Octopus energy company. Anyone use 'em?
Discussion
Hi Mr No Name :-)
I don't like having lots of devices I can't control or figure on my network. I have a very tight network with QoS also on every device and MAC filtering also, so guests don't interfere with my HD pron downloads.
I also think "smart tech" is a gimmick. We have some smart plugs , couple of "smart bulbs" that can change colour etc, and an Alexa Dot and the literally ONLY thing that I use Alexa for is to turn on two lights in our living room. Even then, it's still annoying as sometimes it doesn't listen, or it turns only one on instead of two. I think I have tried changing the bulb colour a couple of times when we first got it before realising anything other than "white" was stupid
Of course the WiFi module is cheap crap but even the cheapest smart plugs are £15-£20 on Amazon right now and that's a lot of money to add up when you think about it. To do your Fridge, Freezer, TV and Set-top-box you're looking at £60-80 in plugs alone.......more if you have additional TV's, other devices like phone chargers and such. You could probably save money by using an extension socket into a smart plug, but I don't trust lots of plugs hanging off each other, and in many cases it's not practical from a wiring perspective.
The cost of the WiFi chip in the device is irrelevant as it gets absorbed into the cost of the device itself. IE £5 extra on a Fridge doesn't matter. But if someone said you have to pay £20 extra for a plug...
As for saving money how much can I really expect to save? I live in a small end terrace (but oh PH that's called a semi detached) , 2 bedrooms.
My computer is on most of the day, as is my study light, TV downstairs (for the dogs) and laptop, as well as a combined Fridge/Freezer and a seperate freezer in the garage. On-demand gas heated hot water. And we use our oven / gas hobs for maybe 20-30 minutes per day. Heating is never on unless it's literally freezing.
Our gas/electric is combined around £70 per month average on a comparison site cheapest-rate deal.. Maybe £50 in summer and £90 in winter
I really doubt we would save very much given our regular (but reasonably low) power consumption and probably, I suspect, we would be worse off - or certainly, the savings that we could make in outright energy (by having to constantly micro-manage our power usage, which is not fun or "carefree") would be wiped out and never recovered by the cost of smart plugs!
I don't like having lots of devices I can't control or figure on my network. I have a very tight network with QoS also on every device and MAC filtering also, so guests don't interfere with my HD pron downloads.
I also think "smart tech" is a gimmick. We have some smart plugs , couple of "smart bulbs" that can change colour etc, and an Alexa Dot and the literally ONLY thing that I use Alexa for is to turn on two lights in our living room. Even then, it's still annoying as sometimes it doesn't listen, or it turns only one on instead of two. I think I have tried changing the bulb colour a couple of times when we first got it before realising anything other than "white" was stupid
Of course the WiFi module is cheap crap but even the cheapest smart plugs are £15-£20 on Amazon right now and that's a lot of money to add up when you think about it. To do your Fridge, Freezer, TV and Set-top-box you're looking at £60-80 in plugs alone.......more if you have additional TV's, other devices like phone chargers and such. You could probably save money by using an extension socket into a smart plug, but I don't trust lots of plugs hanging off each other, and in many cases it's not practical from a wiring perspective.
The cost of the WiFi chip in the device is irrelevant as it gets absorbed into the cost of the device itself. IE £5 extra on a Fridge doesn't matter. But if someone said you have to pay £20 extra for a plug...
As for saving money how much can I really expect to save? I live in a small end terrace (but oh PH that's called a semi detached) , 2 bedrooms.
My computer is on most of the day, as is my study light, TV downstairs (for the dogs) and laptop, as well as a combined Fridge/Freezer and a seperate freezer in the garage. On-demand gas heated hot water. And we use our oven / gas hobs for maybe 20-30 minutes per day. Heating is never on unless it's literally freezing.
Our gas/electric is combined around £70 per month average on a comparison site cheapest-rate deal.. Maybe £50 in summer and £90 in winter
I really doubt we would save very much given our regular (but reasonably low) power consumption and probably, I suspect, we would be worse off - or certainly, the savings that we could make in outright energy (by having to constantly micro-manage our power usage, which is not fun or "carefree") would be wiped out and never recovered by the cost of smart plugs!
