British Gas EV tariff

[johnb80]

Some great info there on schedules etc with intelligent didn’t know the exact details of a schedule like that tbh.

My home is heavy on electricity no gas and a lot used at peak hours (long story) no storage heaters and someone in 24/7. With added load of the car made sense to go to a tariff with off peak and shifting water heating, washer etc no heartache.

How many kWh per annum do you use peak and off peak?

Charger is 3 months old so keeping that - waiting for my unloop too and charger was installed with the conditions set by NG that it is load limited. Further complicating - I’m changing jobs shortly doing a lot more miles but they will provide me with charging on site (“free” to me) so need to asses how that affects as it’s far enough as not to be always charged there.

Sounds good.

I’m not a dummy but this is nowhere near as simple as an ICE vehicle so can see why some aren’t on board - worst bit the issues aren’t with the car (well the leaky boot is)

There's always something

 

[gazza487]

How many kWh per annum do you use peak and off peak?

Well that gets to be the interesting part as it’s always been flat rate so approx 7-8k kWh per year total before the car. Now assumption that most of this is used in none off peak (pretty high background load think fish tanks and all the other trapments of someone being in 24/7). It used to be higher but moved over to solid fuel and retired portable electric spot heating along with efficiency improvements which are still in progress. Extra insulation, better washers and dryers that kind of thing. With what could be moved it made no sense in economy7 as the peak rate was so much higher until the car came along and tariffs opened up where the gap to standard variable vs. Peak wasn’t so big.

In reality grid solar without batteries would be ideal to cover the “background” daylight use but that’s a long way off.

I’m looking at approx 350kwh a month now shifted to off peak (250 new load car 100 from water heating, washer etc being moved at a guess). Though it may well increase with the job - who knows.

 

[johnb80]

Well that gets to be the interesting part as it’s always been flat rate so approx 7-8k kWh per year total before the car. Now assumption that most of this is used in none off peak (pretty high background load think fish tanks and all the other trapments of someone being in 24/7). It used to be higher but moved over to solid fuel and retired portable electric spot heating along with efficiency improvements which are still in progress. Extra insulation, better washers and dryers that kind of thing. With what could be moved it made no sense in economy7 as the peak rate was so much higher until the car came along and tariffs opened up where the gap to standard variable vs. Peak wasn’t so big.

In reality grid solar without batteries would be ideal to cover the “background” daylight use but that’s a long way off.

I’m looking at approx 350kwh a month now shifted to off peak (250 new load car 100 from water heating, washer etc being moved at a guess). Though it may well increase with the job - who knows.

It would lend itself to a battery system with or without solar. i built my own system 2 years ago, all but a handful of kWh are now at 7.5p. Here's last months data from Octo-aid:

Theres a lot to be said for a battery only solution, easy install, easy to move if you leave a property etc.

 

[Gomev]

I am seriously considering octopus go. The only downside is that I’d lose an hour and BG fix the price for a year - do octopus fix it on go ?

I think it’s going to take yet another call but this time opening with the line of please transfer me to the most disliked person in the call centre as I’m going to make someone’s day unpleasant. I know it’s not the call centre peoples fault but so help me the company are a shambles.

Octopus Go/Intelligent tariffs are not fixed. They used to be but are now variable.

 

[gazza487]

Still waiting for them to stop being morons, still have a dead smets2 meter spent an hour on the phone again and turned into a Karen. The South African call centre worker was ARGUING with me, the customer, telling me they won’t be charging for the rate 2 usage whilst on the old meter - that’s fine you muppet but all the usage has gone down as peak rate. It persisted in arguing with me well you won’t be charged, well that’s impossible because you don’t have the data. I demanded the £30 was put on my account which has been for the missed smart meter visit round 2.

I want rid of the car now tbh. I’ve spent too much time on the phone organising stuff with that shower of whatever, spent a day hanging around with the boot leak which isn’t sorted. Utter joke. A swap to octopus won’t help either because I have the half dead meter and that would be yet more wasted time.

 

[johnb80]

Still waiting for them to stop being morons

Sadly that is going to be a very long wait, probably not in your lifetime.

Sorry to hear you're having a bad time with your energy supplier and the car. Hope you do get sorted soon.

 

[gazza487]

Sadly that is going to be a very long wait, probably not in your lifetime.

Sorry to hear you're having a bad time with your energy supplier and the car. Hope you do get sorted soon.

Ahh johnb80 - appreciate the words. In 20years of motoring I’ve never had this much hassle, message earlier in the week confirming the appointment on 14th for meter pt2. The swimming pool in the boot is the icing on the cake. So far I’ve had charger install which will require an unloop whenever they decide (yeah that’s not gone great with neighbours they will need a new supply all over their freshly rendered and painted home as it’s overhead), smart meter and tariff gate, and the infernal water leak - I bought the car in Sept.

I’m from the older MGR world (a 100 x2, 416, 75 x2, 45, ZT and TFx2) I’ll take changing the odd HG over this because there is literally nothing “I” can do. It’s a sorry situation and I feel for anyone who may not be as astute - even I am flagging (a baseball bat to the meter would give immense satisfaction - wooden of course)! Apologies for venting but if this is ev driving, it’s starting to feel like the anti crowd may have a point.

