Anyone still weathering it out with Agile? - Electricity, Tariffs, Monitoring & Providers

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

Batpred — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 15:25:16 +0000

We are still on agile and it works ok'ish to charge the EV. But the way the market is working I am not sure we will stick with it for long. We have HA but without PV I suspect our consumption will benefit from the predictability of a lower overnight rate.

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

Tim441 — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 17:03:27 +0000

@toodles I guess it all comes down to import averages. Which is going to be impacted by ToU tariff, time-shifting usage etc.

In my case I'm importing vast majority at night at 7p/kWh... for own usage and filling batteries.

In summer using batteries to force export + maximise solar export.

In winter using batteries to supply home ... and refill during day from solar (if any excess) + any bonus cheap slots.

I think I should keep the average for year sub 8p as a result. But with max exports it's a game changer.

When I was on Agile in 2024 the average was around 12 or 13p I think. But far less exports as the round trip was not worthwhile.

Tracker in 2023 was a decent saving vs fixed or standard contracts.

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

Toodles — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 14:20:09 +0000

@tim441 As you say Tim, very difficult to quantify any savings or ROI even, for a battery; I have often wondered about the savings I make from my solar PV - the figures might be very different with or without a battery. Without a battery, I might quantify my solar ‘gain’ at 25 pence per kW/h as I would not likely be using a TOU tariff but a fixed one. As I do have a battery (Tesla 27kW/h Powerwall), I opted for Cosy and pay ~ 13 pence per kW/h and let the battery take the strain. But wait! I am only showing a solar ‘gain’ of ~13 pence per kW/h now!?😉. In fact, my exported energy realises 15 pence per kW/h with Octopus Outgoing Fixed (at the moment anyway!) Oh, now my brain hurts! Regards, Toodles.

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

Tim441 — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:33:55 +0000

@jamespetts I agree it's extremely hard to calculate ROI on batteries as it will also see changes in usage patterns as well as opening up tariff options.

Factors include

EV? Usage? Charger?
Solar panels? Size?
Inverter charge/discharge rates?
Batteries? Size?
ASHP? size? Usage?
Automation options including HA, WonderWatt Homely etc?

In my case

EV? Yes Usage? Around 2000kWh/pa. Charger - zappi
Solar panels yes Size 8.5kw
Inverter charge/discharge rates? Only 2.6kWh
Batteries? Size 24.6kWh
ASHP yes size? 16kw Usage: 6000kWh/pa. Weather compensation controls
Automation options including HA, WonderWatt Homely etc? Yes. WonderWatt

I crank up heating of house and hot water at night on cheap rates
Solar probably produces around 6500kWh/pa (not optimal orientation etc). Endeavour to export majority

Usage: say 6k ashp, 2k ev, 2k all other usage Inc lighting, cooking.

Import: say 3k kWh/pa at cheap rate overnight for later force export as well as filling batteries for own usage + charge ev + run ashp

Expected TOTAL imports 13000kWh @ 8p Intelligent Go = £1040

Expected TOTAL exports 6500kWh @ 15p = £975

Expected Net cost £65 for 1 year usage in 2025

So I conclude the batteries are a no brainer for me. But I could not have assumed that in advance. Charge/discharge rate is a significant barrier to maximising but newer installations are likely to be better especially if part of a setup such as Tesla, GivEnergy All-in-one etc

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

jamespetts — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:58:08 +0000

I have been using Agile since last October. Like another poster here, I use Home Assistant to make the most of it, automatically heating my water at the optimum time every day, heating it to a higher temperature when the price is very low (so that the heat carries over to the next day) and even higher when prices are negative. In summer, I get good very export rates from my solar panels in the early evenings when the sun is shining and prices are high.

So far, I have not paid any electricity bill since October 2024, and my account is about £27 in debit. On the sunnier side of the equinoxes, I am earning more in exports than I am paying in imports.

I am currently considering whether to invest in batteries, but it is difficult to compute the likely return on investment.

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

NJT — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 20:45:50 +0000

I went to Agile when I had solar installed July last year.

I then had heat pump installed in September and swapped to Cosy shortly after with the intention of switching back to Agile after winter, but looking at the rates I decided to stick with Cosy.
May this year I virtually stopped importing from grid, and have managed with 6.4kwh batteries topped up each day along with house usage and a good export from solar. So my only daily cost had been standing charge and the odd couple of pence usage.

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

Majordennisbloodnok — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 20:38:23 +0000

but to be honest I decided I 'CBA' to check the Agile 24hr lookahead each evening and make manual adjustments to my 13kWh BESS charging times via the oh-so-clunky Chinese Growatt App.

If I’d had to do the same, I’d’ve lost the will to live. That’s precisely why I said earlier that Agile requires some form of automation to get the best out of it. For me, that was the whole reason I went modbus with the Growatt inverter and slapped multiple automations into Home Assistant. Without that, I’m sure I’d be on a different tariff.

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

AllyFish — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 17:45:43 +0000

I played 'stick' rather than 'twist' this summer. I would normally have flipped from Cosy to Agile, but to be honest I decided I 'CBA' to check the Agile 24hr lookahead each evening and make manual adjustments to my 13kWh BESS charging times via the oh-so-clunky Chinese Growatt App. Last year it got tedious after the novelty of it wore off. If I could easily automate this process with no capital investment I would be tempted, but Cosy + BESS saves us massively in the heating season, and we don't import much in the summer season. It might have saved me a tenner or two over the summer, maybe, possibly. I don't know, but I won't lose any sleep over it.

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

Majordennisbloodnok — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 18:11:18 +0000

@majordennisbloodnok There is also a quote about the first telephone link up - that it was so successful the speaker could see that the day would come when there would be a telephone in every city!

Yes, but now try finding a working phone box….

RE: Anyone still weathering it out with Agile?

Toodles — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 17:51:24 +0000

@majordennisbloodnok There is also a quote about the first telephone link up - that it was so successful the speaker could see that the day would come when there would be a telephone in every city!