Soldato
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Isn't that the point to reduce complaintsGod why does Octopus have bag pipes as their hold music, do they want customers to lose the will to live before reaching customer service
.Energy Prices (Strictly NO referrals!)
- Thread starter DXP55
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Soldato
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if you are asking to go onto Go, also ask them about go faster.God why does Octopus have bag pipes as their hold music, do they want customers to lose the will to live before reaching customer service
the cheap energy is at a much better use time........ the prices if you go for 4 hrs off peak are identical to Go, but you can have your cheap leccy starting at 9:30pm which means you will get more use out of the cheap energy (assuming you are awake at the average times). you can also more easily push your dishwasher, washing machine to off peak and may even be still awake to use your tumble drier then as well.
alternatively you can pay a little more for your off peak and have 5 hrs worth of it... useful if you want a bit more time to squeeze more into your car.
its an experimental package and not advertised but if you ask about it they will likely put you on
ProbablyIsn't that the point to reduce complaints
Was just checking something on the account. I don't have an EV and we are at home all day so I doubt these off peak tariffs would help us. 21:30 would allow us to run the dishwasher and maybe tumble dryer later but we have a constant draw throughout the day which would be at the higher rate (plus oven & hobs would be in peak).
Soldato
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fair enough, just mentioning it just in case...... these products are still amazing IF you have an electric car (which is what they are made for) and can be beneficial if you have a home battery) but now the peak prices are so much more than the current variable ceiling then you are right, you are better off on variable without a battery or EV.
the last few years octopus go was really odd...... even its peak price was a little bit cheaper than their variable price, so for me it was a no brainer. once my current deal expires however i am not sure what i will do unless i can find an affordable electric car........
If we had an electric car I'd do it but can't afford it right now. It's a shame there are no government incentives to help people switch to solar / battery solutions, even an interest free long-term loan would help as you could pay it off with the savings (guess your monthly bill will still be high though until its paid for). I know they have done the VAT cut but prices have jumped up anyway due to demand / supply.
Edit:
The Home Energy Scotland Loan sounds pretty good, should offer that in England.
Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan
Find out how to turn your house into a cosy, efficient home with grants and/or an interest-free loan funded by the Scottish Government.
www.homeenergyscotland.org
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All that didn't explain why the electric meter works fine. It's only the gas that doesn't work.
Soldato
So the ideal is to have EV or they wont allow this new package even. Maybe a really cheap Leaf is out there not even drivable any more but eligible for this package, 200iq move
The Home Energy Scotland scheme is a great example of how to do things painfully slow and overly complex.If we had an electric car I'd do it but can't afford it right now. It's a shame there are no government incentives to help people switch to solar / battery solutions, even an interest free long-term loan would help as you could pay it off with the savings (guess your monthly bill will still be high though until its paid for). I know they have done the VAT cut but prices have jumped up anyway due to demand / supply.
Edit:
The Home Energy Scotland Loan sounds pretty good, should offer that in England.
Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan
Find out how to turn your house into a cosy, efficient home with grants and/or an interest-free loan funded by the Scottish Government.
I'll write up my experiences once I finally get my £5,000.
Soldato
- Joined
- 23 May 2006
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so when i signed up the wording was that the package was designed for people with electric cars, but it didnt specify you had to have one. since then the wording has been tweaked a bit. i have heard rumours that some people have been asked to show proof of V5 / rental now but others havent.So the ideal is to have EV or they wont allow this new package even. Maybe a really cheap Leaf is out there not even drivable any more but eligible for this package, 200iq move
i renewed recently for another year and i was not asked to provide proof... this may be because i was existing customer, it may be i got lucky..... or it may be that they could see my energy use.
ultimately it isnt that they care about people having an electric car....... it is that they want to push people away from peak time use and onto off peak use and thanks to my home battery and solar i can do that without an electric car, so i guess i am doing what they want to be done without the car.
i have lamented on this before so sorry if i am a broken record but....... last year i could have got an immaculate 2013 leaf for 5k off a mate.... only 60 mile range on a cold day (80 on a warm day if driving frugally) but that would have been perfect replacement for our 2nd car for trips into cambridge or the 15 mile commute to work (we still have a few free chargers at work too)
i stupidly past on it and now feel a grade A plonker.
