www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9d44ld97dyo
Well, if you have a smart meter anyway - and I know there is some resistance to them.
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Octopus energy used to run this sort of scheme when I was with them, but I found the rewards to be so small it wasn't worth taking part.
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'Could' being the key word.
I think they might have chosen a better picture. :)
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Already being done in parts of Australia.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-03/energy-retailers-offer-free-power-three-hours-dmo/105965472
Alternately you could just pay for solar panels on your roof and thumb your nose at the electricity company.
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>>thumb your nose
For all ewe gen zedders:
"Thumbing your nose is a gesture of disrespect or defiance, where you place your thumb on your nose, hold your palm open, and wiggle your fingers. It is often used to show contempt or disregard for someone or something".
:o}
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Solar is OK here in the summer but less so in winter!!
There are a number of "specialist" tariffs giving different cheap periods of electricity (e.g. for heat pumps, or electric cars, or Economy 7), and now including some where you give control over you batteries to the power company, who can drain them (which of course you get paid for) or fill them (which I don't think you pay for) according to grid demand. It's all very clever stuff.
I've been with Octopus Agile for a few years now, where the cost changes every 30 minutes and sometimes has negative cost (i.e. they ay you) periods. Last week there was a day with a solid 13 hours of electricity all of which they pay you at least 3p a unit for, some were up to 10p a unit! Shame I wasn't to do the pyrolytic clean on the oven two or three times LOL
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I know you have a keen interest in things that some of us may call nerdy. Everyone is entitled to lead the life they want. And I'm sure you are by no means at the extreme end of the scale. For me, I couldn't be bothered. If the washing machine needs using, it goes on and some of what comes out goes in the tumble dryer (30 years old!) if it's winter/raining. Am I in the minority?
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There is no direct control over how much green (wind and solar) energy is produced. Nuclear tends not to be very responsive to small changes in demand.
Contrast with gas - they can simply turn down the burner to moderate putput.
As green enery production increases the frequency of green energy supply exceeding total demand is likely to increase. Smart Export Guarantee payments are made by suppiers to compensate producers whose energy cannot be used by the grid.
It makes sense for energy suppilers to offer the energy for free (or even subsidise it) rather than make SEG payments. Summer daytimes green energy production is likely high, and demand low due to extended daylight hours and higher temperatures.
The nerdy types will invest in appliances or make personal arrangments to run appliances when prices are low. zero or negative!
Personally I am unlikely to bother for the foreseeable future - the energy and cash saved is unlikely to justify the hassle. More likely a battery installation to take advantage of all cheap and zero cost opportunities is likely to be a better investment.
Last edited by: Terry on Wed 15 Apr 26 at 12:28
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“Am I in the minority?”
At the end of the day it comes down to how much you can save and how much effort is involved
I’ve got en EV so have a tariff that gives me electricity at 5.2 per KWh at night or when the car is charging. It really isn’t much effort to press the delay button on the tumble drier to ensure it starts in the cheap period. Of course it’s even cheaper if you put your washing on the line outside.
Next winter is, I suspect, going to be a very difficult winter financially for many. Every penny saved on energy will matter to them.
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>>Am I in the minority?
I looked into all the heat pump tariffs but decided I couldn't be faffing about with TOU.
I'm with Outfox Energy paying 19.32p per kWh with a standing charge of 59.03p per day.
If I had battery storage and/or an EV it would be a different story.
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Most of my nerdiness is driven by a "hobby" interest and the money saving, while reasonably significant, is incidental. Obv you wouldn't usually want to do the car charging on a standard rate these days but as mentioned above it isn't onerous to implement. E.g. the washing - turn n the machine, tell Home Assistant I want to do washing and it does it at the cheapest time, if that's what I want. All using voice command but also accessible through app and PC, all remotely too if necessary). If that happens to be in the middle of the night then that's when it does it. For the car, tell it how many half hours I need plug i the car, and it does it in the best half hours (not necessarily continuous)
I have a modest solar array but tbh can't see much point of getting some batteries with my set up.
I'm paid handsomely for my solar generation and what doesn't get consciously used goes into heating the water, so no gas bills (except standing order) from about March to Sept or longer.
The Home Assistant Raspberry Pi does a whole lot more than energy monitoring and saving so managing energy usage is just a part of it, and requires very little attention now it's all set up. I absolutely get that it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea but it continues to keep me occupied with all the improvements and enhancements they bring out. I'd prefer to be doing that then watching Countdown and Escape to the Country :-)
On a day with enough negative and a fairly empty car it's quite good for all my leccy used to have [aid me £2 or £3 or more.:-) I think my annual average cost per unit is around 16p.
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. Am I in
>> the minority?
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I doubt it, some people won't bother just as they aren't bothered if fuel is £2 or £3 a litre.
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Free electricity for all at times - bathtub tom
