Is Octopus Flux my perfect tariff?

[Dave313]

Hi All,

Have I found the perfect tariff for me…?

I am picking up my EV today so have been exploring Octopus Go but, as I think I’ll only need to charge about 140KWh/month, the high day rate would offset the benefits. Also export tariff (solar) is 4.1p/kwh. So I was going to stay on the Flexi tariff.

For those of us with Solar & Batteries, Octopus have just announced a new tariff, Flux.

3 hours cheap(er) energy at night, standard during day but peak (+14p) for 3 hours in the evening. PLUS 25p/kwh exported!!!

As I seldom do long journeys I think I can charge about 8 times a month (7kwh x 3hours = about 70 miles) and charge my house battery to 100% each night, which should last until the solar starts generating in the morning.

That means it would be cheaper for me to charge the EV from the grid at night (21p/kwh) than to charge from my solar (25p/kwh if exported)!

What do you think, am I missing something here?

Dave

 

[Jomarkh]

When my Go rate ends I will be looking at Flux.
My second choice will be IO as I have an Ohme kicking around from when I swapped it out for a Zappi.

 

[DevonMG4]

Go and have a look at Tim's approach, he's compared Go and Intelligent at some depth and will do the same thing for Flux. A spreadsheet is better than finger in the air or opinions of people who haven't done it

That means it would be cheaper for me to charge the EV from the grid at night (21p/kwh) than to charge from my solar (25p/kwh if exported)!

Charging from solar, unless you've a big system doesn't work that well on the MG4 in my limited experience. You need a generated excess of 1.38kw before an EV will charge on a UK compliant charger and even if there is a good level of export I've found on a fluffy cloud day the car gets fed up with the the charge power yoyoing up and down and stops charging after a while. I have had a couple of clear blue winter days where we've added a good charge but that's only when the power has slowly increased then decreased over the solar day. So I wouldn't factor solar EV charging into your calcs too much. For me this is still a work in progress, maybe it'll be better from April.

Probably more efficient to put the solar into the house battery.

 

[smokie]

Flux wouldn't suit me as I effectively get considerably more than 25p per exported unit as I'm on an old FIT rate (about 60p IIRC).

However I'd just urge some caution to anyone basing battery or solar purchasing decisions on current high rates, as looking at the long term wholesale costs I can't see them staying anywhere near where they are for too long, certainly not beyond this year. Obviously that's only my view and I could be wrong.

 

[DevonMG4]

For those of us with Solar & Batteries, Octopus have just announced a new tariff, Flux.

Forgot to mention. Moving tariffs within Octopus is incredibly easy.

I was already an Octopus customer, it took 12 hours or less to move to the Go tariff and they tell me as long as I remain on a tariff for 30 days, I can swap between the smart tariffs at will. So you don't need to think it too hard!

Good luck.

 

[Jomarkh]

How quick can you get from Go to IO?
Is there a waiting list for the tracker if you are already with Octopus?

 

[DevonMG4]

Last November, Octopus' customer services told me the above, so I'd expect in less than 24hrs to move for existing customers.

Don't understand 'tracker'?

 

[smokie]

Some of the tariffs are available to swap to online.

If you can reach customer services they can be instantaneous too. Phoning is best, it's now often (at least) a couple of days before emails are responded to.

I believe there is a long wait for gas tracker. I switched to it mid Jan and the rate has hardly ever exceeded 7p since - currently is 5.69p.

I don't think the electricity tracker is attractive for EV drivers on Go.

 

[Dave313]

Probably more efficient to put the solar into the house battery.

You're correct, I only export if battery is full or I'm generating more than the battery can charge (3.3 kw).

My battery isn't big enough to last the night so a night time topup would get me through.

I was also thinking about a battery top up just before the peak time if it's not full.

