Talk to me about... Energy Tariffs.

[tek-monkey]

"read my meter 4 times a day"
I don't understand.
You're surely not sent 1460 electricity bills each year !

My energy tariff has 3 different rates, depending on the time of day. As does my export meter actually, so really I'd need 6 readings!

My (current) rates are:

Because of solar I don't really use anything (0.7kWh last week), so until autumn import rates are mostly irrelevant. Export rates mean anything I push out 4-7pm gets me nearly double what I get the rest of the day (nobody exports solar at night so the low rate is irrelevant there).

 

[Mudgie]

My energy tariff has 3 different rates, depending on the time of day. As does my export meter actually, so really I'd need 6 readings!

View attachment 14169

My (current) rates are:

View attachment 14170

Because of solar I don't really use anything (0.7kWh last week), so until autumn import rates are mostly irrelevant. Export rates mean anything I push out 4-7pm gets me nearly double what I get the rest of the day (nobody exports solar at night so the low rate is irrelevant there).

For three different rates depending on the time of day wouldn't glancing at a wristwatch be easier than looking at a so called Smart Meter ?

 

[tek-monkey]

For three different rates depending on the time of day wouldn't glancing at a wristwatch be easier than looking at a so called Smart Meter ?

I don't have to glance at anything, it all sorts itself out and thats why they pay me in the summer rather than me paying them. The smart meter actually tells them 48 times per day, but I have a device on my network that allows them almost live access which also feeds into home assistant.

The timing of using power is important, at night there is loads spare and it's cheap, but I can't be bothered to do laundry at night etc. The only thing I do have set up is the dish washer, it's turned off all day because my son likes to play with it mid cycle but turns itself on every night for 2 hours. If it's been set to run then it does, if not it doesn't, and then it's back off again before my son realises it still works!

 

[proactive]

For three different rates depending on the time of day wouldn't glancing at a wristwatch be easier than looking at a so called Smart Meter ?

He's not physically looking at his smart meter for times a day, as in not looking in the cupboard under the stairs or scrabbling about lifting covers on a meter in the garden. It's all available for him to look at on a screen if and when he chooses to do so.

Unless @tek-monkey is a total looney tune, obviously

 

[Gramaisc]

He's not physically looking at his smart meter for times a day, as in not looking in the cupboard under the stairs or scrabbling about lifting covers on a meter in the garden. It's all available for him to look at on a screen if and when he chooses to do so.

Unless @tek-monkey is a total looney tune, obviously

The two scenarios that you describe are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

 

[tek-monkey]

He's not physically looking at his smart meter for times a day, as in not looking in the cupboard under the stairs or scrabbling about lifting covers on a meter in the garden. It's all available for him to look at on a screen if and when he chooses to do so.

Unless @tek-monkey is a total looney tune, obviously

I probably look more often!

Well, not at the meter as it doesn't move now, likely well under 2kWh for the month, but I set up home assistant before I left so it'd log data and get a good feel for base loads and I've probably looked at that a few times a day when I get the chance to make changes to the setup.

 

[Mudgie]

He's not physically looking at his smart meter for times a day, as in not looking in the cupboard under the stairs or scrabbling about lifting covers on a meter in the garden. It's all available for him to look at on a screen if and when he chooses to do so.

Unless @tek-monkey is a total looney tune, obviously

Then "I'd need to read my meter 4 times a day, at very specific times" didn't actually mean "I'd need to read my meter 4 times a day, at very specific times" ?

 

[Lucy]

You were suggesting that smart meters weren't needed - and tek is showing you why he needs one.

 

[tek-monkey]

Then "I'd need to read my meter 4 times a day, at very specific times" didn't actually mean "I'd need to read my meter 4 times a day, at very specific times" ?

If I didn't have a smart meter I'd need to, otherwise I'd have to pay the same price as everyone else! During winter I averaged about 8p/kWh when SVR was 34p, that was on a tariff with only 2 tariffs per day though.

 

[Mudgie]

If I didn't have a smart meter I'd need to, otherwise I'd have to pay the same price as everyone else! During winter I averaged about 8p/kWh when SVR was 34p, that was on a tariff with only 2 tariffs per day though.

So' is it all about using electricity at the best times of the day, like my Grandmother was doing with Economy 7 fifty-five years ago without a so called Smart Meter ?

 

[Gramaisc]

So' is it all about using electricity at the best times of the day, like my Grandmother was doing with Economy 7 fifty-five years ago without a so called Smart Meter ?

My parents bought a house in 1973 that still had the old Off-Peak metering system. There were some underhand attempts to get them to 'improve' it to the modern Economy 7, but they didn't take much persuading that they should refuse this 'kind' offer. I can't remember the exact sequence, but, instead of seven days a week all being the same, and seven hours each day being at the cheap rate, it had a few more hours in the week and lots more on Saturdays and Sundays, possibly even all day Sunday.

Another thing it had, nearly fifty years ago, was a time-switch, with a 24 hour spring back-up, that also listened to the Daventry time signal and would reset itself after a power cut, if necessary. I only found this out because I asked the bloke who came round to put 'their fuse' back in what time it ran on , winter or summer. He explained the radio situation and that, even though it might take an hour or two to reset itself at the change, it would always do it before the end of the cheap period in the morning, if there was power on. I did check it at the next time-change and, lo, it had happened.

Eventually, they were forced onto Economy 7, as their meters were 'too old and had to be replaced, but that same system was no longer available'.

I've had to deal with two people whose Economy 7 clocks were so far out that their efforts to be economical were totally fruitless.

 

[Cue]

Checking my meter 48 times a day on Agile sounds like a riot to me.

 

[Lucy]

We moved off Economy 7 to Intelligent Octopus. Today they've told us they're bringing our day rate down by 10p a unit. Those solar panels are going to take longer to pay back...

 

[tek-monkey]

We moved off Economy 7 to Intelligent Octopus. Today they've told us they're bringing our day rate down by 10p a unit. Those solar panels are going to take longer to pay back...

I had the same thought!

 

[Lucy]

I'm quite happy to stay in this house, the OH is more ambivalent, but this will help sway him

 

[tek-monkey]

So' is it all about using electricity at the best times of the day, like my Grandmother was doing with Economy 7 fifty-five years ago without a so called Smart Meter ?

It's also about being able to swap tariffs without a meter change, but also automating enough aspects to get the benefits without changing your lifestyle. We dont worry about when we use stuff, the technology makes sure we got the cheapest price

 

[Mudgie]

It's also about being able to swap tariffs without a meter change, but also automating enough aspects to get the benefits without changing your lifestyle. We dont worry about when we use stuff, the technology makes sure we got the cheapest price

But I've never had any inclination to swap tariffs or have a meter change.

 

[Lucy]

Doesn't mean others don't want to do it though does it. I had Economy 7 just like your Grandma did 55 years ago (but only 6 months ago). I've got a tariff that works better for me now though.

 

[Lucy]

And if you've never swapped tariffs you must have money to burn.

 

[tek-monkey]

But I've never had any inclination to swap tariffs or have a meter change.

So you just pay what they ask?