Octopus Energy, including Intelligent and go

[Inky38]

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.

I'm in a similar situation to you
I currently have a 3.6kWh inverter with 4.8kW battery and a Zappi (using Eco+ whenever I can)
As I'm currently on GO (Expires 25th Dec), I charge the storage batteries enough to make sure the charge in the battery will last long enough until the sun comes out. I also make sure that any overnight charging of the car doesn't currently come out of the PV batteries (due to the known fixed timeslots)

How do you work IO + Zappi so that

• I can still charge the PV batteries on the cheap rate (is the 6 hour cheap rate slot guaranteed?)
• IO charging (outside of 6 hour slot) doesn't flatten the PV batteries
• I can still charge the car using ECO+
• I can charge my daughters car (Not IO compatible)

Sounds to me like a dumb 4/5/6 cheap rate slot is the most convenient to me albeit without the grid capacity friendly timings

 

[Drew57]

@Inky38

• The 6 hour slot is guaranteed, set the Zappi to Eco+ & a schedule ie 23.30 + 6 hours.
• My batteries are not affected because I use a local mode setting for 'block discharge' 23.30-05.30 on the PV inverter.
• If Eco+ is set during the day & SOC is lower than the target in the car, it will charge whenever excess solar generation exceeds 1.4kWh.
• Another car will charge using the 6 hour slot as above providing there are no conflicting schedules set to overrule the Zappi.

 

[Mrklaw]

@Inky38

• The 6 hour slot is guaranteed, set the Zappi to Eco+ & a schedule ie 23.30 + 6 hours.
• My batteries are not affected because I use a local mode setting for 'block discharge' 23.30-05.30 on the PV inverter.
• If Eco+ is set during the day & SOC is lower than the target in the car, it will charge whenever excess solar generation exceeds 1.4kWh.
• Another car will charge using the 6 hour slot as above providing there are no conflicting schedules set to overrule the Zappi.

what if you use IO and get slots outside of the core hours - how do you stop the battery discharging then?

 

[browellm]

what if you use IO and get slots outside of the core hours - how do you stop the battery discharging then?

API integration and local control of your battery.

 

[Drew57]

what if you use IO and get slots outside of the core hours - how do you stop the battery discharging then?

It's easy - the schedule appears early evening then select local mode on the inverter app and add those times to 'block discharge'.

Either that or just accept the battery drain (as I do during these sunny months), knowing they will easily re-fill the next day. Almost all my charging slots are within 23.30-05.30 and any outside of that tend to be just one for 30 minutes.

Additionally, the Lux inverter with an additional 9.6kW storage is unaffected by car charging as it is upstream of the PV inverter/car charging.

 

[Inky38]

@Inky38

• The 6 hour slot is guaranteed, set the Zappi to Eco+ & a schedule ie 23.30 + 6 hours.
• My batteries are not affected because I use a local mode setting for 'block discharge' 23.30-05.30 on the PV inverter.
• If Eco+ is set during the day & SOC is lower than the target in the car, it will charge whenever excess solar generation exceeds 1.4kWh.
• Another car will charge using the 6 hour slot as above providing there are no conflicting schedules set to overrule the Zappi.

So ECO+ will still work even if it's outside the IO hours, or would I have to disable the IO app scheduling?

 

[Drew57]

So ECO+ will still work even if it's outside the IO hours, or would I have to disable the IO app scheduling?

Eco+ is used for any manually scheduled charging or for solar charging, always with IO disabled in the Octopus app
Fast mode is used for Intelligent Octopus

 

[kuruma]

just got IO this week (after a 2+ year wait for smart meters to be installed... don't ask). So, can anyone save me the time it'll take to read 38 pages of this thread by telling me if there's anything relevant I need to know about using IO if I have a Tesla wall charger and a Powerwall 2 installed with a 5.2kW solar array.

TIA

 

[m3gt2]

Not sure if anyone can help, on IO with a Model 3 and 22kW Zappi, no solar or battery. I've done all the tests to connect the car, when I put it in and set the time to be ready I get the charging schedule in the Octopus app but the car always starts charging after being plugged in for around 5/10 minutes so I'm stopping the charger in the Tesla app and starting out again when I'm in the off peak charging window but this isn't ideal to say the least! Any idea what could be going wrong or more importantly hire to resolve it. I have no other smart charging/charging schedule etc. Many thanks

 

[Billbrown1982]

Not sure if anyone can help, on IO with a Model 3 and 22kW Zappi, no solar or battery. I've done all the tests to connect the car, when I put it in and set the time to be ready I get the charging schedule in the Octopus app but the car always starts charging after being plugged in for around 5/10 minutes so I'm stopping the charger in the Tesla app and starting out again when I'm in the off peak charging window but this isn't ideal to say the least! Any idea what could be going wrong or more importantly hire to resolve it. I have no other smart charging/charging schedule etc. Many thanks

I know Octopus officially say it can take up to 30 minutes to stop the charge, although i've not experienced this myself. On a 7kw charger its pennies but as 10 minutes of peak charging would cost you about £1.50 depending on your rate I can see why its an issue.

Could maybe (bit of a faff I know) drop the charge speed down using the Tesla app, until it stops and then put it back on. Saves you going out to plug it back in after hours but still not ideal I know.

 

[Drew57]

Not sure if anyone can help, on IO with a Model 3 and 22kW Zappi, no solar or battery. I've done all the tests to connect the car, when I put it in and set the time to be ready I get the charging schedule in the Octopus app but the car always starts charging after being plugged in for around 5/10 minutes so I'm stopping the charger in the Tesla app and starting out again when I'm in the off peak charging window but this isn't ideal to say the least! Any idea what could be going wrong or more importantly hire to resolve it. I have no other smart charging/charging schedule etc. Many thanks

What you described always happened for me so within about ten seconds of plugging after 5pm & the charge starting I manually stop the charge via the Tesla app. No need to unplug and start again later.

