Octopus Power Ups and Free Energy Sessions

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

New launch by Octopus

If you sign up and your area is included you may get some free Leccy.
Its when your local DNO has excess renewables in your mix.

Right now its just the "East" but you can follow the link and if your not eligible you can show your support.
(link for this is let us know if its not your area)

Suggest we use this thread much like the savings sessions ones to communicate as much as we can when they are announced etc.

They do say most likely to be in the summer.

Launches fully later this month (August)

Link https://octopus.energy/power-ups/

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Yep, I got this. I'm in one of the eligible areas. Not sure how useful it'll be at the moment, but would be handy over winter to top all the batteries up / clean the ovens.

I suspect they are going to be at odd times.
Its going to need high generation and low usage.
So mid day summer days, and maybe times like weekends. Plus maybe properly off peak on winter windy days.

I am not sure of exactly what mix and area it covers.
That (proposed) new solar farm not too far away now looks a little more appealing. (I didn't have issues with it anyway, specifically, but its massive and would I am sure help create a local over supply)

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

If I'm already generating peak solar I can't see it being much use. However if it's when it's windy and dark that might come in useful.

Yes I am the same
Although its going to be very much like a savings session in effect, covering to go above generation potentially

Washing, dishwasher, water heating, battery charging etc.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

First power up, today at 2-4pm!
You need to opt in, you should have an email

Dishwasher
Washing Machine
Immersion

Cant charge batteries, they are doing a special 48 hour balancing thing

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Didn't manage to use that much
As above planned usage, but my hot water tank topped out quite quickly

I would have topped up my batteries but they are still (until about 9am this morning) doing that 48 hour balancing thing I found in advanced options.
Next time however...

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Another for me tomorrow 2-4pm

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

The email also states how much you used in the previous window. I managed only 98p

I was 54p but it was a good solar day for me

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Washing got hung outside so no tumble
Batteries managed to get to around 70% as we got unexpected sun, but topped with 30% from grid (around 3kwh)
Forced diverting to the hot water right now, set for 1hr45mins. (so from 2:05-3:50 roughly)
Should probably time out as the water hits max. I had a nice long (free in effect) hot shower this morning to use up some hot water.

Solar is around 1.7kw right now, so could be exporting before the 2-4 period is up!
Assume I will still be paid for that...

Batts are on forced charge, but around 3:50pm I will switch back to self use.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

The whole feature seems weird to me. 'Spare green energy'? But, there's not much wind and there's clouds in the sky. Where's the spare energy coming from?

Great for me to do some electric intensive jobs that I was going to have to do today anyway, while there's not a lot of sun around - but I can't see how this is benefitting the grid.

Same, didn't seem windy

Could be that Octopus have excess even when the grid doesn't of course.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Another tomorrow. 2-4pm again.
Battery charging to minimum tonight.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Another tomorrow!

Luckily I planned to empty my batteries again tonight for testing with the technical support guys from Solax.
Timing is nigh on perfect since I would expect to hit minimum SOC in batteries around lunchtime / early pm tomorrow
So can force charge them up from empty again

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Another today
Thats the 5th so far, all been 2-4pm

18 Aug
31 Aug
5 Sep
7 Sept
12 Sept

Long may the freebies continue!

If your in a valid Octopus area this alone may well end up being worth the switch if you have an EV and/or home battery storage

If this does happen in winter it will be awesome to charge my batts at any time of the day

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

I am same, we/I got the 18th session credited on the 30th, so 12 days lag
If thats a decent yardstick then the 31st should hit any day.

They hit the same issues with the savings sessions. I think a lot is mainly they want to batch the whole thing, and as such where they get iffy meter data they need to give it so long before the exclude those customers.

Edit, based on my bill I think I am due 7.9kwh refund for the 31st. I was charged £1.76 its no massive amount.
It saved me 60p really since this time of year I am never really paying for any peak units.
Still every penny counts

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

They came back with below when I asked them about credit

Hey, it's great to hear you'd like to keep taking part. Your first session has been credited, and in a few weeks, we'll credit back the cost of electricity used during any further Power-ups! Stay tuned for more opportunities to save!

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Hmm funny that I chased them yesterday and they said a couple of weeks and now they have come in already, oh well anyway:

1) £0.54 (very strong solar day so didn't need any power really)
2) £3.18
3) £2.66
4) £3.23

Reality is I gained about 30% of those values because I heated water etc that would be done by gas normally.
Still I am not complaining however, long may the free energy last!

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Another tomorrow!

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Ive over cooked this one.
Hardly charged batts last night (well in reality didnt as was at % target) but I hadnt figured on my panels being damp, time of year I guess.
As West facing they are slowly clearing but are around 50% down on generation so I am drawing from grid atm.
Not much but a bit!

Needs a recalc for next session!

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Another on 19th, normal 2-4pm

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

I think the issue is that there isn't enough capacity to get it out of the region in any direction.
Eg generation is say 5gw but the main interconnects can only handle say 4gw.
So rather than throttling back the generation they are testing the approach to give it free to consumers and seeing if they can load shift.
Which is greener since for me for example it does reduce my usage at other times.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Haha I was kind of tempted to buy a couple of fan heaters last year for the savings sessions.

If this continues then I am also tempted for when its cold. Being able to wack a few kwh of heat in for free is appealing mid/late afternoon.

I found myself looking at sand batteries the other day, and how simple they are to make.
(Basically resistance wire into a "bucket" of sand. A nice cheap chunky resistance wire load is contained in a cheap kettle element...)