Smart Meters // Cheaper Electricity

[M3P8906]

Hoping that some far more knowledgable that I can offer input here...

I don’t currently have a smart meter and since my gas meter is in the ground my understanding is the energy providers are less that likely to come and install. I spoke with two prior to getting an electric vehicle and they said they wouldn’t come out on that premise, but in fairness that was quoting for dual fuel.

I am currently paying 0.13p per kWh, but if I could benefit from the deals specifically for electric vehicle owners I could likely halve (and the rest) my fuel cost.

Anybody either in the smart meter installation game, work for an energy company or just damn knowledgeable care to shed any light on what my best/most cost effective option could be?

I do around 20k per year and average 280 wh/mile, so if I can reduce energy cost by 50% then it’s worth about £350 a year to me!!

thanking you kindly for any advice/thoughts!!

 

[kevuwk]

It depends how many hours per night you need charging but I think most people go for Octopus with the Go tariff offering 4 hours per night at 5p/kWh

 

[slonger]

I am with Octopus energy for my electric with a smart meter but my gas is with my old supplier so no problem going with just electric

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

It depends how many hours per night you need charging but I think most people go for Octopus with the Go tariff offering 4 hours per night at 5p/kWh

Or Octopus Agile, depending on usage patterns, flexibility and nerdiness.

 

[M3P8906]

It depends how many hours per night you need charging but I think most people go for Octopus with the Go tariff offering 4 hours per night at 5p/kWh

Commute is about 45 miles so daily charge would replace what I’ve used in those 4 hours. Thank you for your help!

I am with Octopus energy for my electric with a smart meter but my gas is with my old supplier so no problem going with just electric

Thanks for your reply. Did you already have a smart meter at the property, or did Octopus/third party install as part of switching to them?

Or Octopus Agile, depending on usage patterns, flexibility and nerdiness.

will check this out too!! Thank you

 

[NastyNick83]

I too have moved over to Octopus Go (from an EDF dual-fuel). The switch was painless - as they all are these days with switch guarantees and such; two weeks or so and I was in. Octopus put you on their best fixed 'normal' rate to start with and will move you to Go or Agile once you have a smart meter installed.

To find the 'normal' tariff rates (which were still cheaper than what I was on with EDF) - put your postcode in and click go
Octopus Energy

Octopus Go gives you 5p per kWh between 00:30 and 04:30, which has saved me a considerable amount. And easy to set up from the scheduled charging function in the car. We now also schedule things like the dishwasher to run at night, saving further £1 or so per day.

Smart meter was installed within a week of moving over to Octopus (can't schedule that until you've moved). Installed by a 3rd party but were clearly with Octopus (if that makes sense). They were unable to link the gas to the smart meter, which apparently is quite common - but did not stop me moving over to the Go tariff as they only need the electric readings. Therefore the same would apply if you only switched over your electric or weren't able to get a reading from your buried gas meter.

Nick

 

[slonger]

Thanks for your reply. Did you already have a smart meter at the property, or did Octopus/third party install as part of switching to them?

I already had a smart meter from a few years ago with British Gas that was not compatible so they installed a new one for me.

 

[Adopado]

I don’t currently have a smart meter and since my gas meter is in the ground my understanding is the energy providers are less that likely to come and install. I spoke with two prior to getting an electric vehicle and they said they wouldn’t come out on that premise, but in fairness that was quoting for dual fuel.

I am currently paying 0.13p per kWh, but if I could benefit from the deals specifically for electric vehicle owners I could likely halve (and the rest) my fuel cost.

The suitability for a gas smart meter will not affect being able to get an electricity smart meter. As others have already stated the Octopus Go super-cheap night rate of 5p per kWh or Octopus Agile, with multiple charge rates over the day, look like the way to go. Depending on location there can be a problem getting smart meters to communicate. Ironically the newer type appear to be more picky than the older SMETS1 type. Octopus installed the older type for us (they re-use ones that have been replaced in other areas I believe). The problem of the older SMETS1 type is that not all makes are compatible with all suppliers. The "Secure" brand seem to be the one that suits Octopus. Hopefully your address will suit the newer SMETS2 which means you don't need to worry about changing suppliers in the future. Octopus doesn't apply penalties for switching so that gives you some flexibility.

