Octopus Winter Workout - Gas Reduction

[Joeboy]

Even without Ripple WT1, for me the cost of cheap rate leccy is now at parity with gas even for storage heaters. I checked my gas v leccy use over the past 5 years for the month of November. Year on year my total energy import has reduced and now gas has been practically wiped out.

But what is really surprising to me is that we now have 2 EVs, with all home charging and we are still importing less energy.

(All numbers below in kWh)

November 2017
Gas 2914
Leccy 112
Total 3026
November 2018 (Heatpump)
Gas 1932
Leccy 434
Total 2366
November 2019 (Heatpump + 1 EV)
Gas 1014
Leccy 1150
Total 2164
November 2020 (Heatpump + 1 EV)
Gas 914
Leccy 834
Total 1748
November 2021 (Heatpump + 2 EV’s)
Gas 32
Leccy 1643
Total 1675

That is an astonishing place to be! I think that all of us who buy into WT1 & WT2 will see our PB's fall like ninepins. There are so many ways to approach the reduction of FF use. It should be a countrywide game.

[Bugtownboy]

Whatever the endgame with this competition, surely the objective is to raise awareness about consumption ?

I would imagine the membership of this forum is a very ‘self selected’ subset of the population that fully understands its power consumption. I’m sure this is the exception to the norm.

Octopus obviously haven’t got it all right, but they do seem willing to shake things up a bit.

[Adokforme]

Following on from Nowty's post showing five years of falling November energy figures I thought I'd check back on ours to see if there might be a comparison. Unfortunately not having a Smart Meter installed until Oct 2020 I've been unable to discover how much PV we consumed up to then. With one month to go, this years figures should be accurate. While the drop in total kWh's may not be dramatic the EV figures form part of the domestic total. Charging from pumps while away from home are not included. Import to date for the current year is 4198 kWh's of which 1541 are at Go Faster rate!
EV miles so far this year 5927.

Consump'n....Gas kWh....Elec kWh.......Total ...........Diesel Ltrs.......EV kWh's
2017 Nov.......1231..........206............1437
2017 Total.....8819.........2361...........11180.............1095...............0

2018 Nov.......1132.........192.............1132.......(PV purch April, EV July, ashp Oct & Nov)
2018 Total.....8886........1843............10729..............653..............540

2019 Nov.........36.5.......481..............517.5
2019 Total.....2541........2961.............5502...............351............2363

2020 Nov..........0.........424..............424..........(Smart Meter install Oct, Gas term'd)
2020 Total......178.2.....3947.............4125................0...............1273

2021 Nov.........0..........844..............844
2021 Total.......0.........8137(11/12)....8137(11/12)........0..............1490

[nowty]

Adokforme, looks like my 2021 Nov figure for gas matches your 2019 figure, game over for FF gas.

I never included any figures for kWh in terms of petrol and diesel we had for our ICE cars, again game over for FF for ICE cars.

For a laugh I had a look back at my 2010 import for Nov, well it’s a bit difficult but I have a 32 day total in my records from 9th Nov to 11th Dec. It was before any of my renewable madness, with an old (non-condensing) gas boiler and a house where we had holes in the floor and much less insulation and poorer windows. Admittedly I had a teenage daughter living in the house back then, half hour showers, etc.

But our consumption was eye watering, even the leccy is shocking considering no heatpump or EVs, it’s the same house and does not include the 2 x ICE car kWh ! But we did have for example 8 x100w spotlights in the kitchen, now its 8 x 8w LED spotlights for the same light.

November 2010 (actually 9th Nov to 11th Dec)
Gas 5163
Leccy 625
Total 5788
------------------------------------------------------
Re-including the previous figures for easy comparison.

November 2017
Gas 2914
Leccy 112
Total 3026
November 2018 (Heatpump)
Gas 1932
Leccy 434
Total 2366
November 2019 (Heatpump + 1 EV)
Gas 1014
Leccy 1150
Total 2164
November 2020 (Heatpump + 1 EV)
Gas 914
Leccy 834
Total 1748
November 2021 (Heatpump + 2 EV’s)
Gas 32
Leccy 1643
Total 1675

[Adokforme]

Wow Nowty! That Nov figure of a decade ago is indeed shocking, it's a full half a years worth in comparison to today.
However much might a years worth cost at todays, or even next April's rates!
No wonder Insulation is prioritised when it comes to reducing energy costs, it must have been like heating the atmosphere and how many houses must still exist in a similar leaking state!
Hats off to you for completing such a transformation and for documenting it too. I am truly gobsmacked by that decade old Nov consumption of yours.

[Stinsy]

Whatever the endgame with this competition, surely the objective is to raise awareness about consumption ?

I would imagine the membership of this forum is a very ‘self selected’ subset of the population that fully understands its power consumption. I’m sure this is the exception to the norm.

Octopus obviously haven’t got it all right, but they do seem willing to shake things up a bit.

I agree us lot aren’t representative of the population. Someone told me they’d increased the DD to their energy provider from £150 to £300 a month. They live in a 3-bed semi!

[Joeboy]

I hope there's room..single month figures for gas November. Will come back at year end with whole year for both fuels.
(16)-3,476kWh
(17)-3,422kWh
(18)-2,596kWh
(19)-3,157kWh
(20)-2,299kWh
(21)-1,089kWh

£150 to £300 dd is a heavy increase Stinsy...

[Bugtownboy]

Wow - that’s nearly our annual use from the grid. Well, before the price increases

I feel there is a general lack of understanding of power use, whatever flavour. Considering we have, generally, such a reliable and consistent grid, there just is no appreciation of the value of that resource.

Maybe, the whole exercise of driving down prices through market forces has disconnected people from what an amazing service it really is.

[Stinsy]

Have a look at "pipe tables" to display info. Bit of a faff but not too bad when you get the hang of them.

EG:

Following on from Nowty's post showing five years of falling November energy figures I thought I'd check back on ours to see if there might be a comparison. Unfortunately not having a Smart Meter installed until Oct 2020 I've been unable to discover how much PV we consumed up to then. With one month to go, this years figures should be accurate. While the drop in total kWh's may not be dramatic the EV figures form part of the domestic total. Charging from pumps while away from home are not included. Import to date for the current year is 4198 kWh's of which 1541 are at Go Faster rate!
EV miles so far this year 5927.

Consump'n	Gas kWh	Elec kWh	Total	Diesel Ltrs	EV kWh's
2017 Nov	1231	206	1437
2017 Total	8819	2361	11180	1095	0
.
2018 Nov	1132	192	1132
2018 Total	8886	1843	10729	653	540
.
2019 Nov	36.5	481	517.5
2019 Total	2541	2961	5502	351.	2363
.
2020 Nov	0	424	424
2020 Total	178.2	3947	4125	0	1273
.
2021 Nov	0	844	844
2021 Total	0	8137(11/12)	8137(11/12)	0	1490

[Adokforme]

Stinsy post_id=5471 time=1638534341 user_id=69
Have a look at "pipe tables" to display info. Bit of a faff but not too bad when you get the hang of them.

Thanks Stinsy, not come across the term pipe tables before so googled it, came back with lots of tables made from pipe.

Could they by any chance be tables from the likes of Excel etc?