Octopus Saving Sessions (Demand Flexibility Service) 2023/24 - Everything You NEED To Know

[@grahamshaul7769]

Very useful. I hadn't realised that there was the opportunity to export which counts as reduced usage. Just a modest £4.63 earned. Plus the export of about 30p at the usual export rate.

[@everythinghome]

Hi Graham - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. That's great - it all helps! If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

[@DumfriesDik]

We made 38p during the last 30 min savings session! BUT we are in the drawer for the prizes. So you can use energy downloaded from the grid with impunity? Nice. I am window shopping for solar and batteries. Cheers.

[@everythinghome]

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. It all helps! Yes, the saving sessions are a good chance to earn on any battery storage we have 👌 Exciting, be sure to check out my 1 year solar and battery review which may be helpful. All the best. Shan If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

[@Trenchfoot1]

Thanks, all the info needed.

[@everythinghome]

Hi Mark - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. If you’ve not already, please do like this video and stay tuned for some more content 🙂

[@SteveTrim1]

Thanks. That’s really helpful and I’m charging my battery now for the 16:30 saving session today.

[@everythinghome]

Hi Stephen - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. If you’ve not already, please do like this video and stay tuned for some more content 🙂

[@DanielStreetDynamiX]

Can you still do this if you haven't got export set up with octopus?

[@everythinghome]

@DanielStreetDynamiX - No, I believe you have to have an export tariff set up with them.

[@philip_james]

At £4 per kWh I just had to maximise the export so I switched off almost everything in the house and the smart meter showed I was exporting 3.59kw. total exported in the 1.5 hour session was 5.3kwh 👍

[@everythinghome]

Hi Philip - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Completely agree, similar export to ours today 👍🏽 If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

[@geoffreycoan]

“Within a few days you’ll get your octo points for the energy you saved”. My experience in the first session wasn’t that quick. For the first saving session on the 16th we didn’t get our 2736 points until 27th November. I did contact Octopus after a week to check I hadn’t been lost, and they confirmed that they were still processing the data, so it can take a while. We’re on Agile and the rates in the peak have been sky high; 56 and 65p/kW in the peak so we’re already trying to cut peak consumption as much as possible 😮

[@everythinghome]

Hi Geoffrey - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. I agree - it isn't the quickest. Since I posted this video I've come across this rather useful link in a Facebook group - savingsessions.streamlit.app/?fbclid=IwAR0eN6ZO_vZP3lRXB5ZE9oJp9qM8ijvIOeBqynL1beQVndOb90IiRrDmaEs If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

[@geoffreycoan]

Forgot to say, our winter solar has been quite variable. Overcast days it’s almost nothing, but yesterday for example 11kW generated. Considering what the ASHP is chewing through, I need it!

[@geoffreycoan]

@@everythinghome Wow Shan, that’s a seriously useful app. It could do with a bit more information about what it’s doing with my API key, but trusting it, it’s really useful and accurate information on saving session rewards. I’ve tried the Octo aid app which gives an estimate but it seems to be “off” by some margin, don’t know why

[@ecoterrorist1402]

how often have the saving sessions been my understanding is also they offer free electric when the grid is at the greenest is there some where i can get the data for the past 3 months

[@everythinghome]

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. You can find out more info on the saving sessions here: octopus.energy/blog/saving-sessions-faqs/ Re free electricity I believe you are making reference to the Octopus Power-ups which at the moment are unfortunately only available in the SE&E England: octopus.energy/power-ups/ If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

[@constructioneerful]

Exciting times! At what power does your give energy system charge up?

[@everythinghome]

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Approximately 3KW charge and discharge rate, would have liked 5KW but such is life! Maybe in an upgrade 😆 If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

[@GaryDoesSolar]

Great video, Shan. I was trying to ask you a question, but KZbin is blocking it because of an email address - I'll try messaging in your Facebook group instead...

[@everythinghome]

Thanks Gary, I've replied 👍🏽 chat soon

[@lharris828]

But, we are on Fits and I don't think that Octopus measures our export power, so is this valid during a saving session?

[@everythinghome]

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. I had another solar array added and have so since given up my deemed export FIT payment to have all my export paid by Octopus. If you have no export paid by Octopus then as you say I don't think they would pay you for any electricity discharged during the saving session but worth checking with them. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

[@douglasmackay9617]

Hi Shan, good explanation - I assume to export to the grid I will need an export tariff of some description? I am battery only as it’s a top floor flat on a Grade 2 listed building so solar would be very expensive & difficult due to planning. But can any battery be used for export? I noticed today that only the Gov Energy batteries can work with Octopus Intelligent Flux tariff & wondered if this was the same with Outgoing Agile?

[@everythinghome]

Hi Douglas - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. Yes to export to the grid you'll need to be set up on an export tariff. As I understand it, as long as your inverter can discharge your battery back to the grid then yes. Correct, currently only GivEnergy batteries work with Intelligent Octopus Flux but I suspect this will be expanded. There is no such limitation with Outgoing Agile. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video

[@richardparry1453]

Octopus is not compatible with a tariff known as Economy 10 although it should be easily available via a smart meter but nobody offers it. Economy 10 is by far the best tariff for a PV system with batteries albeit there is no access to an export tariff, instead think of ways to utilise the extra PV in summer months. In other words stick with an Economy 10 meter if you have one or can get one fitted. Octopus and it's associated tariffs only work with "Smart meters" that in fact are far from smart but a way of reducing meter measuring costs.

[@everythinghome]

Hi Richard - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. I don't know a huge amount about economy 10 so thank you for your insight. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

[@lynnfisher4396]

Like you were are very low electricity users ( less than 800kw per year all at off peak Intelligent Octopus rates). Our aim has always been to consume as little grid electricity as possible and being on the original FITS scheme we are amply rewarded for the output of our original 3 kw array. That said we still opt in for the sessions even through our grid use will always be zero. Why?, just to give Octopus an indication that we are willing to do so. I am sure they monitor the number of customers willing to move load and the more that do, the more innovative ideas they will come up with. There is no financial incentive for us winning 8 Octopoints per session and won’t net us a big reduction in our already tiny electricity bill, but it’s something we will do this winter.

[@everythinghome]

Hi Lynn - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. We're also on the 2015 FIT scheme but had another solar array installed in 2022 as well as battery. We've since given up our FIT deemed export payment, our FIT generation payment is untouched (not without some serious consideration first kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJrKimOXfbeCnsU). Exporting to the grid during these times makes it worth it for us. Wow that's a fantastically low annual consumption - glad to see you're already there. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

[@lynnfisher4396]

@@everythinghome already liked etc. We have extra Pv but as the deemed export is currently 6p+ and last year we only exported 1200 kWh total the financial gain from giving that up wasn’t really worth it. Even with the added pv we doubt we will export much more than 2000 kWh next year and although we could gain on Flux for example in the summer, it’s not worth it in for us in two ways. No.1 and by far the most important reason our commitment to reduce our grid use and No.2 the ability to just stay on the same tariff and not swap every spring and autumn. Having the index linking for the FITS means next years deemed export will be close to the 7.5p offered on Intelligent Outgoing. As you so eloquently explained on the linked video, anyone with a solar/battery system really needs to fully understand what they are trying to achieve with their system, take into account theur personal use patterns and how that may change in the future and work out likely changes in the energy markets as they evolve. There’s no stock answer for a question, it all depends on personal circumstances.

[@everythinghome]

Hi Lynn - thanks for the reply. It sounds like you've thought long and hard about it and have achieved what you set out to achieve 👍 All the best, Shan