Edited by xjay1337 on Tuesday 2nd June 18:52
No ideas for a name said:
Waiting for the meter was a problem. It wasn't Octopus' fault, but just waiting for the metering guys to get it booked in.
I think we switched in November, and was due a meter within 4 weeks. It didn't go in until early Feb, but then there was a problem getting it to show on Octopus' system. As posted this morning - Octopus backdated the calculation so we were not disadvantaged... Can't say fairer than that.
The meter guy was friendly and efficient. Our install was easy for him as it is outside a standing height, in a meter cupboard - no crawling under stairs or anything required.
Once you have a SMETS2 meter, you should be able to switch between suppliers much easier.
The reward is £50 for both the new customer joining AND £50 for the person who has referred you.
Thanks. I think we switched in November, and was due a meter within 4 weeks. It didn't go in until early Feb, but then there was a problem getting it to show on Octopus' system. As posted this morning - Octopus backdated the calculation so we were not disadvantaged... Can't say fairer than that.
The meter guy was friendly and efficient. Our install was easy for him as it is outside a standing height, in a meter cupboard - no crawling under stairs or anything required.
Once you have a SMETS2 meter, you should be able to switch between suppliers much easier.
The reward is £50 for both the new customer joining AND £50 for the person who has referred you.
I will do a comparison and see what it comes out with.
I'll factor in the £59 as well.
If it is not much difference it can go to charity as I've seen others do.
The install of the Smets it a pain. In Scotland, I'm not sure when that will happen....
I see they backdated your bill so at least that is a positive.
pmanson said:
Can I ask what smart switch you use?
This one...https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07T7N9LFJ/ref=cm_sw_r...
They’re available from quite a few places, some cheaper. It uses the same app as the cheap Sonoff switches.
I kept my existing immersion switch so that I still had a means of isolation:
pmanson said:
Can I ask what smart switch you use?
I my case I have used a Sonoff PowR2... reason being this has energy monitoring buil-in as well as just the switch.It is rated at 15A, but I am not too happy with the terminals. They are weird push-in things ... I would prefer screw terminals. However, the unit is aledgedly CE marked.
As the post above, the smart switch is in series with a 'proper' double pole isolator.
I am running a ZMAi-90 elsewhere, this has 60A switching and was only about £20.
Both of these devices have been re-flashed with custom (Public domain) firmware to remove the dependance on external servers. See Tasmota.com for more details.
Edited by No ideas for a name on Tuesday 2nd June 19:32
xjay1337 said:
Hi Mr No Name :-)
Too kind - others may have shortned it to Mr No Idea!xjay1337 said:
I don't like having lots of devices I can't control or figure on my network. I have a very tight network with QoS also on every device and MAC filtering also, so guests don't interfere with my HD pron downloads.
I also think "smart tech" is a gimmick. We have some smart plugs , couple of "smart bulbs" that can change colour etc, and an Alexa Dot and the literally ONLY thing that I use Alexa for is to turn on two lights in our living room. Even then, it's still annoying as sometimes it doesn't listen, or it turns only one on instead of two. I think I have tried changing the bulb colour a couple of times when we first got it before realising anything other than "white" was stupid
Of course the WiFi module is cheap crap but even the cheapest smart plugs are £15-£20 on Amazon right now and that's a lot of money to add up when you think about it. To do your Fridge, Freezer, TV and Set-top-box you're looking at £60-80 in plugs alone.......more if you have additional TV's, other devices like phone chargers and such. You could probably save money by using an extension socket into a smart plug, but I don't trust lots of plugs hanging off each other, and in many cases it's not practical from a wiring perspective.
The cost of the WiFi chip in the device is irrelevant as it gets absorbed into the cost of the device itself. IE £5 extra on a Fridge doesn't matter. But if someone said you have to pay £20 extra for a plug...
As for saving money how much can I really expect to save? I live in a small end terrace (but oh PH that's called a semi detached) , 2 bedrooms.
My computer is on most of the day, as is my study light, TV downstairs (for the dogs) and laptop, as well as a combined Fridge/Freezer and a seperate freezer in the garage. On-demand gas heated hot water. And we use our oven / gas hobs for maybe 20-30 minutes per day. Heating is never on unless it's literally freezing.
