Tariff and charging strategy advice please
Hi all,
I'm looking to probe the assembled brain trust for advice on the best tariff options for my imminent energy systems upgrade - installers on-site this month. A couple of caveats up front - to keep this on topic 😉
- I know tariff design is changing - there's a lot more flexible tariffs these days, and there's national discussions re: zonal and half-hourly pricing - let's go with what's available or is expected soon.
- My set-up and final components may not be to your liking. However, after nearly three years of effort, I've finally managed to get this project off the starting blocks. Could I have chosen differently? Absolutely. However, one aspect people on the internet don't discuss is that if you tell the installer what to install, you become much more responsible for the system working, i.e. "but sir, you told us your heat loss calculations were better/more accurate than ours. We sized the heat pump to your specs, it's not our fault if it's undersized". I have to hold my installers responsible, not offer them a get-out clause if there is work to be done to optimise the system. I realise this is a fine balance with cowboy or inexperienced installers who don't know or care about what they install.
We have a 4-bedroom bungalow in the north-east of Scotland that has been insulated within an inch of its life. We currently have an oil boiler and a boiler stove connected to a 500-litre thermal store that provides heating and mains pressure DHW. There's 6 kW PV on the roof with a 3.6 kW Solis inverter. I've put off exporting until this current project is finished - then I may consider it. I'm still working on the "every electron generated is a prisoner" mentality, but am open to the option that it might be more cost-effective to export PV during the day and import at a cheap rate overnight.
So what will I have by the end of the month?
- 9 kW Kensa ground-source heat pump, with a 200m borehole, 300 litre hot water tank, and a 90 litre buffer (that's going to trigger people, but it is specified by Kensa, so again it's safer to go with the recommendation)
- 7 kW Zappi EV charger - though the EV won't be along until later in the year. Likely to be a Mini, or something of a similar size, for mostly local trips. Have a petrol car for long trips.
- 8 kW PV array (another 2 kW to the current system)
- Tesla Powerwall3 plus an expansion pack, giving 17 kWh of storage.
We are currently with OVO on a standard tariff and have no smart meter. Before the heat pump, EV, and potential export, we have gone from 6,200 kWh a year to 4,800 kWh with the current PV. That means that we have used about half of the electricity generated. I'm guessing our future demand will be in the region of 8 to 10,000 kWh with the heat pump and EV, but I will have to wait a year to get good data.
My current thinking is to be in a position all year round to never need to use standard or peak rate electricity.
In the summer, we use about 10 kWh daily, and the current PV array generates between 10-15 kWh per day from Apr to Sep. The upgraded PV will likely provide for all our needs (including the EV), so an overnight tariff to top up the battery in readiness for cloudy days is what is needed.
In the winter, our current demand goes to 16-18 kWh per day, and PV averages about 1.5 kWh (6 on the rare good day). Future winter demand will jump hugely, I just don't know by how much yet. The working assumption here is that we charge the battery to full overnight, topping up with whatever PV we manage to get. I need to check how quickly the battery can be charged, but I'm guessing this will be the limiting factor. So, again, an overnight tariff that has a long enough duration to fill the batteries.
After writing it all down, it looks like I need a tariff that allows as much overnight charging as possible, but that doesn't tie me into specific equipment, like an EV charger or heat pump manufacturer. Octopus used to be the go-to supplier for innovative tariffs, but it looks like others are catching up quickly. What are people's thoughts?
One final thought from me, I might end up pulling more current than my cut-out fuse can handle with overnight demand from an EV charging, a battery charging, and the heat pump ticking over. Is this really a risk? I have just been upgraded from a 60 A to 80 A fuse. The 80 A fuse can go over 100 A for a while, but every winter night for 6 hours? Not sure.
Thanks in advance for your input
There are a number of similarities in our systems; I have 8.1 kwp. of solar panels, 27 kWh of Powerwall 2 battery, similar consumption figures but no EV here.
I have been on OE’s Cosy until 1st April when I swapped to try Intelligent Octopus Flux and this I have not really had time to evaluate yet.
With Cosy, you would be able to charge your 27 kWh of PW3 in approximately 3 hours (the system can be (as mine is), set to handle 10 kW import / export as I have a G99 approval from the DNO for this. Cosy provides 3 x 3 hour slots at the cheapest rate and I found I never needed to use the middle or high rate at any time; the battery supplied everything outside of those cheapest hours.
Not having an EV, I am not able to evaluate if there are gains to be made using an EV tariff but certainly, with the Cosy slots spread over the full day, I have had no problems maintaining a charge sufficient for my needs including an 8 kW Daikin ASHP.
If you would like any more details, please let me know via this august channel! Regards, Toodles.
Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.
