More Octopus innovation

[Stinsy]

So following on from last winter's Octopus Big Dirty Turndown, there will be another similar set of events but this time, more nationwide with more suppliers involved and higher value rebates.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63175030

I note not many on here with battery systems bothered to sign up last year because most thought it unlikely to be worth it as you need to reduce your peak usage against your historic baseline to which would generally be very little at peak rate. In fact I think I was the only one.

But Nowty Towers made £2.60 by meeting all 8 targets. Well I didn't really but because of rounding errors I actually was guaranteed to make money and there was a minimum payout level. So this year maybe more folk should at least give it a go as there is nothing to lose. Also there were a couple of surprising nightime turndowns which made me the most dosh.

What we know so far for the forthcoming events.

• You need a smart meter.

• It will be at least 12 and as many more as is needed between 1st Nov and 31st March. So more guaranteed events equals more rebate.

• Average of £4 per customer saving, up to a max of £10 rebate per event.

I got all excited about this last time. But I already use little-to-no grid electric during those times and the electric I do use is my inverter taking time to react so I don’t have much control over that. I still got some money though…

[Joeboy]

I might have a crack at this too.

[Oldgreybeard]

We're averaging only around 0.07kWh during the period from 06:30 to 23:30 UTC each day, and I doubt we could get down below that figure. If I was able to save all of that every day then it would still be a trivial amount, may be 2kWh per month.

I'm not sure these schemes sit comfortably with me, from a moral standpoint. They are only eligible for those that can have a smart meter and there are lots of rural homes, very often close to energy poverty, that could really benefit, but who are prohibited because of the quirks of the mobile phone system.

[Tinbum]

Last time I used anything from the grid was 6th March so don't think it will help me.

[Oldgreybeard]

Last time I used anything from the grid was 6th March so don't think it will help me.

Somehow I don't think that the members of this forum are the target audience for this initiative!

I still think there needs to be a fairer way to do this. The way that would be the fairest would be to use the regional demand measurement and give a rebate/discount to every consumer in that region based on the percentage demand reduction seen during the target period.

[Stinsy]

Somehow I don't think that the members of this forum are the target audience for this initiative!

I get that. But it feels the same as when schools give expensive electronic goods as "rewards" to the naughty children for not being quite as naughty as usual. While the children who are well-behaved all the time get nothing.

[Oldgreybeard]

Somehow I don't think that the members of this forum are the target audience for this initiative!

I get that. But it feels the same as when schools give expensive electronic goods as "rewards" to the naughty children for not being quite as naughty as usual. While the children who are well-behaved all the time get nothing.

I agree, but there are a lot of people that just don't get the concept of energy usage. Even after years of us trying to be as energy efficient as possible, my wife still struggles to grasp the concept of electrical energy. A few weeks ago I had another go at explaining the difference between power and energy, and why some things that don't use much power, but that are on for long periods of time, use more energy than some things that use a great deal more power but are on for such a short time that the amount energy they use is tiny.

She already thinks I'm mad, but the last power versus energy chat used the common water analogy, with a bucket left under a garden tap, showing that even just a trickle from the tap filled the bucket up to the brim after a few hours, whereas the tap on full blast for a few seconds barely filled the bucket to a quarter full.

I think it is just a difficult concept for many to understand, and that makes it harder for some to make sensible choices about what they use and what they don't use.

[Tinbum]

Somehow I don't think that the members of this forum are the target audience for this initiative!

I get that. But it feels the same as when schools give expensive electronic goods as "rewards" to the naughty children for not being quite as naughty as usual. While the children who are well-behaved all the time get nothing.

Yes, it's the same with everything- those that plan and help themselves are the ones that don't get any help. Be frivolous, plain stupid or lazy and you will get help or legislation to help you.

[nowty]

Looks like Ovo Energy customers with batteries might be quids in with the scheme.
https://www.ovoenergy.com/ovo-newsroom/ ... -move-news

"OVO has used customer data to determine that between 4pm - 7pm is usually when demand on the energy grid is usually the highest. Its data shows that the average household uses 19% of their daily total usage during these hours. At these times of peak demand, there’s often not enough renewable energy to go round, and so dirtier carbon-heavy power fires up to fill the gap.

The company is looking for participants to cut their average consumption during these hours to less than 12.5%. For the average household, that could be the equivalent of moving three loads of washing per week from peak time to a greener time of day. £20 will be rewarded for each month that this is achieved on average. The trial runs from 1st November 2022 - 31st March 2023."

[Oldgreybeard]

I have a family member (not directly related) who never misses the opportunity to harp on about how lucky we are to have been able to design and build our own passive house, to afford to install solar panels, to afford to own an EV, in short, he'll bleat on and on about anything we have that he doesn't have. The reason he has no pension, no savings and is permanently skint is because he's a lazy arse that has avoided work all his life. He's not dim, he's got a better degree than I have. He's just chosen to avoid work all his life.

He's in his 60's now and his latest complaint was that he won't ever be able to retire because his pension will be too small. No point in mentioning that this should come as no surprise to him, as the most he's ever worked is three days a week, and even then he's given up jobs and moved on to working for some other mug if there is so much as a hint that he might be asked to work for more than about 5 or 6 hours a day.

Needless to say his rented house isn't very energy efficient and he's now bleating about his winter energy bill and how the additional benefits payments he's getting aren't going to cover all his winter bills.

I've given up arguing with him about us having subsidised his bone idle lifestyle for the past 40 odd years from our taxes, as he has a sense of entitlement that defies normal logic. Likewise, pointing out that I had two jobs for a fair bit of my working life, three for a time years ago, just to earn enough to be able to afford what we wanted and to earn a reasonably pension, is a pointless argument with him. He simply has no concept of having to work for anything at all, and feels that if he chooses not to work then everyone else has a duty to make sure he can live comfortably.