Our gas/electric is combined around £70 per month average on a comparison site cheapest-rate deal.. Maybe £50 in summer and £90 in winter
I really doubt we would save very much given our regular (but reasonably low) power consumption and probably, I suspect, we would be worse off - or certainly, the savings that we could make in outright energy (by having to constantly micro-manage our power usage, which is not fun or "carefree") would be wiped out and never recovered by the cost of smart plugs!
I think in your case, you are probably right, and it won't save you much.I also think "smart tech" is a gimmick. We have some smart plugs , couple of "smart bulbs" that can change colour etc, and an Alexa Dot and the literally ONLY thing that I use Alexa for is to turn on two lights in our living room. Even then, it's still annoying as sometimes it doesn't listen, or it turns only one on instead of two. I think I have tried changing the bulb colour a couple of times when we first got it before realising anything other than "white" was stupid
Of course the WiFi module is cheap crap but even the cheapest smart plugs are £15-£20 on Amazon right now and that's a lot of money to add up when you think about it. To do your Fridge, Freezer, TV and Set-top-box you're looking at £60-80 in plugs alone.......more if you have additional TV's, other devices like phone chargers and such. You could probably save money by using an extension socket into a smart plug, but I don't trust lots of plugs hanging off each other, and in many cases it's not practical from a wiring perspective.
The cost of the WiFi chip in the device is irrelevant as it gets absorbed into the cost of the device itself. IE £5 extra on a Fridge doesn't matter. But if someone said you have to pay £20 extra for a plug...
As for saving money how much can I really expect to save? I live in a small end terrace (but oh PH that's called a semi detached) , 2 bedrooms.
My computer is on most of the day, as is my study light, TV downstairs (for the dogs) and laptop, as well as a combined Fridge/Freezer and a seperate freezer in the garage. On-demand gas heated hot water. And we use our oven / gas hobs for maybe 20-30 minutes per day. Heating is never on unless it's literally freezing.
Our gas/electric is combined around £70 per month average on a comparison site cheapest-rate deal.. Maybe £50 in summer and £90 in winter
I really doubt we would save very much given our regular (but reasonably low) power consumption and probably, I suspect, we would be worse off - or certainly, the savings that we could make in outright energy (by having to constantly micro-manage our power usage, which is not fun or "carefree") would be wiped out and never recovered by the cost of smart plugs!
The setup costs of making a 'smart home' by adding external switches is probably quite high for the returns.
Our real savings are posted somewhere above, but a drop from about £90 a month to about £30 (according to figures from Octopus - I haven't calculated it myself yet). I accept we may be a special case with some loads running all day and night (PCs/servers).
I started partly due to the cost of our electricity bill that I thought was a bit mad, also for the technical challenge.
Unless I make a Company out of offering this as a service, I am never going to get actual pay-back on the effort put in.
Also, personally I think the multi-colour stuff isn't important - but if it excites some people and spreads the adoption of the underling technology, then that has to be good.
I can see the time when with householder's permission, the suppliers will be able to load shed things that you won't notice e.g freezers and EVs at periods of high demand. It should bring benefits for all.
xjay1337 said:
As for saving money how much can I really expect to save?
In a smaller household with low consumption probably not much.Typically, during the day within the week prices outside the 4-7pm peak are at least half that of a fixed rate plan. During the 3hr peak they’re generally about 40% higher than most fixed plans. There are a lot more off-peak hours in a day than peak so you don’t have to try too hard to offset your peak usage.
Accelebrate said:
This one...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07T7N9LFJ/ref=cm_sw_r...
They’re available from quite a few places, some cheaper. It uses the same app as the cheap Sonoff switches.
I kept my existing immersion switch so that I still had a means of isolation:
Gotcha. So it's just sat in between the existing switch and the boiler. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07T7N9LFJ/ref=cm_sw_r...
They’re available from quite a few places, some cheaper. It uses the same app as the cheap Sonoff switches.
I kept my existing immersion switch so that I still had a means of isolation:
No ideas for a name said:
I can see the time when with householder's permission, the suppliers will be able to load shed things that you won't notice e.g freezers and EVs at periods of high demand. It should bring benefits for all.
