What tariff?

openspaceman
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Re: What tariff?

#11

Post by openspaceman »

Beau wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 9:47 am
We have a FIT tied 3.6 kWh PV system generating around 3400 kWh a year
I guess your inverter is not a hybrid one then? Mine isn't so when I decided to add a battery the installer fitted an ac coupled one (details in sig).

Someone else will probably correct me but I allow a notional 7p/kWh and 80% charge discharge efficiency for the cost of storing electricity in the battery. I am still on a 50% deemed export on my FIT as Octopus have not managed to remove me from the FIT deemed export and provide me with an export MPAN for my smart meter. It is largely moot because I do not have an EV so am not entitled to join the Intelligent Octopus and the Octopus outgoing (yet). I am actually quite happy using only my low carbon electricity 8 months of the year.


In your case you can and the 7.5p/kWh for 6?? hours will benefit your driving costs greatly. I am not sure how one would match these variable 6 hours of cheap rate to firing up your heat pump but the thermal inertia of an underfloor system will still benefit you during the day.

My daughter has an EV and has the 9p/kWh rate for 4 fixed hours just after midnight but this incurs a higher rate of 31p/kWh outside of the off peak 4 hours (a 2p/kWh penalty over a standard tariff) so I remotely set her 10kWh home battery to charge off peak sufficiently for it to carry here through to the next off peak period, until the sun starts shining.

Worse case in the absence of solar PV in the winter months I calculate:

10kWh charged at 9p/kWh plus battery cost at 7p/kWh divided by 80% cycle efficiency =10*(9+7)/0.8=200p

So her electricity cost is 20p/kWh, about a 9p/kWh overall saving compared with a standard tariff and of course during the summer months she gets all her electricity at no costs above the capital expenditure.
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pudding
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Location: Cornwall

Re: What tariff?

#12

Post by pudding »

Just had an email from Octopus informing of the new lower rates from April. I'm on the Cosy tariff, so the standard rate is following Flexible and going from 28 - 24p/kWh. The added bonus though is that they're changing the discount and premium rates, so the discounted double dip slots will be discounted 51% now rather than 40%, and the pricy peak slot bump is dropping from 60% down to 45% extra, so these are now going from 17 to 11.8p/kWh and 45 to 35p/kWh. Nice bit of extra good news. :)
4kW array w/Fronius | 3.51kW & 3.28kW arrays w/Sunsynk 3.6kW hybrid | 6 x Pylon US3000C
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Beau
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Re: What tariff?

#13

Post by Beau »

Thanks all for the input.

I have signed up for Agile but we will see how it goes as changing tariffs seems pretty easy with Octopus.

If I install batteries I can see IOG is a no-brainer but the low-tech heat pump with no buffer will almost always run outside the cheap rate period and it uses as much as my prediction for the EV. On Agile I can manually stop the heat pump from running during the peak period

Adam did an interesting talk on the subject of tariffs for heat pumps

AGT
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Re: What tariff?

#14

Post by AGT »

To the OP, could you. It do anything to automate the heat pump?
Shelly devices/switchbot’s?
Beau
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Re: What tariff?

#15

Post by Beau »

AGT wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:11 pm To the OP, could you. It do anything to automate the heat pump?
Shelly devices/switchbot’s?
I had made an embarrassing discovery today........It can be programmed!

I found the manual which has not been looked at for years. It has a setback timer for variable tariffs so it's going to make things much easier on Agile
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Fintray
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Re: What tariff?

#16

Post by Fintray »

Beau wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:38 pm
AGT wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:11 pm To the OP, could you. It do anything to automate the heat pump?
Shelly devices/switchbot’s?
I had made an embarrassing discovery today........It can be programmed!

I found the manual which has not been looked at for years. It has a setback timer for variable tariffs so it's going to make things much easier on Agile
If all else fails, read the manual :facepalm: :D
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Krill
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Re: What tariff?

#17

Post by Krill »

I've justed moved off Octopus Flux to Cosy. Accepted straight away but I don't have a heat pump... :xx: also moving over to outgoing octopus but that seems to take up to 14 days despite already being on Flux. That will make for an interesting bill next month.

I've worked out that with the 8 hours worth of cheap slots I'll have an easy opportunity to run the dehumidifier and tumble dryer (condensing, not heat pump) and top up all the batteries, but I'm already struggling to manage between the 3 hour overnight slots on flux due to hosting a server and lots of working from home.

Plus because I'm pulling from the grid for longer and not discharging batteries that will lead to an efficiency saving.

The cost difference is 11.2 on Cosy and 14.3 on Flux for the cheap periods, and 15p v. 12.6p on the day rate for export. Its a no brainer for winter periods imo.
Solar PV: 6.4kW solar PV (Eurener MEPV 400W*16)
PV Inverter: Solis 6kW inverter
Batteries: 14.4kWh LiFePO4 batteries (Pylontech US5000*3)
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Stig
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Re: What tariff?

#18

Post by Stig »

So, as all the domestic energy prices have just gone up I started looking for the best deal.
Octopus "flexible" will save me all of 2p/day on each standing charge with the same (capped) rates per unit I'm now paying. They do have a 15month fixed tariff which would save me £40-50 a year (I'm a low user) which is tempting but then they say:
Smart tariffs for smart tech

Did you know we have tariffs specifically designed to work with EVs, heat pumps, solar panels and home batteries?

Complete your switch to flexible first and keep an eye on your emails for more information about our smart tariffs.
which is a bit of a tease.
Given that I have PV but no batteries or EV would anyone care to speculate as to whether one of their smart tariffs is likely to be worthwhile for me?
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Krill
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Re: What tariff?

#19

Post by Krill »

Do you have an mcs certificate?
Solar PV: 6.4kW solar PV (Eurener MEPV 400W*16)
PV Inverter: Solis 6kW inverter
Batteries: 14.4kWh LiFePO4 batteries (Pylontech US5000*3)
Battery Inverter: LuxPowertek 3600 ACS*2 battery inverter
WBS: 8kW Hunter Avalon 6 Multifuel burner (wood only)
Thebeeman
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Re: What tariff?

#20

Post by Thebeeman »

Stig wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2024 4:44 pm They do have a 15month fixed tariff which would save me £40-50 a year (I'm a low user) which is tempting but then they say:
I was on Flexible Time Of Use (off peak) but have just switched to the fixed deal, still off peak.
There is no exit fee on the fix so if, a big if, prices drop you can swap again at no cost.
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