Re: Smart Meters
 

Does the cost really add up to a considerable amount these happy hours?

Re: Smart Meters
 

Freeish Electricity is a good thing with no real effort on my part, I needed to use the washing machine so planned it for that time and the only extra unusual thing I did was to not heat my hot water in the morning when I had a shower, instead I used the emersion heater built into my tank as this is normally only used as a backup if my boiler is out of action.

The real saving is having a working smart meter and being on a Smart Tariff like Agile or Tracker for someone on Octopus.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I am on the Agile tariff and if it keeps as it is then i am on course to save £350 pound on my bill this year compared with the standard variable rate. As i have pointed out i am a heavy user of electricity and a low user of gas.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Oh that is some saving. I'm with Octopus, flexible tariff. I have an electric feed and gas pipe nothing renewable.

Re: Smart Meters
 

How do you know none of that is renewable?

ALL Octopus Electricity is 100% renewable.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Sorry I meant in my home. There are no solar panels or anything just a gas combi boiler and electric cupboard. I moved over from Shell like some of you. British Gas were irritating me. Customers are allowed some time to pay off bills, relax British Gas.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Do you have working Smart Meters? If so I would recommend Tracker or Agile Tariffs, it's a no brainer.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I do have a smart meter. I have no clue with regards to tariffs. The most I know is that my SIM only deal is unlimited everything. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Tracker is for both electric and gas. That looks the most appealing.

Re: Smart Meters
 

This whole thread revolves around people on Octopus Tracker and Agile smart tariffs so all I can do is get you to read up on them making sure you understand the differences, but ultimately you should definitely find a saving in £s per month compared to the bog standard flexible.

https://octopus.energy/blog/customer...racker-tariff/

https://octopus.energy/smart/agile/

Re: Smart Meters
 

Apologies for asking to be spoon fed. I just have no clue. I don't think agile benefits me. Tracker looks ok. Thank you for advising me.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I'm on Tracker for Gas and Electricity and over the last 6 months I've saved atleast £10 a month for Electricity and and maybe £7 on Gas, this has decreased a little towards the end of the year but it's still cheaper than Octopus Flexible.

I can't give you anymore advice other than read this thread on Cable Forum to see how people who are on these tariffs compared.

https://octopus.energy/tracker-faqs/...r%209%20months.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I am on Agile due to having a EV therefor i can charge at the lowest rate for that day. I was on the tracker before which i think is best for those that just want a possibly cheaper tariff and don't need to watch for the lowest rate each day. Note your mileage may vary compared with mine.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I saw that it was for EVs which I don't have. Do you get paper bills with Octopus? Mine come separately for gas and electric. I remember British Gas use to bill me for both which was a lot easier to handle.

Re: Smart Meters
 

LOL, 0.47 pence. :)

You get more than that for the useless spins every month (1p x 2).

Did you mean 47p ?

---------- Post added 26-10-2024 at 00:00 ---------- Previous post was 25-10-2024 at 23:54 ----------

No, but you can download your bills and print them.

As far as flexible v tracker v agile is concerned, there are sites where you can add your octopus API key, and it will download your useage and display the cost for various tariffs, so you can see if you're better off. I did that and as a result, switched to tracker for both, then agile for electricity (keeping tracker for gas).

I save money on electricity most days, and everyday on gas, atm.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Oops yes I meant 47p. :D

---------- Post added at 07:35 ---------- Previous post was at 07:08 ----------

I wonder why the Gas price is always the same on Saturday and Sunday? It's a bit high this weekend but still 15% cheaper than SVP.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Tracker is best if you use most of your power between 3pm and 8pm and can't change that.

Agile is better if you can check the prices each day and adjust your usage accordingly. But many people can't or won't do that.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Agile is also good if your usage is mostly steady across the whole day.
On average (across the whole day) it generally works out cheaper than flexible or tracker.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Channel 5 had a good old dig about smart meters on Thursday night.

