3 minutes ago, Winston_Woof said:

which is nice if you are in the privileged minority who can charge at home ;o)

 

I probably will not bother to plug the car in you an hour but will charge up some of my batteries, put a washing and/or clothes drying cycle and any other charging up of devices. 

 

No driveway required for the above.

 

Someone else will be picking up the tab in the form of higher charges, even those who don't have an EV. It's about time this whole charade was exposed. 

1 minute ago, lol-lol said:

 

I probably will not bother to plug the car in you an hour but will charge up some of my batteries, put a washing and/or clothes drying cycle and any other charging up of devices. 

 

No driveway required for the above.

 

Now that makes sense, is the free hour only available to those with a EV tarrif? 

2 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

Now that makes sense, is the free hour only available to those with a EV tarrif? 

No, I'm on Agile Octopus not an EV tariff.

It's a sales campaign that they can probably fund as a business expense?

 

But also tests the system for when they want to charge people different prices per hour based upon their individual use?

 

4 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

Now that makes sense, is the free hour only available to those with a EV tarrif? 

 

Not EV tariff limited. One just has to be an Octopus customer and click to join in.

 

One needs a Smart meter obvious so system knows one has used the power in the hour slot.

 

Octopus have now passed Centrica ie British Gas due to their prices and service.

 

 A Shining example of the Third Way of living.  A business but massively benefits the customers and not only the owners.

 

Greg Jackson is a super star.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Stonekeeper said:

But also tests the system for when they want to charge people different prices per hour based upon their individual use?

That's already in place, it's called Agile Octopus - where the cost per kWh varies every half hour of every day.

FYI Briish Gas offer half price leccy on Sundays and have done for some time.

Eg this weekend




NB I have a (minor) Beef with Octopus. I thought  "lets see how their prices compare"

Nope my Address doesn't show up on a Postcode search.

I wouldn't mind but the house has been here for 200 years and there are only 4 properties covered by the Postcode so what ever system theyre using for address lookups is rubbish !!!

And yes my address is on Royal Mail, I know its in PAF (Postcode Address Finder) files as used by many providers and I also happen to know (through work) it's in the GB Group Data files .

This is the only place I've been too recently that can't seem to find me ;o)

18 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

 

I probably will not bother to plug the car in you an hour but will charge up some of my batteries, put a washing and/or clothes drying cycle and any other charging up of devices. 

 

No driveway required for the above.

 

Oh I don't dispute you can use it for anything but take a look at the underlying context of your original post on the matter, I was merely staying within that context  ;o)

Edited 17 August, 20241 yr by Winston_Woof

I wonder how many people "normally" cook Sunday lunch and do the washing/drying between 1 and 2pm?

58 minutes ago, Winston_Woof said:

FYI Briish Gas offer half price leccy on Sundays and have done for some time.

Eg this weekend




NB I have a (minor) Beef with Octopus. I thought  "lets see how their prices compare"

Nope my Address doesn't show up on a Postcode search.

I wouldn't mind but the house has been here for 200 years and there are only 4 properties covered by the Postcode so what ever system theyre using for address lookups is rubbish !!!

And yes my address is on Royal Mail, I know its in PAF (Postcode Address Finder) files as used by many providers and I also happen to know (through work) it's in the GB Group Data files .

This is the only place I've been too recently that can't seem to find me ;o)

 

One of my daughters just kick BG in to touch as they had nearly £1k credit but BG would not let me lower their DD.

It is not all about the very lowest energy cost rates but the service and flexibility as my family member found out ie set a DD rate, got into biggish credit and Octopus gave them a payment holiday and drastically cut their DD payment. Just what you want on maternity leave !!. 

 

49 minutes ago, Stonekeeper said:

I wonder how many people "normally" cook Sunday lunch and do the washing/drying between 1 and 2pm?

 

49 minutes ago, Stonekeeper said:

I wonder how many people "normally" cook Sunday lunch and do the washing/drying between 1 and 2pm?

Not many I doubt, we tend to have it about 6pm.

14 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

 

One of my daughters just kick BG in to touch as they had nearly £1k credit but BG would not let me lower their DD.

It is not all about the very lowest energy cost rates but the service and flexibility as my family member found out ie set a DD rate, got into biggish credit and Octopus gave them a payment holiday and drastically cut their DD payment. Just what you want on maternity leave !!. 

 

That £1k is far better in your daughter's bank then BGs. They have a cheek to hang onto people's money like that. 

26 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

 

It is not all about the very lowest energy cost rates but the service and flexibility

 

 

Unless it's an EV you're talking about and then, according to your posts, energy costs are all that matters... 

1 hour ago, Stonekeeper said:

I wonder how many people "normally" cook Sunday lunch and do the washing/drying between 1 and 2pm?

errrrm with half price sundays on BG for some time now we do try and do all the washing and drying on Sundays and we typically have Sunday dinner between 2 & 3.

That said one of the biggest electricity consumers we have is my 300L aquarium which obviously has to run 24/7 to be kept at 26.5c plus the filtration & lighting

1 hour ago, Winston_Woof said:

errrrm with half price sundays on BG for some time now we do try and do all the washing and drying on Sundays and we typically have Sunday dinner between 2 & 3.

That said one of the biggest electricity consumers we have is my 300L aquarium which obviously has to run 24/7 to be kept at 26.5c plus the filtration & lighting

 

Have you styrofoamed the non-viewing sides or at least the back? We had three  large tropical tanks in the 90's i dread to think what they cost to run now.