The gas is likely on a different network provider than your electric meter (different sim card inside the meter)
They don't work like that.
Gas meter only communicates with the electric meter, it's then the electric meter that talks to the IHD and the supplier.
So it's the link between the gas meter and the electric meter.
That bad hey, £5k loan for solar and a £6k loan for the battery sounds pretty good at first glance but guess the devil is in the details.
Soldato
Its great at 0% interest for 10 years
Here's my story so far. Phoned up to enquire about it - spoke to someone who was friendly and helpful, set me up so I could start my application and explained what was on offer.
Got some quotes from some installers, picked the one I wanted, then the Home Energy Scotland systems went down for about 2 weeks so I couldn't submit my application for the loan or get the home energy selector report from them. The selector report is done via phone call to ensure what you are wanting to get funding for is suitable for your home.
Fast forward 2 weeks, got my selector report confirmed this was a good choice and I got my report. Submitted my application for the loan.
Fast forward 16 days, got my approval for the loan, filled in loads of forms, scanned them and sent them back via email. Confirmed my order with my chosen installer.
Got my panels installed a month ago. In order for the funding to be released you need to get a EPC report done, managed to get someone local to do it for £100. Paid the installer via my CC (which was good for Section 75 protection).
Submitted my paperwork - EPC report, MCS document, Invoice showing payment, claim form, leave a review of the installation 20 days ago.
Today - still waiting on my £5k, will chase tomorrow as I'll need to raid my savings to pay my CC bill to avoid paying interest.
Postives: £5k over 120 month, will save more per year than the cost of repayments
Negatives - 1.5% admin fee on the loan (added to the loan, no choice in that) of £75, and EPC report at £100 - so £175 in extra expense you wouldn't need with a bank loan or using savings. Effort in applying.
It's a good scheme but very, very slow to process and only good if you have cash or credit to front the install or some of it, apparently you can claim up to 65% as a staging payment before the install is completed but this isn't guaranteed.
I'd hate to think how people who don't have access to lots of cash or credit would be able to use this effectively, especially if looking to get a battery as well or some sort of heat pump type solution which is even more expensive.
We will, especially if someone can save/make a few quid more.
Home energy deals/loans
think you need to be confident in the warranty of the solar/battery products and that you will remain in the property for the duration of the loan period.
https://electriccarhome.co.uk/battery-storage/whats-the-lifetime-of-a-home-battery/ lot of due diligence required.
UK offers for cavity wall/loft insulation /boilers - father wanted to know if it was worth while updating a 20 year old boiler -
turns out the government cost cutting figures are optimistic versus reality
www.carboncommentary.com
Research published by DECC last month showed that home insulation measures deliver half the savings that are claimed. A study of homeowners installing a package of cavity and loft insulation and a new boiler in 2010 indicated a 19% reduction in energy use, and a likely saving of about £140 at current gas prices.
(gas prices increased since then but the percentages remain the same)
Household Energy Efficiency detailed release: Great Britain Data to December 2020 18 March 2021
think you need to be confident in the warranty of the solar/battery products and that you will remain in the property for the duration of the loan period.
https://electriccarhome.co.uk/battery-storage/whats-the-lifetime-of-a-home-battery/ lot of due diligence required.
UK offers for cavity wall/loft insulation /boilers - father wanted to know if it was worth while updating a 20 year old boiler -
turns out the government cost cutting figures are optimistic versus reality
Actual energy savings from efficiency measures only half what is officially claimed | Carbon Commentary
( This article provided some of the data for the Guardian's article on energy efficiency on 18.01.14. I have put it at the top of this web site in order to make it easy to find. Chris Goodall) Research published by DECC last month showed that home insulation measures deliver half t
www.carboncommentary.com
(gas prices increased since then but the percentages remain the same)
Household Energy Efficiency detailed release: Great Britain Data to December 2020 18 March 2021
I’d be inclined to keep a hot water tank going forward. You’ll want to future proof against a post gas world and the best options all utilise hot water tanks.
Plus they are very useful now for diverting excess Solar etc if you have it or want to get it in the future.
My parents have a very efficient setup, solar panels, and a wood stove that has a heat exchanger into the hot water tank. Think they have a small turbine now as well.
Between the solar and the wood burner heating the house and hot water, they use barely any electric.