Intelligent Octopus question

[John_S]

Hi everyone

I have recently upgraded from Octopus Go to IO. Long story but I had to wait for a major software update to my ID 4 first edition and my local dealer had limited capacity to do the update. At least now, I can get over the air updates.

After a few successful small charges (max 3 or 4 hours), I now need a longer charge to 80%

Octopus have computed 11.30pm to 06.00am, ie standard IO hours plus an extra half hour. My question is - do I get the extra half hour at 7.5p or do I wind down the 80% to 70% and get the extra tomorrow night at 7.5p? I don't need 80% tomorrow.

John

[Fintray]

Hi everyone

I have recently upgraded from Octopus Go to IO. Long story but I had to wait for a major software update to my ID 4 first edition and my local dealer had limited capacity to do the update. At least now, I can get over the air updates.

After a few successful small charges (max 3 or 4 hours), I now need a longer charge to 80%

Octopus have computed 11.30pm to 06.00am, ie standard IO hours plus an extra half hour. My question is - do I get the extra half hour at 7.5p or do I wind down the 80% to 70% and get the extra tomorrow night at 7.5p? I don't need 80% tomorrow.

John

I'm pretty sure you get the extra at the reduced rate, Nowty will be able to confirm or otherwise.

[Stinsy]

The extra slot is at 7.5p for your whole house. That’s the whole point of IO!

This is from my last bill, I got 0000-0530, 1130-1730, and 2030-0000 at 7.5p on that day!

[John_S]

The extra slot is at 7.5p for your whole house. That’s the whole point of IO!

This is from my last bill, I got 0000-0530, 1130-1730, and 2030-0000 at 7.5p on that day!

So, it gave you a lot more than you needed. What gives?

I am a bit slow on these things. It took me a long time with to work out that with National Grid's Demand Flexibility Service, one made money not by reducing demand but by raising the usage in the comparison period.

[nowty]

After a few successful small charges (max 3 or 4 hours), I now need a longer charge to 80%

Octopus have computed 11.30pm to 06.00am, ie standard IO hours plus an extra half hour. My question is - do I get the extra half hour at 7.5p or do I wind down the 80% to 70% and get the extra tomorrow night at 7.5p? I don't need 80% tomorrow.

If you asked for the car to be ready at 4am (earliest you can request), you would have got a few extra cheap slots prior to 11:30pm.

And yes its for the whole house.

[Stinsy]

So, it gave you a lot more than you needed. What gives?

I am a bit slow on these things. It took me a long time with to work out that with National Grid's Demand Flexibility Service, one made money not by reducing demand but by raising the usage in the comparison period.

Yeah, it does lots of crazy stuff that ends up giving you more cheap slots than you need. Not sure why. Maybe the standard 2330-0530 cheap slot isn’t the cheapest from a wholesale perspective that day?

[nowty]

So, it gave you a lot more than you needed. What gives?

I am a bit slow on these things. It took me a long time with to work out that with National Grid's Demand Flexibility Service, one made money not by reducing demand but by raising the usage in the comparison period.

Yeah, it does lots of crazy stuff that ends up giving you more cheap slots than you need. Not sure why. Maybe the standard 2330-0530 cheap slot isn’t the cheapest from a wholesale perspective that day?

I believe Octopus uses IO on the demand side of the National Grid Balancing Mechanism, so sometimes it turns off and on seemingly at random even within the allocated slots. So its in their interest to give you a longer time period than it needs to be able to actively participate in such services. Suspending your EV charge en masse (demand side) is equivalent as exporting to the grid from a huge battery store (generator side). If V2G ever becomes mainstream its double bubble (both demand and generator side) for them.

https://octopus.energy/press/octopus-en ... wer-plant/
https://www2.nationalgrideso.com/docume ... 1/download

[AGT]

For info.

I was playing about and turned the charger off at the mcb the other day.
Forgot all about it, and plugged car into charger the following day.
Octopus issued a charging plan and was all good, i checked my power meter about midnight and no charge( cause it was still switched off). Interesting to me that I got a charge plan with no power connected to the car.