Energy Suppliers

In 3 weeks I'll come off my fix and I have constructed the spreadsheet below to understand the various scenarios that are currently in play in terms of the price caps and available tarrifs. Do you reckon it is worth fixing onto the 'Smooth Renew' fixed tarrif at this time or stick it out until my fix expires on 26 September?

vtd9A5I.png
 
I think if you expect the cap to keep on rising (I think it will), then probably fix. You out of pocket a lot for a month, then moderately for 3 months, but then should profit the last 8 months.

Does it have an exit fee?

These recent predictions of the cap falling in April, seem to be over reactions to a temporary drop in wholesale gas prices.
 
For a year fix you have to guess Jan & Apr Ofgem price caps. If it were zero increase a lot of the fixes are just expensive, profit win goes to the energy provider.
If the present worst case of +86% occurs and you are still using gas to heat in April then its going to make the fix look good.

The continual problem is people dont know, a war starting made a lot of fixes look amazing. I had no idea Germany forgot to have a coherent energy policy for the majority of their country, that matters as Germany can outbid us they are rich & every nation wants to trade with them as a priority. Then a lot of other parts of europe also not able to produce energy, Putin is going to be stubborn is a good guess so 30 to 86% more after the next rise is normal.

Hidden positives, USA has giant reserves beyond 70 years worth they could supply better I guess. Winter can be very mild with few sub zero days. Just use less with a heated throw with low thermostat, gas for central heating I think is not now viable unless your house retains that heat perfectly; it will be November before some read the bill and understand that.

The 1yr fix +60% above the cap is pointless seems like, unless you are away on holiday till Jan and rates then raise to 60% making it at least par. I dont think Jan increase is +60% only if winter in early '23 is harsh across europe then I think jan and april combined does exceed 60% but by then the fix just overcharged you vs price cap
 
Octopus Home Mini (a CAD, or Consumer Access Device,

octopus.energy

Meet the Octopus Home Mini

The Octopus Home Mini is a brand new, cutting-edge bit of tech that makes understanding your energy usage easier than ever before.
octopus.energy octopus.energy

We see this new level of data analysis as a vital step towards a cheaper, smarter, greener, all electric system; a system that empowers customers to be an important part of the solution.
the Octopus Home Mini (a CAD, or Consumer Access Device, which can unlock real-time smart meter data for customers, so they can explore their energy in real time online like never before).

...
Samsam: Can you tell me a little bit more about the Octopus Home Mini, and what sets it apart?
Derya: So, currently smart meters come with In Home Displays, which allow you to view your consumption. However, they don’t offer a lot of information, and it is often outdated/incorrect. It’s also confined to a room as they have to be plugged into a wall at all times, so often people will simply unplug it and forget about the entire device.
Our Octopus Home Mini has 2 radios; a Zigbee radio and a WIFI radio. Over its Zigbee radio it connects to a smart meter through the Zigbee Smart Energy Network and retrieves near real time consumption data. Over its WIFI radio it connects to the home WIFI router, and streams the usage data it retrieves directly from the smart meter to the Cloud and our Kraken platform.
...
Derya: The Octopus Home Mini will let us explore energy data like never before. It paves the way for the true power of smart meters to be unleashed, providing detailed, real-time data which will allow us to unlock the domestic flexibility potential.
Click to expand...


jpaul said:
(being with bulb) interesting, hadn't heard of the smarthing integration, can't see what exact data it enables you to see&save, to understand your use.
https://bulb.co.uk/blog/were-partnering-with-samsung-to-help-you-get-more-out-of-your-smart-meter

not that surprising, but you need an smets2+correct IHD
What's the difference between an IHD and a CAD?​
Most of Bulb's IHDs have a built-in 'CAD' or Consumer Access Device. Other companies supply the CAD as a separate hub that you plug into your broadband router. If you have a CAD, and connect it to your home Wi-Fi, it works as a bridge, sending much more frequent readings (around once per minute) than the meters can over the radio or mobile network.​
Click to expand...
 
