Solar & battery tariffs and how to get best export rates?

iamcurious

Im contemplating a 10 panel solar pv, 15kwh battery and 5kwh hybrid inverter. Ive got my quotes and researched the component parts so am not looking for comments that 'you're better using this make' etc, etc. Ive no intention of getting a heat pump and getting an EV is very unlikely. As Im nearing 70, the faster the payback the better imho!

What really confuses me is getting the right tariff for solar export and import. Im currently with Octopus but they seem to have closed their best solar & battery tariffs for existing and new customers due to 'volitile' electricity prices. The available tariff now only allows 3 hours cheap overnight rates.

Nearly every other Supplier only pays a decent export rate if they installed your solar \ battery else you're on 4p or 6p per kwh export.

Im also aware of Axle Energy who will pay £1 per kwh when the grid needs support at relevant times. Apparently this works at the same time as your existing import \ export tariff.

Discounting the Supplier's tariffs that are only available where they installed the solar etc, can anyone explain how you can have a separate export tariff (an SEG tariff?) with a different supplier to the one who you have an import and export tariff with or, can you have an import tariff with one supplier and an export with another?

Alternatively, setting out a blank sheet of paper so to speak, what's the best process for determining how to decide what's the best tariff to take on?

Having worked in IT, Im tech savvy so tweaking controls rather than leaving everything to some 'AI' to get best payback does not worry me.

Thanks all.

Netexporter

As you are tech savvy you could "go to the source" and use Octopus Agile for import and their equivalent wholesale-price linked export tariff. You could use the Home Assistant app, via a Raspberry Pi to automatically arbitrage between lowest import rates and highest export rates. You can also incorporate other data, such as weather forecasts and any rules about your own consumption needs. Should keep you occupied for hours!

There's a Youtube channel called Speak to the Geek, which is a good primer for creating home automations via Home Assistant, and I'm sure there are many more.

NedS

Alternatively, setting out a blank sheet of paper so to speak, what's the best process for determining how to decide what's the best tariff to take on?

A good starting point would be the tool Tim and Kat have created which seeks to work out the best tariff, month on month:

https://timandkatsgreenwalk.co.uk/

Knowing your usage/generation profile (your solar generation profile can be accurately predicted using tools such as pvgis) will enable you to analyse multiple tariff options to figure out which is (currently) best for you. You can exclude tariffs such as IOF which are currently unavailable and include your own as custom rates if you are considering tariffs from other suppliers not directly supported by the tool.

Tim and Kat have a YouTube channel (Tim and Kat's Green Walk) which contains lots of videos with Tim walking you through how to use the tool and it's various options.

Hope that helps.

Netexporter

I'd entirely agree, normally, but many of the tariffs are unavailable, for the foreseeable future, to new sign ups. However a home made version of Intelligent Flux could be made with the help of Home Assistant, if one is tech inclined.

NedS

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81974687#Comment_81974687

I think it depends on the exact makeup of your excess solar and storage. If you have sufficient usage and storage that you can use/store solar generation all day, and only (or predominantly) export between 4-7pm, then you should be able to achieve rates above the current 12p SEG rate. But if you have significantly more excess generation than you can use or store for later export, then the daytime export rates are significantly lower than the current SEG rates and you may well be better off on standard fixed SEG export at 12p. As always, it's horses for courses and will depend on individual circumstances.

For us, fixed SEG looks better than Agile Outgoing as we are still going to export more during the day than during the peak rate window. An automated Agile Outgoing setup may be better for those with a higher ratio of storage to generation.