The preamble: "New gas and electricity meters promise to save customers time, money and energy, but cameras reveal not all is what it seems when it comes to smart meters. With reports of more and more horror stories of inaccurate bills and an invasion of privacy, an investigation into things the energy companies and the government don't want you to know".

Think it was shown earlier this year too.

Re: Smart Meters
 

"inaccurate bills" has always been an issue, not unique to smart meters.

"invasion of privacy" ? What nonsense is that ? How does a meter invade anyones privacy ?

What exactly "dont they want us to know" ?


Oh, and my smart meter hasnt been so smart this week.
It stopped sending readings for 6 days (still sent them to the Mini, but not the DCC).
So now they have a bit of data catching up to do.

---------- Post added at 03:35 ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 ----------

Some British Gas sales person knocked at my door today.

Them: Are you worried about gas & energy prices going up ?
Me: Not really, I pay less than most people
Them: So you are on a fixed tariff ?
Me: No, I'm on Octopus Agile & Tracker
Them: They are variable ?
Me: Yes, they vary from day to day.
Them: You're on variable, so that means they are going up
Me: No, it means they are variable, higher sometimes, lower other times
Them: But the energy cap has gone up, so variable has gone up.
Me: No, they dont rely on the cap.
Them: So they are fixed ?

* Sigh * it went downhill from there, they could not grasp the concept.
You would think people trying to sell you energy would at least understand their competitors.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I was with British gas for 2 years and in that time, they tried everything under the sun to turn me over. I had one of the old-style meters which i had to read each month and send in readings or they would have continued to keep increasing my direct debit without my consent. I would never use them again even if they were the only power company left. Since moving to my smart meter i have never had any of the issues British gas tried. I have tried a few of the power companies out there. The worst were British Gas and OVO energy.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Usage patterns I think which is/might be passed to third parties. It is possible to tell what and when you use appliances by the energy consumed.

The inference is that there’s less in it for the consumer whilst our data is the real value and the increased level of control passing to your provider.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I heard a uSwitch radio advert yesterday. Maybe competition is returning to the energy market. ???

Re: Smart Meters
 

The Smart Meter collects total energy usage, not by individual appliance, so not sure how this could be dis-aggregated, and it is illegal for energy suppliers to share individualised customer energy usage to third parties without the customers’ consent.

Re: Smart Meters
 

If they think it will create a good story then they will say anything, especially If it's on their web page edition as clicks means money ;).

If you have ever had the misfortune to click on the Daily Fails website, you will know what i mean I have never seen so many popups and crap in my life, its only redeeming feature is that you can test you PI-Hole add blocker to ensure it is working correctly :)

Re: Smart Meters
 

I don't doubt your word Hugh but did you see the programme? It's on My5 catchup if you want to see the "13 things they don't want you to know about smart meters". I think it was on last Thursday and called "Smart meters - are they really worth it?".

This wasn't from the website, it was on TV.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Except - it is British Gas, after all! They are dinosaurs.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Hopefully British Gas will go extinct as well.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Notwithstanding that AI might be up to the disaggregation task, it no doubt helps that smart meters (if used purposefully) deliver usage data in more “manageable” 30 minute chunks. And, where consent is required, it often becomes part of the deal if you want the best tariff.

Coercion will rule even if data sharing consent is initially withheld. The notion that the user has any control might therefore be an illusion?

Re: Smart Meters
 

It is trivial to disaggregate certain tasks. I can look at my own data and can see when I have a shower and when I am cooking and when I do the washing. An electric car would also be very obvious.

If you lived on your own it may be possible to disaggregate television watching but in a family I'm not sure you can do that.

The data would have certain implications as I mentioned earlier but not others.

Re: Smart Meters
 

You can see you used more power, only you know what you were using it for, anyone else has to guess.

[ They would also have to have the data in the first place, its not just handed out to anyone who asks ].

Re: Smart Meters
 

Tracker and Agile not looking good tomorrow.

Re: Smart Meters
 

It's the first time i have seen it that high. When you look at the NESO app you can see why.

https://www.neso.energy/energy-101/g...y-energy-stats

I had my new meters installed on Saturday and they were all up and running by this morning.