 

[johnb80]

Ahh johnb80 - appreciate the words. In 20years of motoring I’ve never had this much hassle, message earlier in the week confirming the appointment on 14th for meter pt2. The swimming pool in the boot is the icing on the cake. So far I’ve had charger install which will require an unloop whenever they decide (yeah that’s not gone great with neighbours they will need a new supply all over their freshly rendered and painted home as it’s overhead), smart meter and tariff gate, and the infernal water leak - I bought the car in Sept.

I’m from the older MGR world (a 100 x2, 416, 75 x2, 45, ZT and TFx2) I’ll take changing the odd HG over this because there is literally nothing “I” can do. It’s a sorry situation and I feel for anyone who may not be as astute - even I am flagging (a baseball bat to the meter would give immense satisfaction - wooden of course)! Apologies for venting but if this is ev driving, it’s starting to feel like the anti crowd may have a point.

It's not really a balanced 'EV' view really.

British Gas = bad choice of energy supplier, not really down to EV.
Looped supply, really is an infrastructure thing, again not down to EV
Swimming pool in the boot really isnt an EV specific thing either, just a water leak as on any other car.

So please, dont think the anti EV brigade can make any scoops from your situation.

I bought my first EV (BMWi3) 6 years ago. It now has just over 90,000 miles on the clock and has had only 2 issues in that time. It has averaged over the 90,000+ miles 4.8 miles per kWh, total fuel cost less than £1000. It has no rattles or squeaks, drives like new and I still have a great deal of pleasure driving it. an you not reject your car and get another one? if the dealer has been unable to fix it do just that, it's a very simple procedure.

 

[gazza487]

Update as promised. After 2.5 months, around 8 hours on the phone, 3 smart meters (original, another and another), and I estimate 4 extra grey hairs - finally something is moving. BG have cut a bill (well 2) based on 1st smets1 meter readings on removal and the readings from meter 2 pretty much all one rate but that’s another story.

The final meter that has a display has started communicating and reading on 2 registers, the tariff data also seems correct pricing wise on IHD. BG website is getting meter readings apparently daily from what I see. Big up - loop is responding also.

A few lines on their website stating a) you need a smart meter yes but it needs to be specific I.e your old unadopted to DCC smets1 won’t work b) it’ll be on 2 registers even with half hour readings like octopus would have saved much hassle. They desperately need some support forums and call centre staff who are clued up because the tariff isn’t bad (virtually same as go but an extra hour plus a fix). Despite that I couldn’t hand on heart recommend it for the above saga.

 

[johnb80]

At last, a Christmas gift to you from BG

 

[gazza487]

This is how it should have been … the savings from shifting what is possible are great and I can now see it. The billing should match now too.

Setting the car, washer, dishwasher and water heater (that one did require a £23 investment in a smart switch) and the car is part of the EVSE - granted the powerline network interfering was a curve ball. Glad I’m on a fix aswell.

 

[tsedge]

@johnb80 Sorry if this is off topic, but can you explain what Octo Aid is? I presume it is a 3rd party app, be useful to know if you recommend it and why. I struggle with Octopus' own apps to get the most relevant data.

Many thanks.

 

[johnb80]

@johnb80 Sorry if this is off topic, but can you explain what Octo Aid is? I presume it is a 3rd party app, be useful to know if you recommend it and why. I struggle with Octopus' own apps to get the most relevant data.

Many thanks.

It's an app, I think I got it from Octopus site. It shows you all sorts of data relevant to your account in a very user friendly way.

It's really good and it's free.

 

[pauljohnson]

Ooooooh the saga and wondering if anybody knows.

Had a landis gyr and trilliant smets1 for an eternity on prepay - time to swap to an ev tariff. To make it simple thought as it hasn’t gone to the DCC a wise move to investigate the BG EV tariff as I have their meter. In my area day rate the same as octopus go, slightly cheaper standing and it’s 0.4p/kwh dearer off peak but you get 5h vs the 4. So far, so good! Authorise the swap - they stick me on standard variable, notice 1 day later so change online, great website says it’s changed.

Smart meter showing 1 rate and prices wrong. Website with current reading only increasing one reading only the other is there now but at 0. 2 weeks of battling with them (turn the IHD off for 2 hours and wait a week kind of muppetry and apparently now it transpires a smets2 is required so booked in for a swap and I really pushed on how will they bill me as I don’t think they have any record of off peak “it will be calculated, wait for meter swap then call in 2 weeks”. I’m assuming they will apply the 33% rule to useage being off peak.

Infuriating but does anybody know if this is correct (that all should be well and a smets2 is required) or am I best to get the meter swapped then cut and run to octopus and lose the extra hour?Totally fed up with BG I have an ev tariff but I am convinced that they are charging me the same as a day rate. Moving to Octopus. Fed up with BG meter system and billing. Totally wrong and I am sure they are estimating my bills even though I have an upto date smart meter.

 

[johnb80]

What wallbox / charger do you use? If its a Zappi, Ohme or Wallbox you can go on Intelligent GO at 7.5p 6 hrs plus additional sessions that Octopus give through the day, if not then GO with 4 hours is the one. No matter what with BG, cut and run asap, theyre a dreadful outfit.