New Octopus Flex tarrif

Haven’t seen this posted anywhere so please remove if a double post

https://octopus.energy/smart/flux/

Super cheap rates between 02:00 - 05:00 every day, when you can top up your battery with any extra energy you may need.
A peak rate between 16:00 - 19:00, the optimum time to discharge your battery and export surplus energy back to the grid.

Sounds like a good way to support the grid and make some money back on our investment

I assume we’d need to create 2 x events. 1 to pull down predicted use overnight and 1 to push surplus in the evening? Or can the inverter do this automatically?

AlunR
Thanks
The rates are similar to the ECO7 tariff for night charge and day peak, however the charge period is shorter and the day peak is restricted to a much shorter window allowing a fall back onto standard day rate rather than getting penalized.
The standard export rate is also higher than the 15p I currently get.
The charge window is only 3 hours though and with my Gen1, it takes 3.5hrs from 4% to 100%.

(my installer confirmed in writing I was going to get Gen2, but is now saying Gen1 and Gen2 cost is same, so is trying to evade my questions!)

Quick calculation in my head says this is better tariff than the Eco7 I am on just because I can avoid the penalizing peak rates even if I have to charge at standard 33p on a cloudy day just before the 16:00 -19:00 slot.

I think you would plug in a 02:00-05:00 charge and 16:00 -19:00 timed discharge, but if the inverter is still getting solar then I think it could handle the energy flows

Steve

SteveCook
I have clicked the register interest tab and it just says "thanks, we will be in touch when we roll out Octopus Flux"

https://community.givenergy.cloud/d/1706-new-pvbattery-tariff-from-octopus-announced

The Octo website has changed from Register to Sign Up.
I clicked Sign Up and in 15 mins I am now onto Flux import
Updated the API in Octo R&D and that shows correct start date and name
Updated the API for GE, but still showing 33p fixed and old tariff start date and name

SteveCook
my change of tariff to eco7 resulted in the same. agile export correct but 33p single rate import and old tariff name.
Octo seem to be unwilling or unable to correct it.

positor1
Thanks. I thought it was me.
Odd though that Octo R&D picks it up

SteveCook
please feel free to contact Octo though. the more of us that complain the more likely they are to fix it.

Odd though that Octo R&D picks it up in the account settings but not the right data on the display

I still can't decide on this tariff or not. I lack a full years worth of data and the weather forecast for the next 2 weeks just says rain. I might switch right at the end of this month to avoid the rise in standing charge. Really don't know. I have no issue switching tariff twice a year to end up cost neutral.

I'm on Cosy at the moment, which suits my ASHP and 5.2kWh really well, however in about a couple of months I won't need the afternoon cheap slot (or the morning for that matter as Solar will power the majority of the house load), so I'll switch to Flux for those great export rates. Then next Autumn I'll move back to Cosy when we start using the heating again.

As I'm only just getting solar and batteries, and have neither a heat pump nor an ev, flux is likely my best choice. Can fill the 9.5 for 20p per in the dark months and export some in the better months. Can't get on an eco7 or anything other than the various Octo Tariffs that don't have a requirement for the pump or EV.

GE portal now showing correct Flux import tariff name and cost rates for me. Happened overnight

TRBob That would be my plan. But as the standing charge is going up by something like 12p per day next month I am tempted to change around the 30th of this month. Just hoping the weather improves. The next 2 week forecast says nothing but rain. I'm in the East of England so thankfully no snow etc.

Done the switch, but it has only done the import to Flux, and export is still at fixed 15p.
The Octo my account page says I have to have a smart meter exchange.
Does anyone have Flux export working and does it need a (another) change of meter

I imagine its just a standard blurb as a lot of people still don't want smart meters or outright refuse them because they think the space aliens are watching or something. It should cycle through that lot and complete I guess.

Your export can't change till June of course.

Having spoken to Octopus this morning I'm unsure whether once my 9.5 and 6.3kw solar is installed in a month (yay) I get on Flux or Eco 7 and the outgoing octopus for export. With no EV or heat pump that needs huge power, the 3 hour flux import is just about long enough to get the battery juiced, and then maybe I could set it al up to export a bit on purpose at peak to bring the bill down overall, without maybe deliberately discharging as much as possible to conserve cycles.

SteveCook I get that message everytime I have switched tariff. Rather than exchange they mean reprogram. They make some kind of change to it remotely to work with the new tariff. Takes a couple of days usually.

SteveCook hi looks like you may have submitted the wrong mplan number. It’s the outgoing they want not the incoming. I made this mistake, got the same message and got it sorted this morning with a phone call.

I think this will be a great plan for my circumstances, as I have a decent 6.1.kw array and exported 2Mw of energy last year. I think simply charging to full in 3 hour window then exporting all from 4-7pm will be really simple to organise and for the family to get used to. Delay start appliances till 2pm as the exported solar is always better outside the 2-5 am window. Basically try to live off the imported energy and export all solar / dump battery 4-7. Tbh you could probably do better than this but with massive intervention. After more than a year looking at daily prices etc. a “set and forget” tariff will be welcome!