My Mini is not connecting but i will call them tomorrow. It might need resetting to the new Mpan number

Re: Smart Meters
 

Renewables have been poor this week, especially yesterday ;

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...chmentid=31202

Wind power etc is all very well when its available, but its also highly unstable/unreliable.

Without our gas power generation (and 0.9 GW of imports) we would have been in the shite yesterday (and many other days).

We are a long way from being able to get rid of it.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Nuclear power is the only long-term viable solution. In the next 10 years we should see small scale reactors built by Rolls Royce starting to pop up. You need 7 of them to produce as much electricity as the new one at Hinckley Point will, but they are much cheaper and faster to build because they smaller and modular in design.

Re: Smart Meters
 

How bad does it have to get before they declare a saving session?

Re: Smart Meters
 

There's been a bit of chat all around about us being asked not to use so much power during "peak periods". Up to now, the carrot has been used to reward us for moving our usage to other times, but the menace of a large stick is looming with higher charges (if you are on a smart meter) during peak periods.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Smart meters never been for the customer's benefit. A bit like VM's 360 box in that respect.

Call it an 'upgrade', call it progress, give away flashy smart meter displays, and the punters will suck it up and profits increase.

Any 'upgrade' that seemingly costs nothing, beware.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Never.

Saving sessions are when they have too much renewable and need you to use it up, often around 1pm in the afternoon.

Re: Smart Meters
 

That statement has no basis in fact - the Utility companies were forced, by Government, to roll out Smart Meters and were fined if they didn’t meet the Government targets.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Hugh don't go destroying a good old rant with facts. :)

Re: Smart Meters
 

On Tracker and it'll be 27.4 tomorrow when the SVP is 25.21, it's never been this high.

Re: Smart Meters
 

No, they also have an inverse thing to the spending session where you are paid to use LESS electricity than normal.

---------- Post added at 17:04 ---------- Previous post was at 17:02 ----------

Remember the SVP is based on attempting to average the year using predictions, so there will be days where the tracker is worse (just hopefully not many of them).

Re: Smart Meters
 

It's never been 26 let alone 27.4, like you say hopefully not many of them.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I've not come across those in my time at Octopus, but I looked it up and they do indeed seem to happen (or at least they did). :)

SVP ? Do you mean SVT ? :angel:

---------- Post added at 02:59 ---------- Previous post was at 02:49 ----------

These are a bad few days, but I looked up the historic rates and the same hapened in November & December last year (and a few in October, which didnt really happen this year). Overall, the few pence more I'm paying on these days is more than offset by my savings on the other days, so while its always irritating to be paying more for a few days, I'm not concerned atm. In the last week, I have paid 73p more across 3 days, and £1.39 less over the other 4 days, so still 56p better off overall.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Yet another email from Scottish Power trying to get me to accept a smart meter.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Is there no option to opt out of such things? There is with my 2 suppliers, EON & EDF. Or set up a junk mail filter for the words 'smart meter'.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I don't mind receiving them as they smack of desperation to follow a government edict.

Re: Smart Meters
 

"The older your meter gets, the more likely it is to have problems or stop providing us with accurate readings. Not only could this lead to inaccurate bills, but it could also pose a safety risk.

We're required by the UK Government to install smart meters in our customers' homes.

There may be times when we are unable to communicate with your smart meter and we may request manual reads or have to rely on an estimate."

Re: Smart Meters
 

I have never had to give a manual read in all the time i have had a smart meter and for referance they were first installed in 2019.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Not given a manual reading (would not even know how tbh).

However they did stop communicating in mid october, I was missing 6 days of both electric & gas before it started sending readings again. The gap in the electric has since filled in, gas is still missing 6 days. Despite that, I have bill for October, with gas readings logged for those 6 days, no idea how they managed that, maybe they got them from the mini data, as it remained functional and logging the entire time.

