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

SmartEnergyDIY

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

yeah I tried that too for a while

it works, but I kept missing it or ignoring it after a few days

especially when my schedule changes a bit, it just falls apart

superbigal

Now that E-on have reduced my 12-6am rate from 8p to 4p. (Must be relevant to the govt promises) I have gone all out for appliances in that timespan.

Might even switch the Chest Freezer off at 6am and back on at midnight 🤣

MWT

A battery combined with these low overnight rates makes a lot of the tie-shifting less arduous.

It has a cost of course but that cost has been reducing over the last few years, and with the prospect of 'balcony solar' being approved for the UK it may soon make even more sense.

bob2302

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81960879#Comment_81960879

It depends on the tariff and your pattern of use. Some people have found that Agile works well with no effort at all.

Spoonie_Turtle

My Spidey-spam senses are tingling, I won't be surprised when OP comes back to tell us they've "found" a tool that happens to be eerily similar to their username, but for anyone else reading in good faith actually wanting answers:

We are a neurodivergent household so you'd think we'd really struggle with this, but it is just a case of planning the night before once we have the Agile prices, and we use emoncms for further-ahead predictions. Our days are pretty flexible with some structure around part-time work, which helps, but overall it really is just knowing that there's xyz task(s) to be done between certain times. Use whatever system you use to get other stuff done at home, it's exactly the same principle and there's nothing special about it being something that uses electricity 🤷🏼‍♀️. For me that can mean setting an alarm to remind myself to start getting ready for a shower (I need quite a lot of transition time and psyching myself up), whereas for my parents it can mean 'after I've eaten lunch I'll put the washing on' or 'after dinner we'll put the dishwasher on'.

'Planning the night before' makes it sound like a big production, but what it actually means is knowing washing has to be done within the next few days so looking ahead at the generation/demand forecast, choosing the best day or potential days that work for us along with being likely to have decent prices, then the night before checking the prices for the next day to know when the relatively better prices start, and always being finished by 4pm for the peak. Or checking to see if the dishwasher needs to go on in the daytime dip or later-night cheap prices (relatively speaking).

Spoonie_Turtle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81961320#Comment_81961320

Apologies for the double post but it doesn't seem to want to let me add this as an edit - we are one of those households. With no change of usage at all Agile was working out cheaper for us compared to the SVT and other TOU tariffs available to us, we just keep an eye on prices to try to make sure we're doing energy-intensive things on cheaper days where possible because why not make use of the opportunity to very easily do something cheaper?

QrizB

My Spidey-spam senses are tingling

Similar senses here, but I'm pleased to see the new account. Hopefully this one lasts a bit longer without breaking the rules.

Hopefully anyone who was interested managed to read my replies to previous threads on ToU topics, as I'm not currently inclined to type it all out again!

WiserMiser

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81961597#Comment_81961597

You mean the magic box won't decode the signals from Mars telling you when electricity is affordable?

I'm shocked !

EssexHebridean

We were on Economy 7 electric for 20 years in our last home. Over time, load shifting just becomes habit. when buying washing machines or dishwashers, you make sure that they have timers. Now we're on Agile the timers still get plenty of use, and smartplugs are changing the way we do things too - for the recent long runs of negative pricing I've set our oil filled rads on the smart plugs to come on and go off and the relevant times. An alarm set for a couple of minutes before the end of the negative slots acts as a reminder to ensure that anything else which was switched on (mostly our electric underfloor heating which on moving into the house we saw as a complete white elephant - now, less so!) gets switched off again. All I then need to do is refer to either the octopus app live use (via the home mini) or the IHD to make sure use has dropped back to where it should be once prices increase.

It's not a constant round of needing to check things, more a small amount of advance planning - and that is worth it to me for, as is the case this month, so far running at an average cost of 36p/day for electricity this month - and yes, that includes the standing charge! Agile obviously takes more work than a more set TOU tariff - and yes, that doesn't work for everyone. From experience though, ordinary E7 type tariffs really take nothing more than habits to be learned.

Netexporter

But think of the poor smart meter refuseniks who will be discriminated against!