-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Octopus Smart Meter Experiences
- Thread starter DaveW
- Start date
RedMod3
Member
Octopus release the slots for my area on a Wednesday, so find the day they release the slots in your area.
Then, auto-refresh the link they gave you on your browser every 60 seconds, and with luck you'll grab a slot. Only one came up in my area, and my install is now due for 18th October.
I'm yet to manage to get smart charger installed, it's been 6 months. The link to book installation never works for me (either no slots or when I've got a slot and click on book it fails with an error). The email support is pathetic, I've emailed [email protected] to actually book a slot (any really) for me and I have not got reply for a month (email went out on 30th August). So it's almost a game over for me, I'm seriously looking at other electric tariff providers to move out.
For the previous poster - try tweeting them - much quicker. I recently switched to Octopus just before the crazy price hikes and we are about 10 days into our supply. I contacted them today to enquire about smart meter installation and got a link straight backed and booked for mid November which I was quite pleased about. Next stop was to check the current tariffs. Oh hell their prices seem crazy now.
We are all electric and have night storage heaters. We cant park our MS close enough to the house to make a EV charger practical unfortunately. We could just about manage though via a three pin plug and 30-40 metre extension to charge that way although I know this would be slow. At the moment public charging here is free so we have no need to charge at home. I mention all of this just to give context in requesting whether anyone can comment on what the best smart tariff might be for us when we eventually get the smart meter installed? I had previously read about the Tesla specific plan they offered. Is that still available and relevant if we have no EV charger? Did it require you to get a powerwall fitted? thanks
We are all electric and have night storage heaters. We cant park our MS close enough to the house to make a EV charger practical unfortunately. We could just about manage though via a three pin plug and 30-40 metre extension to charge that way although I know this would be slow. At the moment public charging here is free so we have no need to charge at home. I mention all of this just to give context in requesting whether anyone can comment on what the best smart tariff might be for us when we eventually get the smart meter installed? I had previously read about the Tesla specific plan they offered. Is that still available and relevant if we have no EV charger? Did it require you to get a powerwall fitted? thanks
Thanks for the replies. I haven’t received a link yet, but I’ve sent them a message on Twitter and have also complained to them as I think there system is poor.
I was previously with bulb and they had an auto booking slot I had an appointment but the engineer didn’t turn up I assume because they couldn’t get fuel as all the pumps seem dry round my way.
I was previously with bulb and they had an auto booking slot I had an appointment but the engineer didn’t turn up I assume because they couldn’t get fuel as all the pumps seem dry round my way.
I can confirm Twitter has been more useful. I sent Octopus a direct message
and got a reply within ten hours with a link to my area which had no appointments, but did allow me to put my details onto a priority smart meter installation list which said they would contact me within 14 days with an appointment.
and got a reply within ten hours with a link to my area which had no appointments, but did allow me to put my details onto a priority smart meter installation list which said they would contact me within 14 days with an appointment.
Octopus didn't get in touch with me like they said they would. Like someone else said Wednesday seems to be the day they release new appointments as I got one today. I clicked on 1st November received a page error so thought it hadn't worked. Checked my email and the appointment confirmation was there. I hope the engineer turns up this time.
Well, yesterday I had our 3 phase meter upgrade fitted after about a month and half of waiting, was told between 8-6 for the fitting but I would get a call an hour before. At 8.45 I had a call saying they were about half hour away. They turned up bang on time and said they were changing the gas meter as well which I wasn't aware of. The only issue they had was that they were in a hire ban due to the normal van being in for mot (new EV van being delivered tomorrow!) and the hire van didn't have the 100amp fuses to energise the other 2 phases so they had to drive to another fitter which was almost a2 hour round trip! Can't thank them enough, very professional. They were sub contracted so not Octopus fitters.
OfficialMark_H
VLOGGER
I need to do this to mine, it’s been installed a month, OctopusEnergy are telling me it hasn’t been commissioned properly.
If I press a few buttons it seems it knows I’ve paid my bill because the credit starts again at zero, but nothing shows on the remote display and nothing in my account works.
sparkymark75
Member
While not Octopus related, I'm finding the smart meter experience frustrating. I should have begun this process months ago! My current supplier, Outfox the Market, arranged for me to have gas and electric smart meters fitted. I previously had a SMETS1 Scottish Power meter and an analogue meter. The company that fitted them (SMS plc) came when they said they would and appeared to do everything required.
After a couple of weeks, I started to see electric meter readings appear on my online account but no gas. Turns out the first installer, should have fitted a dual band communications hub for the gas meter to work but didn't as he didn't have one with him and he was being audited that day so didn't want to confess to not having one so he just fitted what he had knowing fine well it wouldn't work
The reason I know this is the guy that came out to fit a new dual band communications hub told me as he spoke to the guy about my install! Anyway, this was fitted a couple of weeks ago and has resolved the issue with the gas meter, which is now showing on the in-house display and on my online account. However, my electric meter is now no longer reporting (it stopped on the day he fitted the comms hub). So I now have to wait until November for SMS to come back out and do whatever it is they need to do to get the electric meter working. It's frustrating as hell. My intention months ago was to switch to Octopus and ultimately their Go tariff but after speaking with Octopus, they advised it was better to get my Smart meter issues sorted with my current supplier before switching to them.
