Energy Prices (Strictly NO referrals!)

[Richie]

This is the one that's already claimed over £2mil in constraint payments this month isn't it?

Unsure... I did look for some info off the back of your comment but couldnt find any. Its only been providing electricity since 6th June 2024 so not sure if its possible to accrue £2m in curtailment costs in just under 3 months

I did find this though which I found interesting:

According to SSE, once the wind farm is fully operational, it will be the “UK’s most productive onshore wind farm” with an annual generation capacity of around 1.8TWh.

SOURCE

1.8TWh is the amount that Scotland imported last year. Now I appreciate that wind power is variable however, in theoretical terms and if the same power is generated next year (bearing in mind other renewables are coming on line) then Scotland is very very close to being self sufficient in energy.... Well, until the last Nuclear plant (Torness) is decommissioned although, by that time, other generation sources may have come on line to counteract this.

 

[Pyr0m@nI@]{]

first link that popped up from a quick search on google:

SSE claims £2m in constraint payments as ‘consumers pay to keep the Viking wind farm idle’

THE COMPANY behind the Viking Energy wind farm has already claimed more than £2 million in constraint payments this month and ahead of the multi-million pound...

www.shetnews.co.uk

 

[Richie]

first link that popped up from a quick search on google:

SSE claims £2m in constraint payments as ‘consumers pay to keep the Viking wind farm idle’

THE COMPANY behind the Viking Energy wind farm has already claimed more than £2 million in constraint payments this month and ahead of the multi-million pound...

www.shetnews.co.uk

Yeah, I used the official term (curtailment) rather than constraint so it didn't come up.

I'm guessing that, once the new interconnects between Scotland and England are in place and the NG get their finger out with NG improvements, this should be much lower.

 

[200sols]

You've got to question why a farm that can produce enough to power 500,000 homes, located within a population of 23,000 people (so, at a guess, 15,000 homes at most) sees no additional benefit from hosting this level of energy production right on their doorstep for the benefit of the rest of the UK.

I think its pretty easy to answer, those 23000 people dont own it. The landowners will be doing very nicely though.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I think it’s pretty easy to answer, those 23000 people dont own it. The landowners will be doing very nicely though.

The British government/the king then, they own the seabed and the wind farm operators rent it from them.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Its onshore not offshore.

Interesting that there was/is a community payment to the people of shetland from that new windfarm.

 

[200sols]

The British government/the king then, they own the seabed and the wind farm operators rent it from them.

It's onshore. Looks like the local people are benefitting anyway.

Viking Wind Farm Benefits | Advantages of the Wind Farm for Shetland

Explore the benefits of Viking Wind Farm for Shetland and beyond. Learn about the advantages of the Viking project, including environmental sustainability, job creation, and long-term economic benefit

www.vikingenergy.co.uk

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Fair enough I assumed offshore

 

[squerble]

My gas usage this month: £5.29; standing charge this month: £8.81.
My elec usage this month: £40.07; standing charge this month: £19.18.

So 38% of my bill is standing charge.

 

[chrcoluk]

Anyone know why gas is going up? Demand must be pretty low at the moment with it still being summer.

We use gas to generate electric, demand will go up when isnt much wind.

 

[ron3003]

Octopus Tracker today is the highest I've seen it this year, only 0.2p lower than the SVR

 

[squerble]

Octopus Tracker today is the highest I've seen it this year, only 0.2p lower than the SVR

Yep, I'm breaching 40p/kWh this evening on Agile. Looks like tomorrow afternoon will be cheap but otherwise prices are pretty high at the moment.

 

[2013]

I'm on a variable or flexible plan with Octopus is it worth switch to another plan at this point ? Ive getting message on the new Octopus 15M Fixed or should I just carry on ?

Flexible
Tariff cost breakdown Electricity Daily standing charge 66.26p /day Unit rate 23.51p /kWh Early exit fee £0 Gas Daily standing charge 29.67p /day Unit rate 6.21p /kWh Early exit fee £0

​

Octopus 15M Fixed
Tariff cost breakdown Electricity Daily standing charge 65.37p /day Unit rate 22.70p /kWh Early exit fee £0 Gas Daily standing charge 29.49p /day Unit rate 6.08p /kWh Early exit fee £0

​

 

[Selekt0r]

I'm on a variable or flexible plan with Octopus is it worth switch to another plan at this point ? Ive getting message on the new Octopus 15M Fixed or should I just carry on ?

Flexible
Tariff cost breakdown Electricity Daily standing charge 66.26p /day Unit rate 23.51p /kWh Early exit fee £0 Gas Daily standing charge 29.67p /day Unit rate 6.21p /kWh Early exit fee £0

​

Octopus 15M Fixed
Tariff cost breakdown Electricity Daily standing charge 65.37p /day Unit rate 22.70p /kWh Early exit fee £0 Gas Daily standing charge 29.49p /day Unit rate 6.08p /kWh Early exit fee £0

​

I'd take a look at Octopus Tracker. I switched to it a few months ago, and it's coming out around 20% cheaper than Flexible Octopus for me. Looking back over the last year of price history for Tracker ( https://energy-stats.uk/octopus-tracker-london/ ) shows very few days when it has gone above the price cap.

Obviously past is no guarantee of future savings etc....

 

[2013]

A few questions

1. Can I switch any time ? 2. How do I've never used a tracker before how have you found it ? 3. I assume it changes they don't have a standing charge.

So other than the other tariffs I found my only other choices are agile and tracker.

 

[Selekt0r]

A few questions

1. Can I switch any time ? 2. How do I've never used a tracker before how have you found it ? 3. I assume it changes they don't have a standing charge.

So other than the other tariffs I found my only other choices are agile and tracker.

You can switch to Tracker at any time, and can leave at any time - however if you leave you can't re-join for 9 months. Basically this is to prevent people switching backwards and forwards constantly based on their perception of what wholesale prices will do.

There is still a standing charge, which varies by region as do most of them. My standing charges are 38.72p/day for electricity and 27.47p/day for gas. Note that the 'formula' used to calculate the daily rates has changed a couple of times, so 'new joiners' to Tracker don't get quite as good a deal as those who joined a while ago...

See the FAQs at https://octopus.energy/tracker-faqs/

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

When your tracker renews you go onto the latest pricing.

Tracker is just in effect the same pricing you will get just faster.
As prices have been falling tracker has been better as its well ahead of the quarterly cap rates.
But that margin is now pretty close.

 

[darael]

So EDF emailed my new prices from 1st October yesterday, which have gone up. While it's still a very unwelcome increase, I can just about live with my direct debit increasing by nearly 8% providing prices go down by the same amount or more from spring next year.

 

[MatsyLR]

So EDF emailed my new prices from 1st October yesterday, which have gone up. While it's still a very unwelcome increase, I can just about live with my direct debit increasing by nearly 8% providing prices go down by the same amount or more from spring next year.

So vote with your wallet and move to a more responsible company like octopus

 

[darael]

So vote with your wallet and move to a more responsible company like octopus

I don't see what benefit that would bring me if their prices are the same as EDF's, thanks to the energy price cap.