Need help choosing energy provider - with EV car + solar and battery

enginestar

I need to consider moving from Octopus and need some help choosing.

• We have solar panels and a battery
• I have an EV

CEC says: can't really help choosing a best tariff if you've got an EV? #confused

My Octopus dashboard says the 12 month estimate is:

£1,075.50 for 3,348kWh

£934.84 for 10,507kWh

When switching, I need: an EV tariff + I need to sell energy back with solar.

Octopus took 6 weeks to set this up I think. Will I need to reapply and have this setup with the new provider?

Thanks.

(I posted a similar thread a few days ago… got loads of helpful advice… but I was missing a lot of info which I've given above, so posted again.)

Keep_pedalling

What tariff are you currently on with Octopus? Are you getting SEG payments from them? Those numbers you have quoted, what do they equate to?

bristolleedsfan

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6687706/need-help-choosing-energy-provider-with-ev-car-solar-and-battery

Does this help at all ??? If you know anyone with either of the other possibly cheaper suppliers they both do refer a friend.

enginestar

I'm currently on Octopus 12m Fixed - but that ended yesterday. Electricity ends next week in 6 days.

This is what I have been quoted for gas:

Fixed 12m and 18m, the bill is both £1060. That's a massive jump in price.

Should I switch to another provider? I'm confused about the solar complication + can't just switch based on a better price without knowing the EV deal they will give me.

ALSO: should I consider switching gas and electric seperately?

Thanks.

QrizB

ALSO: should I consider switching gas and electric seperately?

That's what I did. My electricity is still with Octopus on Intelligent Octopus Go, but I took my gas to Fuse.

Have you looked for a gas-only switch on a comparison site? There's a lot less complication with a gas tariff (no need to worry about time-of-use etc) so they're much easier to compare.

Check for referral deals too; you generally can't claim a referral if you switch via a comparison site, so use the comparison to find a good tariff then see if you can apply to the supplier directly.

debitcardmayhem

Have you got a MPAN for export?

Which car/charger have you got?

I would change your gas separately, fuse were cheaper about a month ago but you would need to check others too.

enginestar

Guys… thanks a million. I'll copy what @QrizB did. Refferal: as in Topcashback?

@debitcardmayhem yes, I have MPAN. I have a Tesla and an Indra charger.

How much cheaper can I get gas for just out of interest? Has it really gone up that much in price??

One thing I'm confused about… the dashboard on Octopus says roughly £1k for both gas and electricity, but the bill says roughly £650 each. Yesterday I spoke to Octopus and they said the bill was correct. Does it matter which is correct? If I use £1k as my estimate yearly usage, then I get a rough idea who has the best offer?

QrizB

Refferal: as in Topcashback?

You cant try TCB and Quidco, but referral is usually a friends-or-family thing. Find someone who's already with your choice of new supplier, they'll tell you their code and then when you switch you'll both get some bill credit.

Exactly how much will vary from supplier to supplier, but it's often £50-£100.

You can only get one "bribe" so you can't use a referral code as well as switching via TCB or a comparison site. Check which is best for you before you commit.

How much cheaper can I get gas for just out of interest? Has it really gone up that much in price??

You are unlikely to get gas much cheaper than Octopus's current variable tariff. Yes gas has gone up that much and we're expecting another big increase (20-25%) in January (see MSE article here). The best you can hope for is to find a gas fix at maybe 8.5p/kWh and then be safe from the January increase which we're expecting to be somewhere near 10p/kWh.

But see what tariffs are available, based on your location (they var slightly by region) and annual use.

If I use £1k as my estimate yearly usage, then I get a rough idea who has the best offer?

Best to use the number of kWh per year, rather than the cost. From the numbers you're quoting, I'm guessing you'll be somewhere in the region of 10-12,000 kWh of gas per year?

enginestar

British Gas are coming up as the best price. TCB gives £30.

UW are best - but I don't want to sign up for other services to get the best price.

I'm guessing the £650 I was paying for energy for both gas and electric was last years price? That would mean the new price I am looking to pay is nearly double??

QrizB

I'm guessing the £650 I was paying for energy for both gas and electric was last years price?

You've shared your gas tariff offer from Octopus above. For the last year you've been paying 5.22p/kWh on a fix. Those prices are ancient history now; the standard variable tariff is around 8p/kWh, and the best fix is higher than that.

That would mean the new price I am looking to pay is nearly double??

£650 to £1000 is a ~65% increase, and yes that is how much gas prices have increased too.

You've not shared details of your old and new electricity tariffs but yes these have also increased significantly over the past 12 months - ever since someone started another shooting war in the Middle East.

Keep_pedalling

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82178182#Comment_82178182

You do not seem to be including a SEG feed-in tarrif in your calculation. I have a similar set up to you and am on Intelegent Octopus Go for electricity, and am being paid 12p per kWh for export. I only had my battery installed last month (10kWh Fox) and I am able to shift 99% of my electric use to the off peak rate so I am not worried about the high cost of the standard rate.

To get the best SEG rate you need to have your import and export with the same company so that is a bit of a lock in, so you really should not switch until you have sussed out that element.