In the meantime, I'm still paying a hefty flat rate for electricity with my current supplier and the price increase on the Go tariff makes it less attractive than it once was. Now that I've vented, I'll go back to work
After a couple of weeks, I started to see electric meter readings appear on my online account but no gas. Turns out the first installer, should have fitted a dual band communications hub for the gas meter to work but didn't as he didn't have one with him and he was being audited that day so didn't want to confess to not having one so he just fitted what he had knowing fine well it wouldn't work
The reason I know this is the guy that came out to fit a new dual band communications hub told me as he spoke to the guy about my install! Anyway, this was fitted a couple of weeks ago and has resolved the issue with the gas meter, which is now showing on the in-house display and on my online account. However, my electric meter is now no longer reporting (it stopped on the day he fitted the comms hub). So I now have to wait until November for SMS to come back out and do whatever it is they need to do to get the electric meter working. It's frustrating as hell. My intention months ago was to switch to Octopus and ultimately their Go tariff but after speaking with Octopus, they advised it was better to get my Smart meter issues sorted with my current supplier before switching to them.
In the meantime, I'm still paying a hefty flat rate for electricity with my current supplier and the price increase on the Go tariff makes it less attractive than it once was. Now that I've vented, I'll go back to work
Our smart meter has been sending readings to Octopus for over a month (but with the time offset I've previously noted). They're showing
"We're receiving the half-hourly readings we need from your smart meter!
Won't be long now, we're just getting everything ready for your new tariff."
Is this normal? Tariff shows as Octopus Go and has done since a fairly short period after readings became available.
Meanwhile they want us to try turning the entire house off for an unspecified period (I think an hour ought to be sufficient, but there's never a convenient time to have a power cut) to help diagnose the smart meter time offset. This is despite it being obvious from the meter data and our statements regarding when we charge the car vs the time the smart meter data shows the consumption.
"We're receiving the half-hourly readings we need from your smart meter!
Won't be long now, we're just getting everything ready for your new tariff."
Is this normal? Tariff shows as Octopus Go and has done since a fairly short period after readings became available.
Meanwhile they want us to try turning the entire house off for an unspecified period (I think an hour ought to be sufficient, but there's never a convenient time to have a power cut) to help diagnose the smart meter time offset. This is despite it being obvious from the meter data and our statements regarding when we charge the car vs the time the smart meter data shows the consumption.
Another email from Octopus wanting us to turn the power off again and tell them when we did it so they can look in the data. We already tried this, and you can see a dip in the meter readings.
This is getting annoying. They have plenty proof that the meter is recording the time incorrectly. The car is charging at 22:15 but the meter shows it at 00:30. In fact the meter is drifting further: in the 6 weeks of no progress, it's gone from 2:15 off to approximately 2h24. It's around two years old, and if it started off accurate, and was running fast, would have gained 6 minutes a month, which correlates pretty well with what I've observed.
None of this is actually Octopus' fault, but since we're their customer now, it's their responsibility to fix it. At this rate, we're going to be having to charge the car from 10pm to get the cheap rate. This is not what the DNO wants.
sparkymark75
Member
RedMod3
Member
The colourful Octopus van arrived this morning and Pete fitted our smart meter. He is an Octopus employee and was polite and helpful, explaining what he was doing all the time. A nice tidy job done in just over an hour and the remote display is working. We are on the Flexible Octopus Tariff and Octopus have increased their night rate recently. Can't wait to get on GO.
Electricity (night): 14.92p per kWh
Flexible Octopus
Unit rates
Electricity (day): 20.90p per kWhElectricity (night): 14.92p per kWh
Standing charges
Electricity: 24.19p per day
RedMod3
Member
Octopus GO for me now would be:
Unit rate (04:30 - 00:30):
24.14p/ kWh
Unit rate (00:30 - 04:30):
5.00p/ kWh
Standing Charge:
18.35p/ day
Prices include VAT.
Octopus Go is an electricity only smart tariff. For gas, simply choose any Octopus gas tariff.
My current tariff is:
Flexible Octopus
Flexible Octopus July 2021 v1
Prices follow wholesale costs
Day Rate Night Rate
20.89 p/kWh 14.92 p/kWh
Standing Charge
24.19p/day
(All rates inc. VAT)
I need to do the sums as switching may now be worth it.
Are the GO rates fixed for a year? Can you go to a newer GO rate if it reduces?
Unit rate (04:30 - 00:30):
24.14p/ kWh
Unit rate (00:30 - 04:30):
5.00p/ kWh
Standing Charge:
18.35p/ day
Prices include VAT.
Octopus Go is an electricity only smart tariff. For gas, simply choose any Octopus gas tariff.
My current tariff is:
Flexible Octopus
Flexible Octopus July 2021 v1
Prices follow wholesale costs
Day Rate Night Rate
20.89 p/kWh 14.92 p/kWh
Standing Charge
24.19p/day
(All rates inc. VAT)
I need to do the sums as switching may now be worth it.
Are the GO rates fixed for a year? Can you go to a newer GO rate if it reduces?
In theory, an engineer is coming to fix things for my smart meter today.... We shall see.... I've also raised a formal complaint with Octopus and threatened ombudsmen involvelemt. The lack of receipt of readings should have been flagged internally when they stopped in Feb rather than waiting for me to notice, report it, and then take best part of a year to bother doing something about it.
Octopus billing is a mess. It's now 10 months since I received a bill despite repeated prompting and promises to fix it.
They've even stopped sending me meter reading reminders now.. (the smart meter has never worked).
Once they get to 12 months they're losing money as they can't back bill further than that.. a fact I have pointed out to them but it doesn't seem to have worked.
They've even stopped sending me meter reading reminders now.. (the smart meter has never worked).
Once they get to 12 months they're losing money as they can't back bill further than that.. a fact I have pointed out to them but it doesn't seem to have worked.
Similar threads