seems the octopus mini may not give locally archiveable data ... but the alternative currenty £69



www.speaktothegeek.co.uk

Hildebrand Glow UPDATE! Local MQTT and Home Assistant

Those nice people over at Hildebrand were probably like “some geek is moaning on YouTube about the Glow display not supporting local access, I’ll release this firmware update straight away so as hi…
www.speaktothegeek.co.uk www.speaktothegeek.co.uk
Those nice people over at Hildebrand were probably like “some geek is moaning on YouTube about the Glow display not supporting local access, I’ll release this firmware update straight away so as his video is out of date, that’ll show him.”. Yeah, that’s probably exactly how it went! Or… the cynic in me suspects that this might have something to do with Octopus launching their new Octopus Home Mini CAD which basically does the same thing as Glow. Hildebrand now quickly needed a way to differentiate their product, and Local MQTT access is that feature. (Update August 2022: Jane from Hildebrand has contacted me to assure me that the timing of the release of local MQTT on the Glow display with the announcement of the Octopus CAD was purely co-incidental, and that my hypothetical scenario is not true!)
 
ChrisD. said:
How come you switched? Are there cashback deals available? And do Octopus give you a monthly or quarterly bill regardless of how you pay?
Click to expand...
Octopus have a referral credit (£50 each for both sides) and better availability of other flexible tariffs. My gas has been when I submit readings, still waiting for my electric but hasn't been a full month yet.
 
ChrisD. said:
How come you switched? Are there cashback deals available? And do Octopus give you a monthly or quarterly bill regardless of how you pay?
Click to expand...

Octopus do a referral scheme which is £50 for the person who refers you and £50 for the person taking out the service.

I pay Octopus via Variable DD (so adjusts based on usage, same thing as whole amount) and get a monthly statement bill at the same date each month.

Smart meters here though. Best to have them when you're with Octopus as they don't offer much for non-smart meter people.
 
ChrisD. said:
Those with British Gas - how often do they give you an actual bill?
Click to expand...

I give meter readings monthly (standard meter) and normally get a bill each month, pay whole amount DD. The exception seems to be when I submitted my reading on the 1st instead of the 31st they didn't bill me for that month and waited until the next reading I submitted.
 
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This is what I see:

Clean-Shot-2023-05-10-at-14-12-11.png


The June bill isn't a bill, it's what they added when I rang them in November to ask for my £1500 or whatever it was back until they produce a bill. They magically produced a bill when I requested my money, but haven't done another since. It was painful enough ringing them the first time and their live chat is useless.

I have a smart meter and pay a fixed DD per month, they clearly know how much I'm using as I can see how much credit they think I'm in and they suggest lowering the DD amount.
 
^ more soliciting

ChrisD. said:
I have a smart meter and pay a fixed DD per month, they clearly know how much I'm using as I can see how much credit they think I'm in and they suggest lowering the DD amount.
Click to expand...
But they are taking the money every month, like Bulb do for me, and, as you did, you can get them to return any credit, if the DD is way off.
changing to octopus/other you can loose the IHD if that matters, also, the supposed queues for the interesting octopus agile contracts.



jpaul said:
seems the octopus mini may not give locally archiveable data ... but the alternative currenty £69
Click to expand...
there's a new all vendor IHD / cad , with MQTT home assistant interface, and app, coincidentally £50+pp

ivie.co.uk

ivie Bud - Smart Meter Monitor | Replacement In-Home Display

With the ivie Bud replacement in-home display, you can check exactly how much energy you’re using and make smarter decisions on how and when to save energy.
ivie.co.uk ivie.co.uk


** No Hotlinking of images please **
 
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jpaul said:
^ more soliciting


But they are taking the money every month, like Bulb do for me, and, as you did, you can get them to return any credit, if the DD is way off.
changing to octopus/other you can loose the IHD if that matters, also, the supposed queues for the interesting octopus agile contracts.




there's a new all vendor IHD / cad , with MQTT home assistant interface, and app, coincidentally £50+pp

ivie.co.uk

ivie Bud - Smart Meter Monitor | Replacement In-Home Display

With the ivie Bud replacement in-home display, you can check exactly how much energy you’re using and make smarter decisions on how and when to save energy.
ivie.co.uk ivie.co.uk

So-far-today-1024x740-1.png
Click to expand...
I am not sure there are queues for Agile.
I thought the only queues were for tracker (gas)
 
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