The Octopus app shows a schedule within a few minutes then charging starts when due.

 

[Zakalwe]

Not sure if anyone can help, on IO with a Model 3 and 22kW Zappi, no solar or battery. I've done all the tests to connect the car, when I put it in and set the time to be ready I get the charging schedule in the Octopus app but the car always starts charging after being plugged in for around 5/10 minutes so I'm stopping the charger in the Tesla app and starting out again when I'm in the off peak charging window but this isn't ideal to say the least! Any idea what could be going wrong or more importantly hire to resolve it. I have no other smart charging/charging schedule etc. Many thanks

The same here. However I stop the charging via the Tesla app within seconds. The IO app then usually pops up the scheduled charging times.
There should be no need to restart charging manually- the IO system will do that once the allotted charge time starts.

 

[Ceih]

Hi all,

We're new IO customers having moved over from Go (boo hiss price rises etc). However I'm having a lot of trouble with charging the car on IO and wonder if anybody can shed a light.

2021 Model 3 LR, charger is an Andersen A2. Test charge fine.

So the car gets plugged in after 1700 and the Octopus app generates a charging schedule, say 2230-2330, 0030-0330 and 0400-0500. The car when plugged in will try to charge but the Octopus app turns it off - car knows it is plugged in however and awaits charge. The problem is then that this never happens - at scheduled start it all just sits there, not charging. Pressing the "Start Charging" button in the Tesla app (or in the car) does nothing and shows an error message of "Charging already requested", and Bump Charge in the Octopus app also does nothing. The only way to start a charge is to unplug the car, let the charge port close, then plug it back in. However, due to the schedule it will then not charge after a break (so from 2230-2330 it charges, but then won't start again at 0030), so I wake up in the morning and I've gotten maybe a third of the charge I should have. This means I'm having to do a lot of expensive off-peak charging or public charging.

This is, honestly, driving me slightly batty. Do I need to turn off the IO smart charging and just go back to using a scheduled charge from 2330-0530 a la Go? Is there something wrong?

 

[Pandinium]

Hi all,

We're new IO customers having moved over from Go (boo hiss price rises etc). However I'm having a lot of trouble with charging the car on IO and wonder if anybody can shed a light.

2021 Model 3 LR, charger is an Andersen A2. Test charge fine.

So the car gets plugged in after 1700 and the Octopus app generates a charging schedule, say 2230-2330, 0030-0330 and 0400-0500. The car when plugged in will try to charge but the Octopus app turns it off - car knows it is plugged in however and awaits charge. The problem is then that this never happens - at scheduled start it all just sits there, not charging. Pressing the "Start Charging" button in the Tesla app (or in the car) does nothing and shows an error message of "Charging already requested", and Bump Charge in the Octopus app also does nothing. The only way to start a charge is to unplug the car, let the charge port close, then plug it back in. However, due to the schedule it will then not charge after a break (so from 2230-2330 it charges, but then won't start again at 0030), so I wake up in the morning and I've gotten maybe a third of the charge I should have. This means I'm having to do a lot of expensive off-peak charging or public charging.

This is, honestly, driving me slightly batty. Do I need to turn off the IO smart charging and just go back to using a scheduled charge from 2330-0530 a la Go? Is there something wrong?

Are you using the Tesla charger or 3rd party ?

I ended up having to force only charge cheap rate, contacted octopus and. Had one response then just stoped.

 

[kitenski]

However I'm having a lot of trouble with charging the car on IO and wonder if anybody can shed a light.

I'd go back to basics and check nothing is conflicting ie:

Does the Anderson have scheduled charging times? Turn them all off
Turn off Departure, and charge schedules in the Tesla app
Did you have any other apps like ev.energy running?

 

[browellm]

Have you turned off ALL smart and scheduling features on the Anderson? Similarly, check no schedules in the car.

edit: sorry, duplicating what @kitenski said. Started drafting a response then got a phone call

 

[Algeron45]

A question could I borrow your Tesla so I can sign up to Intelligence Tarrif as been waiting nearly 9 months for car so extra frustrated cant switch and going to cost me double or more to charge the car at home and about to end my Go Tarrif in October. Will give you a free charge for your time. Might work. lol. The reason I gest is wanted to ask if the Intelligence tariff is a fixed period or are you all expecting prices to go up with today's cap announcement? Nothing on the Octopus site to explain.

 

[browellm]

A question could I borrow your Tesla so I can sign up to Intelligence Tarrif as been waiting nearly 9 months for car so extra frustrated cant switch and going to cost me double or more to charge the car at home and about to end my Go Tarrif in October. Will give you a free charge for your time. Might work. lol. The reason I gest is wanted to ask if the Intelligence tariff is a fixed period or are you all expecting prices to go up with today's cap announcement? Nothing on the Octopus site to explain.

Not sure if you're joking, but the tariff is directly linked individual car's Tesla account, so...no

 

[Algeron45]

Not sure if you're joking, but the tariff is directly linked individual car's Tesla account, so...no

Yes I was joking and seeing if Intelligent is a fixed period tariff like Go as if its not the prices could treble? Thanks.

 

[Zakalwe]

Yes I was joking and seeing if Intelligent is a fixed period tariff like Go as if its not the prices could treble? Thanks.

Yes, it's a fixed tariff. However, it is a beta product and Octopus reserve the right to withdraw it at any time.