A worry of smart devices of mine that is that it's literally going to be a direct port of advertising into our homes.
However I'm glad in your home you've saved a substantial chunk :-)
Maybe future new houses could have in built smart plugs with ethernet to a central room with a switch and wifi router etc.
Condi said:
Can I just say again that power prices are probably the lowest in history. Any tariff connected to wholesale costs is going to look cheap now, but that may change later on into winter or over future years.
Absolutely right. it isn't a guaranteed 'win'.However, Octopus do publish their entire half hourly pricing table going back a couple of years... I ran our expected usage against that and it looked like we came out on top.
Also, you can switch back to a fixed tariff at any time if it doesn't work for you.
(Of course a fixed tariff offered in deepest winter might be more than a fixed tariff now) its like betting I suppose.
There is also a maximum value that the unit price will hit as it is capped at 33p (of course Octopus could change those rules at any time too).
For what it is worth, Octopus do a 'real' tracker tariff https://octopus.energy/tracker/
I like the details in their FAQ - they seem straight about it and it is up to the customer if they want to choose this.
I did look at it but thought the Agile was better for us at present.
pmanson said:
Gotcha. So it's just sat in between the existing switch and the boiler.
Yep, in-line between the existing switch and the immersion element.Leave the conventional switch on, let the smart switch do its thing. Both IFTTT and the app that controls it can send out push notifications and have a log of on/off events so it’s quite easy to keep an eye on what it’s doing.
Accelebrate said:
pmanson said:
Gotcha. So it's just sat in between the existing switch and the boiler.
Yep, in-line between the existing switch and the immersion element.Leave the conventional switch on, let the smart switch do its thing. Both IFTTT and the app that controls it can send out push notifications and have a log of on/off events so it’s quite easy to keep an eye on what it’s doing.
Currently we set the boiler to come on for 2hrs in the morning and 2hrs at 5pm.
Minimum of 3 showers p/day + bath and we've only drained the tank once when we had people staying.
I signed up yesterday, so I've got a month or so to work out some of the details
No ideas for a name said:
I can see the time when with householder's permission, the suppliers will be able to load shed things that you won't notice e.g freezers and EVs at periods of high demand. It should bring benefits for all.
1 fridge or EV being shut down for half an hour has negligible affect on the householder or the grid, but 1 million fridges and EV's shutting down has a noticeable effect on the national demand.
It is far harder and more expensive to find an extra 1MW at peak time than it is to shed 1MW of load for a short period of time.
essayer said:
Also good to see ongoing developments in V2G as EV adoption increases
Switchover/dual feed issues aside, it'd be pretty neat to power your house from your car between 1500 and 1800 then charge the car in the remaining time. Even more if you could feed solar in, simultaneously.
Tesla applied for a UK power generation licence, so they are expecting to leverage their vehicle to grid and home battery solutions. Switchover/dual feed issues aside, it'd be pretty neat to power your house from your car between 1500 and 1800 then charge the car in the remaining time. Even more if you could feed solar in, simultaneously.
Condi said:
Absolutely.
1 fridge or EV being shut down for half an hour has negligible affect on the householder or the grid, but 1 million fridges and EV's shutting down has a noticeable effect on the national demand.
It is far harder and more expensive to find an extra 1MW at peak time than it is to shed 1MW of load for a short period of time.
This. 1 fridge or EV being shut down for half an hour has negligible affect on the householder or the grid, but 1 million fridges and EV's shutting down has a noticeable effect on the national demand.
It is far harder and more expensive to find an extra 1MW at peak time than it is to shed 1MW of load for a short period of time.
Its what a smart grid actaully looks like, rather than radio-read meters that dont work properly!
Daniel
I'm with Octopus and have a smart meter, I've asked for one of those displays to keep in the house, so we can monitor, but they aren't even shipping stuff out (a little behind the curve!). On their website I only get the 30min report for 1 day, so hard to compare how we're doing.
Is there anything we can do to monitor it better? 3rd party app or similar?
We went for the 'Super Green Octopus 12M Fixed February 2020 v1' tariff, but thinking of swapping to the standard.