 

[MrBadger]

To find the 'normal' tariff rates (which were still cheaper than what I was on with EDF) - put your postcode in and click go
Octopus Energy

Only a small number of those are available it seems.

I asked to switch to one with cheaper gas than I am currently on, and all they did was put me back on my existing one but update the end date. Didn't offer an explanation that they could not put me on what I requested, just a 'we have done this for you', which they had not.

 

[Roy W.]

I too moved to Octopus GO but already had a compatible smart meter from my previous supplier.

You’ll have no problem moving to Octopus on their standard tariff, but you’ll have to wait until they fit you a smart meter before you can move to GO. Of course with the current pandemic all routine meter swaps are on hold, so you’ll have to wait until they restart in a little while.

Charging at 7kW will add roughly 30 miles of range per hour. With my 7kW home charger, every hour of charging will add about 10% of range to my Model 3 LR AWD. So with your 4 hour cheap charging window (0030-0430) you can “top up” by 40%, or more on a SR.

Octopus has no exit fees at all, and they are also happy for you to switch gas tariffs independently of electricity. I recently moved my gas to a cheaper Octopus tariff. All it took was an email.

As always with utility companies, you will hear horror stories where people have had problems, but from my experience, Octopus are great.

 

[Mr Miserable]

Halving your electric bill may be a bit ambitious however charging at 5p kWh will certainly make a noticeable difference.
There are a number of 'EV' charging tariffs out there, most of which will work out more expensive than your current tariff!

Clearly Octopus is a favourite for many reasons one of which is the fact that they do not charge exit fees and so you are free to change providers should an octopus tariff not work out for you. The Octopus Go tariff offers a 4 hour off-peak window at 5p kWh. The Octopus Agile tariff is very competitive at the moment but only if you can absolutely minimise use between 16:00 - 19:00 when the rates are very expensive.
There are only 2 other EV tariffs out there that are worth considering, EDF Go Electric which offers off peak between 21:00 & 07:00 daily and all weekend at 8p kWh but with a hefty rate of 16.8 kWh outside those times or maybe the Scottish Power Smart Green EV tariff which offers a 5 hour off peak window at 4.74p kWh with a 15.23p kWh peak rate.
Alternatively, it may be worth going on to a comparison site and switching to a standard supplier that offers a cheap all day rate without the need of a smart meter - some of these charge around 10.5p kWh.

There are lots of choices but it generally comes down to your lifestyle pattern as to which tariff works for you. This spreadsheet may help you decide - input your figures and see what works for you. Remember to increase your off-peak useage to allow the EDF offering a fair comparison.

Just be aware that dual fuel tariffs may not offer the cheapest solution for you. Once you have determined your best electric supplier I would suggest you use a comparison site for the best 'gas only' deal.

Additionally, do not forget to use a referral as this can make a big difference to your sums (£50 for Octopus and £40 for So Energy for your gas).

 

[Chalks99]

Halving your electric bill may be a bit ambitious however charging at 5p kWh will certainly make a noticeable difference.
There are a number of 'EV' charging tariffs out there, most of which will work out more expensive than your current tariff!

Clearly Octopus is a favourite for many reasons one of which is the fact that they do not charge exit fees and so you are free to change providers should an octopus tariff not work out for you. The Octopus Go tariff offers a 4 hour off-peak window at 5p kWh. The Octopus Agile tariff is very competitive at the moment but only if you can absolutely minimise use between 16:00 - 19:00 when the rates are very expensive.
There are only 2 other EV tariffs out there that are worth considering, EDF Go Electric which offers off peak between 21:00 & 07:00 daily and all weekend at 8p kWh but with a hefty rate of 16.8 kWh outside those times or maybe the Scottish Power Smart Green EV tariff which offers a 5 hour off peak window at 4.74p kWh with a 15.23p kWh peak rate.
Alternatively, it may be worth going on to a comparison site and switching to a standard supplier that offers a cheap all day rate without the need of a smart meter - some of these charge around 10.5p kWh.

