Octopus Charge Pack - Further Update: So last night Octopus reset my minimum SOC to 7% from 20%, which to be honest Im not that comfortable with. It also looked like the scheduled charge to 90% in the cheap rate period was overwritten. My current thoughts are that this probably isnt going to work for me, but I will give it to the end of the month to see what the payback is.

@bontwoody This sounds somewhat analogous to my experience with IOF last year; my 27 kWh Powerwall battery was drained at a rate of 10 kW and when it reached the lowest level of 20% - it then started to recharge at the peak rate as it was still within the 3 hour peak slot. Regards, Toodles.

@toodles Well they say in the T&Cs that any charging in the peak rate period will be compensated for, so you are not financially disadvantaged, however that still means energy I would have exported is used to recharge my battery. I really would rather not go as low as 7% SOC but it seems that I cant do anything about it. I might see if I can find a way to feedback to octopus

@bontwoody I wrote to OE and related my experience; I wrote again earlier this year enquiring as to whether the algorithms had been reviewed / debugged. I was informed my comments would be passed on but I have heard no further. Regards, Toodles.

@toodles Well, Ive sent it. Ill give it till the end of the month 🙂

@toodles Didn’t happen with me on IOF once, and I was on it from April-Oct. 
The only time it played up was during a calibration event and that was driven by Tesla as opposed to OE. Don’t know why I’m defending a scheme that I can’t join!

just had my heat pump serviced, went with BG in the end, very happy with it. £24 a month and it includes a service and break down cover fir entire heating and hot water system (call out, parts and labour). BG liaises with manufacturer directly for any warranty claims. For those with an active warranty it offers a very convenient and good value service. They even included the homely as part of the control system as BG installs them too.

@papahuhu

Posted by: @papahuhu

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Don’t know why I’m defending a scheme that I can’t join!

Groucho Marx had something to say about not joining any organisation that would admit him as a member.

So I am really having difficulty trying to work out whats going on with Octopus Charge Pack. On Friday I had this email:

It was the first notification I have had of a "session"

However if you look at what been happening with my battery SOC since I joined Charge Pack on the 9th July.

Its clear that Fridays activity was in fact the norm. I am really keen to see what happens to my bill at the end of the month!

The government has announced that VAT will be removed from household electricity bills for six months from 1 October, which should save the average household around £45, so it’s hardly transformative, but for heat pump owners it raises a much bigger question... is this the beginning of a serious attempt to rebalance electricity and gas prices or just another temporary sticking plaster?

@bontwoody Highly opaque comms from OE, quite atypical. I looked at the scheme and couldn’t understand the returns either, it needs to be buttoned down quickly or they risk getting into hot water with the regulator on this one. 

Posted by: @editor

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The government has announced that VAT will be removed from household electricity bills for six months from 1 October, which should save the average household around £45, so it’s hardly transformative, but for heat pump owners it raises a much bigger question... is this the beginning of a serious attempt to rebalance electricity and gas prices or just another temporary sticking plaster?

FWIW my interpretation is that this is quite deliberately a sticking plaster, quite probably prior to formulating a more comprehensive approach to cost of living challenges quite possibly embracing green matters also.  Its something that can be done easily and has immediate impact, whereas anything more systemic is likely to require a budget revision (not currently due until November), consultation, possible changes in law etc and therefore cannot be implemented in time for the winter season.  The fact that it applies to electricity only is definitely interesting, and does suggest that the intent goes beyond relief to 'cost of living' and combines this with rebalancing the argument incentives for electrification.  

I suspect the uncertain duration of the middle east conflict also has a part to play in adopting something simple and quick.  That said and given the latest activities in the middle east I would say that its now more than a fair bet that this has become another 'forever war' that the Americans are destined to lose, as they generally do, at the expense of the rest of the planet, and therefore the smart money is increasingly on the assumption that things in this region can only get worse.

@jamespa, I think that’s a fair reading of it. It feels deliberately temporary to me too, something the government can implement quickly before winter, while buying time for a more substantive solution later.

The electricity only element is the most interesting part for me. If this were purely a cost-of-living measure, you might expect broader energy relief. Targeting electricity does suggest at least some recognition that electrification is currently being held back by the price imbalance with gas.

I’d also agree that wider geopolitical uncertainty is probably part of the calculation. A short-term VAT cut gives them flexibility without committing to a permanent structural change while wholesale markets remain so exposed. The real test will be what follows in the autumn, because six months of relief is useful, but it won’t fix the underlying issues, and with the Iran conflict likely to drag on for the foreseeable future, energy is going to remain one of the most volatile and politically sensitive pressures on household finances this winter.