, smart plugs, reminders, habits, or just routine?

Ayr_Rage

If I manage to hit EDF's target I just set an alarm on my phone for the appropriate time on the following Sunday.

Slinky

Wrong board. This has nothing to do with house buying renting or selling

SmartEnergyDIY

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81960720#Comment_81960720

Yeah that’s a good idea to be fair

I tried alarms as well, but I found I’d either ignore them or just be in the middle of something and forget anyway

Do you actually stick to it long term or does it become a bit hit and miss?

Chemistry777

We are on the octopus overnight (12.30am - 5,30am) reduced electricity tariff.

Each evening we set the timer on the car charger, washing machine, dish washer, covered drier, etc

Works well for us albeit it is set time each day.

Albermarle

This is the board for this question.

Energy — MoneySavingExpert Forum

bouicca21

I’m on octopus agile. I check the following day’s prices in the evening and plan round them. As a retired singleton I do my cooking in the middle of the day and run dishwasher and washing machine on a delay timer to ensure the cheapest rate. If I had a electric vehicle to charge I’d save massively. As it is my savings are modest - but still way less than being on another kind of tariff.

SmartEnergyDIY

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81960844#Comment_81960844

yeah that’s exactly what I noticed too

it works well if you’re disciplined and plan ahead, but most people (me included) don’t keep doing it consistently over time

either you forget, or you just stop checking prices every day

I ended up trying to simplify it as much as possible because the “checking + planning” part is really the hard one in real life

penners324

Our cheap rate is midnight to 5am and Sundays 11am to 4pm.

Never struggled to remember.

akh43

I am on Octopus Agile and I use a mixture of alarms on my phone, which used to be my only way, but now also use the Octopus.compare website/app which is connected to my Octopus account and you can set alerts through them on the rates for the day/following day if they are cheap enough. It all depends on my needs and I find a combination of both ways works best for me.

I have solar too so sometimes the alarm reminds me to check and use the solar and other times its to use the cheap/negative agile rates.

SmartEnergyDIY

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81960876#Comment_81960876

yeah that’s interesting, but also kind of proves the point

you need alarms + an app + checking prices + adapting every day

it works if you’re really into it, but I feel like most people won’t stick to that long term

that’s why I started looking for something way simpler, more like a “glance and decide” kind of thing instead of constantly checking apps