Octopus Energy Saving Sessions

[Stranger Dings]

Does anyone know how the Octopus ”Power Hour” energy saving sessions are actually calculated?

I’ve taken part in all of them, but the results just seem totally random.

I’ve had sessions where we’ve switched off as much as we can and gone out, only to be told that we didn’t manage to save anything.

Some sessions, we’ve made very small savings, Including one where virtually everything was switched off and the whole family was in another country.

One session I forgot it was happening despite signing up, only to be told I’d managed to save 93% of my normal usage and be credited with over £16 off!

I’ll continue to sign up for them and don’t really do it expecting to save much as we are already quite energy efficient. It all just seems so random.

 

[Js1977]

I mean setting the export tariff to £4 during the savings session then setting it back to 15p after. Just setting Export Everything (from Solar) without changing the didn’t result in any export.

Strange that it works for some people but not others, nor sure what is making it work/not work.

you got to "lie" on your peak rate... Import set to 30p or whatever it is and export set at a higher rate (not 15p)

 

[PITA]

I mean setting the export tariff to £4 during the savings session then setting it back to 15p after. Just setting Export Everything (from Solar) without changing the didn’t result in any export.

Strange that it works for some people but not others, nor sure what is making it work/not work.

This is how mine is configured... then just left alone.

On the Saving Session day, I set up the Powerwalls like this, about 4 minutes before the Saving Session Start.

- Backup Reserve : zero

- Time Based Control

- Energy Exports : Everything

- Grid Charging : Yes

Then it takes about 2-3 minutes for it to take effect and start exporting.

 

[yessuz]

I my case I just set the Instruction to export all specified time

 

[barry.perfect]

This is how mine is configured... then just left alone.

View attachment 995738

On the Saving Session day, I set up the Powerwalls like this, about 4 minutes before the Saving Session Start.

- Backup Reserve : zero

- Time Based Control

- Energy Exports : Everything

- Grid Charging : Yes

Then it takes about 2-3 minutes for it to take effect and start exporting.

I am guessing you don’t look at the Energy Value on the impact page much with those settings Maybe I could be weaned of looking at those as well…

 

[barry.perfect]

I my case I just set the Instruction to export all specified time

Out of interest, what tariff prices have you entered? Seems from others, you have to enter fictitious export rates to make it work.

 

[barry.perfect]

you got to "lie" on your peak rate... Import set to 30p or whatever it is and export set at a higher rate (not 15p)

Will give that a try at the next saving session

 

[PITA]

I am guessing you don’t look at the Energy Value on the impact page much with those settings Maybe I could be weaned of looking at those as well…

I don't look at that, no.

I've got a weird setup, where we have two 22kW Grid Charging car chargers that are not connected through the Powerwall App data.

So I use the MyEnergi App as its more accurate for all power flow.

 

[ACarneiro]

Am I the only one who can't set an export value higher than the import value?
That's really doing my head in (although, to be fair, the system still does what I want it to, so not a big dal in the grand scheme of things...)

 

[Pink Duck]

My smart meters are suddenly working again! If only Octopus were at the weekend

Will let you know how my attempt to retrospectively opt-in to missed Saving Sessions goes.

 

[barry.perfect]

This is how mine is configured... then just left alone.

View attachment 995738

On the Saving Session day, I set up the Powerwalls like this, about 4 minutes before the Saving Session Start.

- Backup Reserve : zero

- Time Based Control

- Energy Exports : Everything

- Grid Charging : Yes

Then it takes about 2-3 minutes for it to take effect and start exporting.

I tried this, and realised that it dumps all the solar to the grid during peak time. Sadly my battery needs some solar during the day to keep going until 11.30pm most of the year so I think I am back to a special rate for the saving session

 

[MrBadger]

Sadly my battery needs some solar during the day to keep going until 11.30pm most of the year

Surely if you get paid to export more than you pay to import till 11:30, then you are still minimising electricity costs, albeit in a slightly different form via offsetting ?

 

[barry.perfect]

Surely if you get paid to export more than you pay to import till 11:30, then you are still minimising electricity costs, albeit in a slightly different form via offsetting ?

Not outside the saving sessions, 31p in to 15p out. I am trying to set and forget a tariff, then just use export all during the saving session. If you have batteries large enough to last the day without solar then I can use the settings @PITA suggested, unless I am missing something

 

[YYY2022]

I mean setting the export tariff to £4 during the savings session then setting it back to 15p after. Just setting Export Everything (from Solar) without changing the tariff didn’t result in any export.

Strange that it works for some people but not others, nor sure what is making it work/not work.

Mine behaves in exactly the same way Barry….i need to change to export everything as well as the changing the tariff unit prices to make it export.

 

[PITA]

I tried this, and realised that it dumps all the solar to the grid during peak time. Sadly my battery needs some solar during the day to keep going until 11.30pm most of the year so I think I am back to a special rate for the saving session

For this... just change Grid Charging to No

Then it'll use or store all the Solar Generated.

This is how I set it up outside Saving Sessions.

Later in the evening about 20:00 ... I start Exporting to the Grid leading up to 23:30 to dump all the stored excess at 15p ... by changing the Grid Charging to Yes.

 

[yessuz]

Out of interest, what tariff prices have you entered? Seems from others, you have to enter fictitious export rates to make it work.

Just for the record, I have Growatt inverter with 10.5 kwh Pylontech batteries

In inverter settings I just set time for Grid First operation mode

 

[BushFox]

Just for the record, I have Growatt inverter with 10.5 kwh Pylontech batteries

In inverter settings I just set time for Grid First operation mode

Snap. Just set the Grid First time to the saver session time and it exports for that period at inverter max less current house use(if no sun). Can also set SOC to a minimum allowed to discharge to if required.

 

[yessuz]

Snap. Just set the Grid First time to the saver session time and it exports for that period at inverter max less current house use(if no sun). Can also set SOC to a minimum allowed to discharge to if required.

Yup

 

[fastknight]

Sadly my 3kwh pushed back to 100Green who are part of the DFS events was not counted and I was shown as making a 0.099kwh savings somehow. I don't export back to the grid as they don't provide an export tariff but assumed I might get something back with this scheme as it was being calculated seperately - but apparently not.

Seems odd that pushing kwh back to them equaled to zero savings but there you go!

 

[ACarneiro]

Octopus don't seem to have finished crunching their numbers yet....

 

[Mrklaw]

Sadly my 3kwh pushed back to 100Green who are part of the DFS events was not counted and I was shown as making a 0.099kwh savings somehow. I don't export back to the grid as they don't provide an export tariff but assumed I might get something back with this scheme as it was being calculated seperately - but apparently not.

Seems odd that pushing kwh back to them equaled to zero savings but there you go!

how did you push back 3kwh if you didn't push back to the grid?

fyi Givenergy worked for me. I don't have SEG but octopus gave me my export MPAN number (if you have a smart meter you should have one) and that worked. Octopus couldn't use it as they require an export tariff in place but that seems to just be their admin, not a requirement of the DFS