Also, just wondering if anyone else has this. When I type in a meter reading for gas, the number changes. Usually only the last 2 digits. I thought it was me to begin with, but having done 5 readings and me watching very carefully, it changes the numbers! Bloody stupid. I've also not won anything on the spinning wheel
Is there anything we can do to monitor it better? 3rd party app or similar?
We went for the 'Super Green Octopus 12M Fixed February 2020 v1' tariff, but thinking of swapping to the standard.
Also, just wondering if anyone else has this. When I type in a meter reading for gas, the number changes. Usually only the last 2 digits. I thought it was me to begin with, but having done 5 readings and me watching very carefully, it changes the numbers! Bloody stupid. I've also not won anything on the spinning wheel
illmonkey said:
I'm with Octopus and have a smart meter, I've asked for one of those displays to keep in the house, so we can monitor, but they aren't even shipping stuff out (a little behind the curve!). On their website I only get the 30min report for 1 day, so hard to compare how we're doing.
Is there anything we can do to monitor it better? 3rd party app or similar?
We went for the 'Super Green Octopus 12M Fixed February 2020 v1' tariff, but thinking of swapping to the standard.
Also, just wondering if anyone else has this. When I type in a meter reading for gas, the number changes. Usually only the last 2 digits. I thought it was me to begin with, but having done 5 readings and me watching very carefully, it changes the numbers! Bloody stupid. I've also not won anything on the spinning wheel
Assuming everything is as it should be...Is there anything we can do to monitor it better? 3rd party app or similar?
We went for the 'Super Green Octopus 12M Fixed February 2020 v1' tariff, but thinking of swapping to the standard.
Also, just wondering if anyone else has this. When I type in a meter reading for gas, the number changes. Usually only the last 2 digits. I thought it was me to begin with, but having done 5 readings and me watching very carefully, it changes the numbers! Bloody stupid. I've also not won anything on the spinning wheel
You should be able to go back to previous days on the web site. I just had a look at ours...
it is the left/right arrows.
I have a bit of Java that will fetch all the rates and readings history for you... only really useful if you are already upto speed with that.
If you like, I could extract it for you in to a spreadsheet. All I need is your API key and meter ids and serial numbers.. Send me a PM if interested.
It is all detailed under 'my account', 'account information' right at the bottom of the page where it says 'Developer API'.
PS. It was another negative pricing day on Saturday... free hot water when we woke up
No ideas for a name said:
illmonkey said:
I'm with Octopus and have a smart meter, I've asked for one of those displays to keep in the house, so we can monitor, but they aren't even shipping stuff out (a little behind the curve!). On their website I only get the 30min report for 1 day, so hard to compare how we're doing.
Is there anything we can do to monitor it better? 3rd party app or similar?
We went for the 'Super Green Octopus 12M Fixed February 2020 v1' tariff, but thinking of swapping to the standard.
Also, just wondering if anyone else has this. When I type in a meter reading for gas, the number changes. Usually only the last 2 digits. I thought it was me to begin with, but having done 5 readings and me watching very carefully, it changes the numbers! Bloody stupid. I've also not won anything on the spinning wheel
Assuming everything is as it should be...Is there anything we can do to monitor it better? 3rd party app or similar?
We went for the 'Super Green Octopus 12M Fixed February 2020 v1' tariff, but thinking of swapping to the standard.
Also, just wondering if anyone else has this. When I type in a meter reading for gas, the number changes. Usually only the last 2 digits. I thought it was me to begin with, but having done 5 readings and me watching very carefully, it changes the numbers! Bloody stupid. I've also not won anything on the spinning wheel
You should be able to go back to previous days on the web site. I just had a look at ours...
it is the left/right arrows.
I have a bit of Java that will fetch all the rates and readings history for you... only really useful if you are already upto speed with that.
If you like, I could extract it for you in to a spreadsheet. All I need is your API key and meter ids and serial numbers.. Send me a PM if interested.
It is all detailed under 'my account', 'account information' right at the bottom of the page where it says 'Developer API'.
PS. It was another negative pricing day on Saturday... free hot water when we woke up
I'll drop you a PM, might be good to have a look, thanks.
Whats with the negative pricing too? You supplying back to the grid?
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