---------- Post added at 22:10 ---------- Previous post was at 22:08 ----------

That sounds like total bollox to me, they may become inaccurate over time, but they dont become unsafe.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I've not given manual readings since getting smart meters, I do check the readings on the meters correspond with what they say in the app on the first of each month when Octopus post it and it is always bang on so that tells me they're receiving the correct readings. The app still gives me the option to send in meter readings but I don't want to do this as Octopus would then bill me again.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Like you i do check every now and then but there has never been any differance between what the meter shows and what i have been billed for. The only differance i see between my smart meter and having a old style mechanical meter is i save a lot of money on the smart meter as i can take advantage of the better tariffs.

Re: Smart Meters
 

And a lot don't work for various reasons.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq52382zd1no

Re: Smart Meters
 

Re: Smart Meters
 

If Capita is involved I strongly feel something is not quite right, nor as it should be.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Known as “Crapita” by those who have had the misfortune to work for them.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Or who had the misfortune to be "assessed" by them.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Does anyone have this?

https://octopus.energy/help-and-faqs...meter-booster/

Please can you tell me how well it works.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Similar was tried at several properties here. No improvements recorded.

Re: Smart Meters
 

:LOL: there's a waiting list. What a total waste of time.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Unless you have special requirements I really don't see the home display as that useful.

In other news. The energy cap is going up again in January. This doesn't directly affect tracker and agile but it probably means the prices will trend upwards.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Love the picture

Re: Smart Meters
 

Energy regulator Ofgem is urging billpayers to shop around as it announced another price rise in January - the second of the winter.

Someone paying by direct debit and using a typical amount of gas and electricity will pay £1,738, or £21 a year more, with bills now over 50% higher than pre-Covid levels.

---------- Post added at 14:16 ---------- Previous post was at 14:14 ----------

2 calls yesterday, and 2 more already today from very thick-accented Indians.

"I am calling from Scottish Power to arrange the change of your meter to a smart one".

"No thankyou".

Hang up.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Changed to a 12-month fixed price deal with Octopus early October, with no penalty for cancelling early.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Surely that is more expensive if you have an electric car?

Re: Smart Meters
 

We don’t

Re: Smart Meters
 

I switched to the fixed 12M for Gas last week as Tracker edged ever upwards, at 5.68p the fixed is pretty good value.
I cant see the current price going lower than that much for a while (if at all) and neither can OFCOM it appears - hence SVT (i.e. Price Cap) will go up again in Jan 2025.

Still happy with Agile for Electric. Its not been a great month so far for savings, I have overpaid slightly some days, underpaid other days, over the whole month I'm 8p worse off as of yesterday - the next few days will correct that as all the wind power is driving prices down (into negative again late tomorrow). That'll boost my savings over the month.

Re: Smart Meters
 

2hrs free Electricity tomorrow between 7&9am with Octopus...... I'll try and switch on my emersion heater to heat the hot water and put some washing on but that means setting the alarm on a Sunday!

Re: Smart Meters
 

Octopus are negative rates for the majority of the time between 10.30pm tonight and 9.30am tomorrow (i.e. paying me to use electricity). Monday may be similar from the look of Sunday evening, when they go negative again at 10.30pm.

Re: Smart Meters
 

My Tracker is only 14.84p tomorrow too.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Wonder why EDF put up electric because gas price rises thought there's was all renewable. Not that the rise bothers me at all

Re: Smart Meters
 

Re: Smart Meters
 

Got the emersion heater and washing machine on so using 3000w, and done the sensible thing and got back in bed.

Re: Smart Meters
 

All this obsessing over meters doesn't sound the most interesting of hobbies. Get a weather station instead, they are much more fascinating to read ;)

Re: Smart Meters
 

It's the same thing at this point. "Oh free electricity tomorrow? there must be a storm coming"

Re: Smart Meters
 

No obsessing here.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I have been away in the lakes this weekend with the boss lady :). We were celebrating our 40 year wedding anniversary, I still dont know how she has put up with over the years. We have just got back and i have 5% battery charge in the car. I was going to put it on charge straight away until i saw the rates for tonight and tomorrow. They will be paying me to charge my car after midnight so that will be 38KWh of charge @-2.2p . It's a win win for me :)

Re: Smart Meters
 

If you dont want to save money, thats fine, but some people like to [where its practical to do so].