 

[Brianlescargot]

I am on Octopus Go, have 3.4kw rated solar, 11.4kw battery storage, an Eddi and 2 EVs. I export nothing to the grid. All my excess goes to the house then battery, hot water tank or EV in that order. Even if I wasn’t on maximum FIT I would still be looking at avoiding any export and trying to use all my solar to offset my home energy use.

 

[adriangalilee]

Any OVO customers (as I am) ? Is their offer of EV charger installation and EV charge rate worth considering?

 

[N2STY]

Any OVO customers (as I am) ? Is their offer of EV charger installation and EV charge rate worth considering?

Yes plenty of posts on the new OVO charge anytime there is a choice of two charges ohme which works with octopus there other one they offer works with solar I believe

 

[Tig170]

For those who dont have battery storage / solar, but charge an EV at home, I'd say the most appropriate now is OVO Charge Anytime at 10pKW (its works with Ohme / Indra chargers) - i beleive its similar to Octopus Intelligent, importantly "Your home energy rate will stay the same, but the energy consumed by your home EV charger will be charged at an effective rate of 10p a kWh when Smart Charging." - i think it came from a pilot study on the orkneys

 

[Philh4955]

Hi All,

Have I found the perfect tariff for me…?

I am picking up my EV today so have been exploring Octopus Go but, as I think I’ll only need to charge about 140KWh/month, the high day rate would offset the benefits. Also export tariff (solar) is 4.1p/kwh. So I was going to stay on the Flexi tariff.

For those of us with Solar & Batteries, Octopus have just announced a new tariff, Flux.

3 hours cheap(er) energy at night, standard during day but peak (+14p) for 3 hours in the evening. PLUS 25p/kwh exported!!!

As I seldom do long journeys I think I can charge about 8 times a month (7kwh x 3hours = about 70 miles) and charge my house battery to 100% each night, which should last until the solar starts generating in the morning.

That means it would be cheaper for me to charge the EV from the grid at night (21p/kwh) than to charge from my solar (25p/kwh if exported)!

What do you think, am I missing something here?

Dave

I came to the same conclusion as you and have taken the plunge so will try FLUX for the summer months. I think that April - September will be better off on Flux with March and October about break even.

With Octupus allowing easy switching of tariffs I will probably switch back to GO for the winter months.

One big advantage to me is that I will no longer need to use the granny charger at home as the 3hr cheap rate at night is less than the FLUX export rate from solar!

We have a relatively large solar array so at the moment on bright days generate at least 40 - 50 KWh more than we can use.

 

[smokie]

40 - 50 KWh more than we can use.

Wow, I presume you mean daily, if so that's quite some excess!!

How large is your array? Must be at least 10Kw?

 

[Philh4955]

20 panels south facing so 8.4kW. We had the space so we’re persuaded to use it great in the winter months but more than we need now. Our usage apart from the car is quite low. Last week for example we exported 140KWh and imported only 10!!

As I write, 10am on a bright sunny morning, we are exporting at a rate of 6kW and have already exported 12kWh. So you can see why I want 20p rather than 4p per unit!

 

[Zoomy]

Flux 3 hours charging on cheap rate and about double the rate vs Go. Not so good for the EV or house battery. Offset could be a achieved vs Go by exporting. Also you’re not bound to your import supplier for SEG. Scottish are doing 12p at the moment. Probably something you need to do to see if it works for your circumstances?

 

[Jomarkh]

Can you get 12p seg from Scottish if you have a battery?

 

[Zoomy]

SEG is SEG so no conditions?

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[Dave313]

12p!!!! I'm getting 24p during the day and 36p after 4pm.

I get more solar during the afternoon so am still exporting during peak time (36p/KWh).

I don't charge my EV after 4pm because the it's better to export (@ 36p) and charge at night (@ 21p).

I joined Flux in the middle of March and my export for half a month was £58, I am exporting more than I'm importing, and it's still only April. How much will I earn in the summer?

If I went for Octopus Go my day rate would be much higher than I am paying on Flux, I think the cheaper night time tariff would not offset the high day rate. Exporting on Go is about 4p.