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Octopus Energy, including Intelligent and go
- Thread starter UrbanSplash
- Start date
I stopped checking after the first couple of bills as it was 100% correct every time.
Here's an example
Drew57
Active ember
I'm going to carefully check my next bill because on 19th July the schedule only included slots within the 23.30-05.30 period but when I looked at my Zappi charging history next morning it showed that the car had also charged 06.00-06.30.
Although I've often received scheduled slots before & after the low cost 6 hours, this is the first time it has charged outside of that without showing on the previous nights schedule.
Although I've often received scheduled slots before & after the low cost 6 hours, this is the first time it has charged outside of that without showing on the previous nights schedule.
This may be a separate thread - but how do you integrate IO with batteries? I have a givenergy coming (eventually) which says it is octopus go compatible (Which may just mean it has a timer) but how can it handle dynamically created half hour slots? Is there a risk the car will start charging outside the regular off peak window I’ve set, and the battery will just see demand and drain?
I woudl want the battery to potentially charge the car during the day if I have excess and using eco+ on the charger with the battery to help prevent start/stop if a cloud comes over
I woudl want the battery to potentially charge the car during the day if I have excess and using eco+ on the charger with the battery to help prevent start/stop if a cloud comes over
I use Home Assistant with GivTCP and a Python script. It works great. Took me a while and a few PMs with the guy who wrote the Python script to work things out, but that's because I'm not very bright.
GitHub - britkat1980/giv_tcp: TCP connection (from inverter) and MQTT implementation
TCP connection (from inverter) and MQTT implementation - britkat1980/giv_tcp
github.com
GitHub - liamjvs/intelligent-octopus-scheduler: Python script to output your Intelligent Octopus timeslots.
Python script to output your Intelligent Octopus timeslots. - liamjvs/intelligent-octopus-scheduler
github.com
It was set to start charging at 00:30 - the problem first started when IO adopted the Ohme charger, prior to this it worked fine (I initially set up the charger as a Generic one as Ohme wasn’t supported).
The Ohme charger is now supported but under beta testing, and this seems to be the cause…
I have removed the car and charger from IO and manually set the charger to charge between 00:30 - 06:30 for now.
If you've got an Ohme, you need to decide whether you are going to continue using the Octopus app with the Tesla API integration - in which case *everything* should be turned off in the Ohme app to turn it into a dumb switch, or whether you are going to use the specific Ohme integration in which case you need to de-auth the car from the Octopus and and run the setup from the Ohme app details here:
Octopus Energy, including Intelligent and go
I have set up a charging schedule on the car to only charge after 00:30 - but as soon as I plug in the Ohme on IO it starts charging outside the schedule of IO and Tesla. I called octopus has a very helpful lady with a very particular accent that said there is no problem it’s working as...
teslamotorsclub.com
By the way the manual time slots you've put in are incorrect.
The original setup was with Ohme as dumb unit and using Tesla integration - it would update the charge schedule within the Octopus App, but the car would charge regardless of IO times, and then set the car to only charge after 00:30 (Ohme was still dumb) - car would still charge.
Removed Tesla and charger from IO, and setup the new Ohme integration - same problem… removed again and just set the Ohme to charge at night on cheap rate using the lock price to 7.5 kw and it works as it used to.
That's not working correctly, you've just frigged the times to come on manually. Your times are wrong, it's 23:30-05:30, and you're breaking the t&cs of the tariff.
Drew57
Active ember
My PV array has a 3.6kWh inverter & 6.7kW of storage batteries. This is powered directly from the incoming mains supply but before the house consumer unit. Likewise with the Zappi.
I also have a separate 3.6kWh inverter powering 9.6kW of Pylontech batteries, this is connected to the consumer unit upstream of the PV inverter.
Using the Zappi with Eco+ & as long as the PV batteries are full/export generation exceeds 1.4kWh then the car(s) will charge using solar. However when charging overnight using IO & Fast mode this will drain approx 3kWh from the PV batteries & take the remainder from grid.
(the other inverter/Pylontech batteries are unaffected by car charging & they are only drained by house usage).
This arrangement is OK because from Mar-Sept almost all car charging is from solar & on the few occasions IO is needed I’m not bothered too much about the PV battery drain as it will inevitably re-fill the next day anyway.
Basically, the low rate IO period gets very little use at this time of year but in winter It’s used extensively including charging the Pylontechs overnight. They power the house during the day & excess PV generation part fills the other batteries.
So in short, yes charging the car overnight on IO will drain your PV batteries but the solution I also use in winter is to block discharge 23.30-05.30 via my PV inverter ‘local mode’. This simple step means all power draw is taken from grid during the low cost period and battery SOC is unaffected.
Can I ask how you created this chart? Should I be able to see that same chart somewhere ?
This sounds awesome and I'm just at the early stages of looking at battery storage (and the Pylontech batteries). Out of interest what hybrid invertor are you using? I'm looking at Solis just now. Already have PV on the roof with a Growwatt invertor (very basic but have RS232 to a RPi).
You get one for every day on each page your monthly Octopus statement that's emailed in .pdf format.
PaulMD
Member
My renewal has come through 7.5p/39.25p/41.98p vs flexible of 30.36p/29.34p/42.06p. What are you folk doing? Sticking with it or moving to variable for time being? Variable will only save me around £380 per year at current usage/rate.
Your flexible rate is poised to go up in October by +80%, TBA next Friday. So you cannot compare that.
Intelligent is fixed and will still be much better for the year to come.
Drew57
Active ember
My PV inverter is a Solax X-Hybrid and the inverter for the Pylontech batteries is a Lux Squirrelpod (which is scaleable, ie a second can be added at a later date giving 7kWh charge/discharge. In addition, up to 16 2.4kW batteries giving 38.4kW storage can be added to each inverter)
Both Solax/Lux inverters have the ability to force charge or block discharge so have great flexibility (however due to the way my original FIT meter was installed, the PV system should not legally be force charged ie it would register grid charging as solar & therefore I would be paid - something I am not prepared to do, hence adding the second system).
- The Solax is set to block discharge 23.30-05.30 so the LV battery SOC stays the same during the IO low cost period. The house (should the Pylontechs be empty) & cars all use the IO low rate during these hours.
- The Lux is not currently blocked as I let it power the house evening/night/early morning from the Pylontechs (which are unaffected by any car charging) but sometime in October it will be set to force charge 23.30-05.30. It currently charges from excess solar.
- The cars currently charge almost exclusively from solar, occasionally grid during the IO period (Tesla only IO, the other car via Zappi schedule)
- During poor PV generation months/quarters the cars will charge on IO & occasionally part charge via solar.
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Ok thanks. Just changed over to octopus last week and IO since Saturday.
Can I ask is this how you confirm that the whole cheap rate is for the house if the car decides to charge outside the 23:30-05:30 window ?
I was thinking they would know how much the car has charged and just give you the car at the cheaper rate
Drew57
Active ember
The bill confirms everything for each half hour slot & doesn't differentiate regardless of IO charging or not.
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