We are also in NE Scotland, we have a smart meter - but does not communicate as signal is sh!te.
We are on just E7. I use home assistant to do two things
At a PV generation Watts (600W) and battery state of charge (over 97%) I start the heat pump at an elevated flow temperature and let it run the battery down to 95%.
I do similar with a big relay for the immersion in the cylinder. That doesn't start until 98% and again I run battery down to 95%. Did have a normal diverter, but with batteries not the best, so did my own thing instead.
Ideal for me, is don't export, so let battery float at just below fully charged.
I have tried smart charging strategies, but not really had a good experience, PV output just doesn't keep consistent with forecast, so either under or overcharge. At the moment I either just charge overnight to 100% if the forecast is over 30kWh I will sometimes reduce the charge down to 50%. But I run the heat pump either in heating mode or cooling mode nothing else.
If I had a working smart meter, I would just go to octopus cosy and get three bites at battery charging a day. Zero thought battery management, leave the heat pump ticking over 24/7 no chance of running on an elevated tariff.
Oops! Sorry, Cosy has a 2 hour and 2 x 3 hour slots. I tended to use the 22:00 - 24:00 to top up the battery and charge the Sunamp Thermino DHW system.
I have the Myenergi Eddi set to handle the DHW charging by Solar and / or grid. The early morning Cosy 04:00 - 07:00 slot then topped up the Powerwall again and if I need it, again the 13:00 - 16:00 slot topped things up again.
This scheme has worked very well for me and I may well go back to Cosy later in the year when ASHP needs to be woken up again. Regards, Toodles.
Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.
Posted by: @algienonAfter writing it all down, it looks like I need a tariff that allows as much overnight charging as possible, but that doesn't tie me into specific equipment, like an EV charger or heat pump manufacturer. Octopus used to be the go-to supplier for innovative tariffs, but it looks like others are catching up quickly. What are people's thoughts?
That sounds like eon next drive, essentially economy 7. 7hrs at 7p in return for about a 10% uplift on daytime rate. Fixed for a year.
I'm on it, the simplicity is attractive but of course it may change. I charge my EV on a granny charger and run as many high use domestic appliances at night as possible. They will pay you 15p for export if you need it.
4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.
Posted by: @toodlesMyenergi Eddi set to handle the DHW charging by Solar and / or grid
Do you find that effective with a battery? I found using the small amount of watts as overspill once the battery was charged, wasn't effective at charging the cylinder via the immersion. Seemed to used way more kWh to get cylinder to 70 degs. With relay doing the full 3kW in chunks my water seems to be at 70 deg most days the sun is out.
@johnmo I have tended to regard the solar element of the charging as a bonus; not being able to predict or rely on sufficient solar at times when I require it, I mainly use Cosy cheap rate times to do the grunt work for me. We use ~2.5 - 3.5 kWh per day depending on time of year (sometimes a little higher). With Cosy being ~13 pence per kWh at such times and being able to export @ 15 pence per kWh, there is little to be gained / lost either way. (I suppose there is ~ 5% loss in conversion on the way from the Eddi - unless this process is carried out as an AC - AC process, but I suspect not. Regards, Toodles.
Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.
Thanks for the responses so far, folks. Looks like EOn Next Drive might be a contender. Two issues - no EV at the moment (but I will have a charger) and no Smart Meter. Is it time to bite the bullet and get a Smart Meter?
Posted by: @algienonIs it time to bite the bullet and get a Smart Meter
It's always time for a smart meter, if you want access to a tariff, other than standard. E7 will require a smart meter.
@algienon our episode on smart meters drops this Wednesday…
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Posted by: @AnonymousIt's always time for a smart meter, if you want access to a tariff, other than standard. E7 will require a smart meter.
I only discovered while recording our latest podcast episode that E7 was still around. For some reason I’d assumed it was canned a few years ago. Do you know what the tariff differential is on E7 versus a similar tariff from OE?
Buy Bodge Buster – Homeowner Air Source Heat Pump Installation Guide: https://amzn.to/3NVndlU
From Zero to Heat Pump Hero: https://amzn.to/4bWkPFb
Subscribe and follow our Homeowners’ Q&A heat pump podcast
Posted by: @editorPosted by: @AnonymousIt's always time for a smart meter, if you want access to a tariff, other than standard. E7 will require a smart meter.
I only discovered while recording our latest podcast episode that E7 was still around. For some reason I’d assumed it was canned a few years ago. Do you know what the tariff differential is on E7 versus a similar tariff from OE?
We pay 30p 0830 - 0130, then 13p 0130 - 0830.
A smart meter has standard tariff and E7 tariff pre programmed and will work with either, without additional communication.
So everyone on E7 currently with a radio time switch will get a smart meter or just be moved to standard tariff.
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