There are lots of choices but it generally comes down to your lifestyle pattern as to which tariff works for you. This spreadsheet may help you decide - input your figures and see what works for you. Remember to increase your off-peak useage to allow the EDF offering a fair comparison.

Just be aware that dual fuel tariffs may not offer the cheapest solution for you. Once you have determined your best electric supplier I would suggest you use a comparison site for the best 'gas only' deal.

Additionally, do not forget to use a referral as this can make a big difference to your sums (£50 for Octopus and £40 for So Energy for your gas).

This is very true, all good points but also, take into mind the standing charge amount as when I did the math, based on my own personal circumstances, it was more advantageous to stay with Scottish Power (on a non EV specific tariff) than move to an Octopus (or equivalent provider) as I charge the car little (I only do 4,000 miles a year and will be a lot less (like everyone) this year) and the majority of my electricity is used during 'peak' times.

 

[Mark_T]

Only a small number of those are available it seems.

I asked to switch to one with cheaper gas than I am currently on, and all they did was put me back on my existing one but update the end date. Didn't offer an explanation that they could not put me on what I requested, just a 'we have done this for you', which they had not.

if they are listed as available then they are...

Sounds like someone made a mistake.

I’ve moved 3 times now, most recently to 'Octopus Exclusive Online 12M Fixed April 2020 v1', if you get any push-back remind them that these tariffs, although aimed at specific markets like the switching sites, are available to existing customers as well.

 

[M3P8906]

Thanks to everyone for the replies, very much appreciated.

I will give Octopus a ring on Monday and should it be as straightforward as it all sounds, I’ll be certain to use one of many referral codes that arrived in my inbox!!

Thanks again!

 

[MrBadger]

I’ve moved 3 times now, most recently to 'Octopus Exclusive Online 12M Fixed April 2020 v1', if you get any push-back remind them that these tariffs, although aimed at specific markets like the switching sites, are available to existing customers as well.

Thats the one that I requested. I ended up back on Octopus 12M Fixed February 2020 v1, just with extended end date. I'll push for it again. Won't be the first time that Octopus don't read the email. I don't think it couldn't have been more clear.
​

 

[Mark_T]

Thats the one that I requested. I ended up back on Octopus 12M Fixed February 2020 v1, just with extended end date. I'll push for it again. Won't be the first time that Octopus don't read the email. I don't think it couldn't have been more clear.
View attachment 535646 ​

Oddly I ended up on that one as well upon first request, I just pointed out it was not the one I had asked for and they promptly fixed the mistake.

May have been some sort of internal systems error.

 

[Epico]

Is anyone else on octopus not having their account debited? I keep adding cash via DD every month and my octopus account balance just goes up and up. They don't seem very keen to actually debit my account for my actual usage.makes handling how much I should pay in monthly a bit if a challenge.

 

[MrBadger]

I'm not getting consistent bills - Last time I looked, first bill since moving to Go (previously on Octopus and smart meters for quite a while), I had not been billed for the Go part of the tarrif - Gas was still fine, plus previous non Go part of tarrif.

 

[Roy W.]

Is anyone else on octopus not having their account debited? I keep adding cash via DD every month and my octopus account balance just goes up and up. They don't seem very keen to actually debit my account for my actual usage.makes handling how much I should pay in monthly a bit if a challenge.

If you’ve got smart meters you should get a bill on the same date each month - I get my gas and electric bills on the 22nd of the month.

If you don’t have smart meters, the action of submitting a meter reading on the website automatically generates a bill, usually within a few minutes.

If you’re not getting regular bills I’d suggest your account isn’t working correctly, so I’d be inclined to contact Octopus.

 

[Epico]

So I'm on go and had a smart meter installed...I can see the usage on their website. I have contacted them and they said there was an issue on the account and they would resolve it...that was 2 months ago...still nowt...emailed again...we shall see