Octopus Free hours logic

born_again

Can anyone work the maths between usage & credits?

QrizB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6686079/octopus-free-hours-logic

Looks a bit like mine.

Are you on an EV tariff? If you check your half-hourly chart for the days concerned, we're some of the slots charged at your off-peak rate?

born_again

Yep. IOG. I would love to know. Billing date 2nd month, Balance history shows a drop £89.75 for Electric on that day, but no bill showing in acc or via email yet.

In all (but 1 st where missed start only 30 mins charging) above cases car charging for a hour & had to manually force charge using MAX on OHME charger. So no charging set in schedule for the free hour.

27.22 peak rate so 7 x = 1.90

6.57 off peak = 45.99p

+ other bits in house such as cooking or tumble dryer.

QrizB

I had the same problem. Raised it with Octopus CS and they're looking into it.

Per my online account , it looks like they charged me at peak rates but only refunded me at offpeak ones. For the previous hour they charged and refunded both at offpeak rates.

I mentioned it on the Saving Sessions thread here and following posts.

born_again

reply today

Thanks for your message. I understand the figures on your refund for usage might seem confusing at first, so I’m happy to explain how they are calculated on your Intelligent Octopus Go tariff.

With Intelligent Octopus Go, your electric vehicle charging is billed smartly and separately from your home usage. Here’s how it works:

• The 8.93 kWh charged at 62p likely relates to energy used during peak times or non-smart charging periods, which are billed at the higher peak rate.
• The 8.19 kWh charged at £2.35 might be reflecting a different billing period or a different rate applied, possibly including standing charges or other factors. Sometimes, the billing system marks smart charging periods separately and applies the off-peak rate for up to 6 hours of smart charging, but any charging outside that window or peak usage will be at the higher rate.
• Your peak usage is charged at the peak rate, and your off-peak usage is charged at the cheaper off-peak rate (6.57p/kWh).
• The system uses your smart meter readings combined with the car’s charging data to calculate exactly when and how much energy was used for your EV, applying the correct rates accordingly.

Because the tariff bills in 30-minute periods and distinguishes between smart charging and regular usage, the cost per kWh can vary depending on when and how the energy was used.

If you want to see a detailed breakdown of your half-hourly consumption and costs, you can check your online account where the daily data is updated regularly. This can help you track your home and EV usage separately and understand the charges better.

Bendo

Octopus demonstrating their customer service is absolutely awful these days with that perfectly clear helpful explanation.

QrizB

reply today

Well it's accurate, but it's generic and doesn't actually address your specific case.

If you look at your online account or app, how much does it say you were charged during those Happy Hour hours?

Octopus demonstrating their customer service is absolutely awful these days

Yeah, the personal touch is missing far too frequently now.

Lorian

Reads like an AI response.

It's all generic guesswork, no one checked anything there and the layout and phrasing is a complete give away.

Maybe try X or Bluesky

born_again

I do not have to expect to go back & look at what I was charged. To check they are refunding correctly 😶‍🌫️

Octopus say a "Free Hour",, given it is peak period. I expect to see 27.22 refunded for each kWh, no matter if that is for charging my car or any other use.

Aside on car charging. With OHME you have to force MAX charging @ peak price, as there are no given charging at off peak rate, when you have a free hour.

QrizB

I do not have to expect to go back & look at what I was charged. To check they are refunding correctly 😶‍🌫️

Nevertheless, that's what you've got to do. And now that they've stopped issuing half-hourly-itemised bills on IOG, the only place to check is online (website or possibly app).

Aside on car charging. With OHME you have to force MAX charging @ peak price , as there are no given charging at off peak rate, when you have a free hour.

You might expect that, but I have an OHME charger and looking at my online account I can see that my first Happy Hour on the 27th of September was billed at the low rate. The second was charged at the high rate despite them being one continuous MAX CHARGE charging session. See below.