Smart electric tariff

[JohnMo]

Currently have no smart meter that works due to a poor signal, after talking with a smart meter installer I now know how to get a working meter. Will explain for any one in a similar position.

 

Electric supplier has to have 3 unsuccessful smart meter installs. You then request the case is raised with the DCC. 6 weeks later they allow a 4G meter to be installed. Problem fixed.

 

So to my dilemma 

Have ASHP, GivEnergy 13kWh battery, PV but don't get paid for export. What is the best tariff to be on

 

Standard tariff make no sense with a battery.

E7 currently on that, easy to manage, but may not be most cost effective?

Cosy, seems easy to manage?

Agile, GivEnergy has controls built in, but expects export from what I can tell.

 

Any suggestions or users doing anything different?

Should I just pay octopus the £250 to allow export and be paid?

[JamesPa]

26 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

Any suggestions or users doing anything different?

Should I just pay octopus the £250 to allow export and be paid?

For me (no battery, ev, ashp, pv) I can't better eon next drive and eon export.  7hrs at 6.7p, the rest very slightly more than the best fixed rate without tou.  16.5p export.

 

So I charge the EV, do the washing and washing up, heat the dhw and bake bread at night whatever the season as the revenue from export exceeds the cost of nighttime import.  This has the distinct advantage that it's simple to manage (like the one you are on).   I don't even need a smart ev charger, just a 13A EV rated socket.

 

With a battery and no EV I think I'd end up doing the same, but I can't make the business case for a battery work. 

 

I did a spreadsheet comparing the various options.  The differences between the various tou tariffs weren't that large by comparison to not having a tou tariff at all, and the simplicity meant I didn't need any smarts other than the smart meter.  Of course the numbers will depend on your own usage.

 

Edited yesterday at 18:56 by JamesPa

[S2D2]

Eon next drive is good but I've stuck with Octopus Go because I use Cosy in the winter and can't be bothered switching supplier twice a year.

 

I see Eon now have "Next Pumped" but that's only 8 hours cheap overnight (maybe, they dont show actual pricing online) so not a replacement for cosy with the 3 cheap periods.

 

If your battery can get you through the rest of the day though, 6.7p on next drive is very attractive.

[JohnMo]

Unfortunately I don't have an EV, go and drive type tariffs won't work, unless they don't really ask you to prove EV.

 

I am thinking Cosy maybe a good choice, easy to programme times for charging etc. But an EV tariff is way cheaper 

[sharpener]

24 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

I am thinking Cosy maybe a good choice, easy to programme times for charging etc. But an EV tariff is way cheaper 

 

We started with 7.1 kWh of battery and quickly added another module which I had allowed for so now have 10.65 kWh In an ideal world I would add a fourth module but that would mean moving the consumer unit so cba.

Cosy suits us well bc the 1300 - 1600 cheap slot allows the HP to precharge the thermal store at the same time as the inverter charges the battery, all ready for the evening meal and keeping the CH going through the evening peak rate. With yr enormous slab @JohnMo you will probably do entirely without the HP during the peaks.

 

I decided not to go for the Octopus Go etc EV tariff bc you need to play continual games to optimise the behaviour for the HP. Cosy is fit and forget. All I have to do is change the settings when I am away so the house can run from the battery during the allowable charging times, when the house is occupied this is not desirable as it cycles the batteries too deeply (simple explanation but not entirely correct).

[Dillsue]

55 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

Unfortunately I don't have an EV, go and drive type tariffs won't work, unless they don't really ask you to prove EV.

Octopus didn't ask us for proof of an EV but only wanted the model. I think its fairly easy for them to see the load profile during the night time cheap rate but whether they monitor that is anyone's guess??

[JohnMo]

25 minutes ago, sharpener said:

With yr enormous slab @JohnMo you will probably do entirely without the HP during the peaks.

I can run the HP at full load during cheap rates (E7 hrs) via a second set point, but if I add hot water in the mix, I cannot get enough energy in the floor when temps start to get close to zero (mostly defrosts limiting ultimate output), so as temperatures drop the heat pump runs longer in the day. I can get to the point by teatime I have a flat battery, then I am using 32p instead of 14p energy. Cosy would give the opportunity to charge again during the day when needed. Then I could just run straight WC and do it all on cheaper rates.

 

1 minute ago, Dillsue said:

Octopus didn't ask us for proof of an EV but only wanted the model. I think its fairly easy for them to see the load profile during the night time cheap rate but whether they monitor that is anyone's guess??

Thats interesting

[S2D2]

57 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

Unfortunately I don't have an EV, go and drive type tariffs won't work, unless they don't really ask you to prove EV.

 

I am thinking Cosy maybe a good choice, easy to programme times for charging etc. But an EV tariff is way cheaper 

Next Drive was available for a short time for battery owners but the latest version reintroduced the requirement for an ev, no idea why.

 

Octopus never asked for proof for Go but if they wanted to find users without, it wouldn't be too difficult from usage.

 

Cosy is convenient and allows my small battery to cover heavy heat pump usage in the winter. I experimented with tweaking the heat pump but with just radiators decided it wasn't worth it and just the battery do the work, charging 3x per day. The only compromise is the higher cheap rate.

[JoeBano]

When I was on octopus agile it was a lot cheaper then octopus intelligent go which currently on. Only swapping over because I got an electric van. On agile it’s cheapest between the 10am to 4pm. You can get tracking apps to tell your technology to come on when it’s cheapest 4 hour window. In summer you get paid to burn electricity. I would swap back but I need to charge my van (60kw) at night when I’m home. 

 

[JamesPa]

5 hours ago, JohnMo said:

Unfortunately I don't have an EV, go and drive type tariffs won't work, unless they don't really ask you to prove EV.

Eon didn't ask me for proof of ev ownership or even the model, and doesn't require you the have a dedicated EV charger (IE the eon rules allow you to charge from a 13A socket).  Can they tell the difference between your battery and a battery on wheels? will they bother?  

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by JamesPa

[JohnMo]

1 minute ago, JamesPa said:

Can they tell the difference between your battery and a battery on wheels? will they bother?

I doubt they would really know, they would have no idea if I did 5 miles a day or 500 miles.

[trialuser]

On 30/06/2025 at 19:26, JohnMo said:

Currently have no smart meter that works due to a poor signal, after talking with a smart meter installer I now know how to get a working meter. Will explain for any one in a similar position.

 

Electric supplier has to have 3 unsuccessful smart meter installs. You then request the case is raised with the DCC. 6 weeks later they allow a 4G meter to be installed. Problem fixed.

 

 

Hi, is this definitely a 4G comms hub?

I'm in Scotland (arse end), and unsuprisingly the LRRN hub failed to connect. I pestered them and they installed a GSM hub, but I believe it is 2 /3 G.

I still dont have a signal as the meter/hub is in a steel clad outbuilding. I'm now pestering them to fit a T3 external antenna, but a 4G comms hub would also be preferable as the 4G signal hee is great.

Thanks.

[JohnMo]

The 4G ones apparently have just been issued, in the last week or so.  Believe a few have been installed around us - near Elgin. Octopus are still playing about, insisting they attempt the smart meter install 3x, before moving to getting a SIM card meter.