1 hour ago, Stonekeeper said:

 

Have you styrofoamed the non-viewing sides or at least the back? We had three  large tropical tanks in the 90's i dread to think what they cost to run now.

No I haven’t and where it is might be a struggle to retrofit

When I get my Powerwall 3, I'd able to charge 18 kWh in 1 hour if the free energy session works well. It can all be automated without me doing faffing about.

 

6 kW charge Powerwall 3

5 kW charge Leaf V2H

7 kW charge EV

 

8 hours ago, PetrolDave said:

 

I don't have an EV, but I know when I'm going to be cooking my Sunday lunch and doing my washing!!!

 

No free electricity here, no sunshinebhere this weekend either though, plemty of windf and liquid sunshine though. Doesn't take much elecvtricity to make my sandwich at lunchtime anyway

It would be handy for the central heating though as that uses more power than the car 

Edited 17 August, 20241 yr by domhnall
hit post too soon

It is not a secret or anything special but when passing on the outward part of a trip or going through the likes of Aviemore / TESLA Supercharger, (Roy Bridge 50 kW DC) Fort William where there are Rapid, Ultra Rapid or TESLA Superchargers get in a charge and do not be left relying on a 7 or 11 kW AC charger to get the charge further on.       ,some call them destination chargers.  More like Desperation. You need 10 kW and they will take an hour to get.  £6.50 for maybe an extra 35 to 50 miles.  Get you moving and someone who wants to park and charge for 4 or 5 or more hours is on the only 2 charge points. Maybe only 1 working .  

 

 

 

 

Edited 18 August, 20241 yr by Ootohere

On 17/08/2024 at 14:05, skomaz said:

 

Unless it's an EV you're talking about and then, according to your posts, energy costs are all that matters... 

 

Far from it.  I have a company Fuel card for petrol but not for EV charging (there is a problem here with all EVs except TESLAs) but I use the EV where I can as that use renewable, or nuclear base load, electricity which will be UK or Danish or French or Norwegian generated probably rather than using the climate damaging petrol derived from oil that has probably come from the Middle East.

 

Same as I do with my pension investments ie choosing ethical investments rather than no ethical ones.  It's a life choice and made to give my children, grandchildren a better chance to live in a world where they are not paying for my choices whether that is EV or investments.   

 

I've often wondered how you can tell exactly where the wiggly amps coming in to your home originated as everything goes into a great big mixing pot.

I mean think about it,  electricity from producers like wind farms, solar farms and coal plants all go into the central transmission network before being split out more locally by the DNOs.

Sure, your supplier may say they only supply "green" electricity but unless they are running their own transmission network and have full control of all the cables going to your property  there's no way they can really guarantee the source of the electric they are reselling.

 

Lots of DIRTY 'Green Renewables' are being transmitted along the Electricity Super Highway. 

Edited 19 August, 20241 yr by Ootohere

28 minutes ago, Winston_Woof said:

I've often wondered how you can tell exactly where the wiggly amps coming in to your home originated as everything goes into a great big mixing pot.

I mean think about it,  electricity from producers like wind farms, solar farms and coal plants all go into the central transmission network before being split out more locally by the DNOs.

Sure, your supplier may say they only supply "green" electricity but unless they are running their own transmission network and have full control of all the cables going to your property  there's no way they can really guarantee the source of the electric they are reselling.

 

 

I think they just have to prove they have bought enough off the green suppliers to cover what they have claimed to have sold.

As you said, it all goes into a mixing pot. So we work by percentages, how much % of electricity is fossil fuel powered. From that we get carbon intensity.

 

On individual basis, think voting with one's wallet. If everyone use green electricity suppliers. Only more green supply will be added to the grid. Someone (probably built into standing charge or time of use tariff) would fund the fossil fuel peaker plants. We could get rid of the constant gas production we currently use. Remembering EV's and house with batteries are not time critical and can soak up excess renewable or not charge when fossil fuel peaker plants are being used. So end result is most EV (and home with battery) smartly charged (Intelligent Octopus Go or Agile) would have lower carbon intensity than typical household.

 

(Peaker plant explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaking_power_plant, no doubt we need those around for many years. I think batteries and time-of-use tariff are the answer)

 

Yesterday during Octopus free electricity for example:  https://www.energydashboard.co.uk/live

 

People with EV's and home battery filled their boot at vastly lower carbon intensity than people using electricity from the grid at will. Charging EV and home battery being time constrained is the key here. Ability to time-shift charging to lowest carbon intensity period.

 

With ever lowering grid carbon intensity, my 2014 Leaf now have much lower per mile carbon emission than 2014 when it was new:  https://dashboard.nationalgrideso.com/

 

Can ICE vehicle claim similar feat?

 

 

Also batteries can charge from self production.

 

My example: over last 2 very sunny days, I have drawn almost 0 electricity from the grid apart 1.1 kWh during the Octopus free event. Leaf V2H home battery SoC is the line plot. Leaf was getting drained slowly before and after Octopus free event as I was charging MY with solar. Netted 30 miles of range yesterday from self consumption + low carbon free electricity.

 

Could have got more free electricity by set higher charge rate. But I haven't received Octopus credit for first event, so I decided to take it easy in case their calculation isn't right.

 

 

TLDR: key takeaway is remember that with batteries, every charging can be controlled whilst daily use is unaffected by price changes or renewable unpredictability. This means batteries are typically charged with lower carbon intensity than grid average.

 

 

Edited 19 August, 20241 yr by wyx087
added peaker plant explaination