---------- Post added at 01:01 ---------- Previous post was at 00:58 ----------

Very true, storms generally equal a lot of wind, hence wind generation rockets, and prices go down.

Re: Smart Meters
 

66 pence saved on the last saving session here.

Missed out on my Free Greggs Bacon Roll!

Re: Smart Meters
 

Managed to grab the Free breakfast Roll and Drink from Greggs, so looks like it's a Tesco shop first thing in the morning.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Well tomorrow is not looking good for Agile (or Tracker I guess).

The agile rate is over SVT for 12 hours, I've not seen it that bad before, its going to be one of those days that costs more.
On the bright side, more wind appears to be around from Thursday onwards, so it should drop again, and make up the 'loss'.

Re: Smart Meters
 

I'm starting to question what tariff I'll end up on when my Tracker ends in April, but for now Tracker is cheaper for me.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Agile tends to look bad in winter. In April winter will be long over and agile will look more favourable again.

Re: Smart Meters
 

Wind can also cut off large chunks of the network for days, which depresses demand at a time when it's in abundance.

Re: Smart Meters
 

It may sometimes cause failures in places, but "large chunks of the network for days" ? I think not, unless you have evidence otherwise.

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

As expected, the abundance of wind [power] has driven the prices down for the last few days.
This has made up for the two previous poor days, so overall in December I'm back in the "green".

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...chmentid=31234

(Yep, pun intended :)).

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

Absolute massacre of a price tomorrow.

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

33.26 on my Tracker it is the worst I've ever seen.

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

The base line price is equal to the previous days peak

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

Ouch yes, I saw it earlier, a very expensive day. Come back wind ..... :angel:

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

Sounds a bit like the bookies. The odds will always be stacked in their favour whether you're betting on horses or whether the wind will blow. Otherwise they wouldn't be in business.

I'll stick with my unsmart meter, and not be gutted if its a nice day outside :)

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

Your smartass comments really are not necessary.
Prices are high when there is a lack of "renewable" power (i.e mostly Wind Power).
62% of the National Grids power is being generated via Gas atm, which is expensive.

It once again shows how the UK is nowhere near ready to "go green".
They are not going to fill that 62% gap with something else reliable in just 5 years.

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

You have it entirely backwards. We are paying the real prices as they come. It is the fixed tariffs that are deal put forward by the energy companies based on their view of future energy prices. They are betting they can predict it better than you.

Now in some cases you will win over us but if you are against betting then the smart tariffs are the more genuine price.

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

And it'll now be 38.5 tomorrow on my tracker.

I think Agile and Tracker both have a 100pence cap.

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

Yeah they are pulling the stops out

You're invited to a Saving Session TODAY (Wednesday 11th December) between 6pm - 7pm

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

ahh tomorrow is even worse!

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

No invite here but then it's late shift from 2-10pm this week.

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

Indeed, hitting the 100p cap for the first time ever. :shocked:
This isnt making December look good, these days are wiping out the previous savings. :(

Its not hard to see why, most of the grid power today came from Gas again.

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...chmentid=31237

Black is demand, red is Fossil fuels (gas), green renewable (wind,solar) & blue is other (mainly nuclear & biomass).

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

I wonder how many people with jump off a Smart Tariff onto a Fixed if these prices continue into the weekend?

It's not affecting me too much at the moment this week because I'm not at home between 1-10pm but I'm now looking at fixed prices and may consider it in a week or so if these prices persist.

Re: Smart Meters and Tariffs
 

Plans to have tariffs without a Standing Charge are being mulled-over by OFGEM. We were on one of those tariffs for a few years, and as Low Users we saved a lot.

"Under Ofgem's price cap, standing charges have risen by 43% since 2019."