CARLMW
Have you got Flux export working then?

THALL
Thanks

THALL
Just refreshed the page and all working now.

Is Flux Export a working thing though?
Is anyone exporting on it

Just refreshed again and it now says Flux export working

SteveCook still waiting at the moment. It’s a bit silly really should be easier for existing import / export customers!

Octo portal, Octo R&D both now show Flux import and export.
I reactivated Octo API and reinput to GE portal, but it now shows Flux import and fixed 15p export.
GE would only take export MPAN when putting Octo data
Has anyone got GE portal showing Flux import and export on the smart tariff box

SteveCook Not switched yet. With an EV and weeks of bad weather ahead I will wait until the end of the month and even then only to avoid the increase in standing charge.

For those on the fence about this tariff, I don’t think this is going to be the final one available for people with PV & Batteries.
The octopus GraphQL API (which feeds into the Kraken system that runs Intelligent Octopus type tariffs) has some clues which don’t tie in with this tariff or the R&D system at all.

For example the Octopus API still lists Givenergy as a device (along with Tesla cars, Ohme EV chargers, Daikin Heat Pumps, Ecobee Thermostats…)
The key thing now is a new addition:
Battery Charging Preferences Type which amongst status of the system also has
Min SOC %
Max SOC %

To me I think there’s still another tariff to come where they can take control of the system.
Flux just relies on the user setting timers and doesn’t talk to this API at all.

I just signed up to Flux - its my first export tariff as I received my DNO approval today. As its my first, should I expect this to take a while to set up?

pacemaker the person at Octopus I spoke to earlier said it should be 2-4 weeks, but it can be 8 as its shuffling paperwork between different companies and systems.

If I have to take manual meter readings to compare to download data, which RT values correspond with the relevant tariffs.
I presume RT1 is daytime normal 33p?
But what about the night cheap rate and the day peak rate

Similarly where are the export readings held

I have downloaded 24hrs of Octo and compared with GE graph data and the numbers look pretty close for the three import numbers, but the proof will be what Octo bill when they do a whole month.

dbt85 oh really? I’m already octopus customer and they said it’s ready to go already! I just have to agree some Ts and Cs

slight error on my sheet now corrected.
Look pretty bang on comparing Octo downland with GE graph

pacemaker
see my post from yesterday

The Octo website has changed from Register to Sign Up.
I clicked Sign Up and in 15 mins I am now onto Flux import
Updated the API in Octo R&D and that shows correct start date and name
Updated the API for GE, but still showing 33p fixed and old tariff start date and name

It has about 18hrs for everything to fully sync up though

SteveCook

I'm going to accept the Ts & Cs tomorrow because it back dates the tariffs to midnight on whatever day you sign. So have adjusted my timed charge for tomorrow to 2am and will press the buttons in the morning.

pacemaker mine got sorted today, just emailed them back as requested and all sorted. Just done the following:

-Set EV charging to delay start 2am (I’m off this week but usually charge at work)
-Set house battery to charge 2am - 5am
-Set house battery to discharge 4pm - 7pm using “house demand” so house still runs on battery when needed

Any thoughts?

CARLMW

I feel like it’s too early in the year to do timed discharge but will definitely be making that change once spring sets in. Otherwise I’ll have no battery for the evenings

pacemaker thx that’s a good point! What I might do is reduce the discharge rate down so I get some benefit but have enough to get to 2am.

I wont bother with the battery discharge. Don't want to add extra cycles for a few more pennies :-)

SteveCook GE portal now showing Flux import and Flux export on Smart Tariff panel.
Took about 12 hours to sort itself out

So I accepted terms and conditions. It says I now have Flux import, no mention of export yet. Seems though its still "in progress" ...

Took a number of hours for Flux import to sort itself, then a few more after that and the export sorted itself.
They might have to check your export certificate details?

SteveCook

They might have to check your export certificate details?

Yeah I presume so. I'm fine to wait, it's just knowing it's in progress is all I'm interested in. But seeing as you had similar experience I'll assume its coming.

So has any one actually got onto Flux export yet and seen it is working. I don't want to swap until I can get both

see my snip 2 posts up. It says it is working and shows this on my Octo portal page

pacemaker Oh sorry, I was talking about just getting a new system installed and the time to actually get to the point where you can get paid for export. If that part is already done then yeah its just a straight swap over.

SteveCook

The "Won't be long" message has disappeared now, but no sign of export tariff being set. I've emailed hello@octopus to see if it's in progress. At the moment their dashboard makes no mention of export at all.

I've just got moved onto it today . I'll h charging up my battery during the night and then exporting solar a bit more . Octopus agile outgoing rates haven't been that good lately so glad this has come out .

I'm not sure the extra income from exporting the remaining battery during the peak period is worth it in additional cycles. You would then still need to pay the standard rate for any energy used between 7pm-2am .

I’ve currently got my SEG with So Energy, if I switch to Flux, it’s only going to take them a day or so to set up Flux import, but they will need to commission a switch from So Energy to set up the export, which I expect will take weeks and weeks. Think they will back date the export readings to the same start date? Being on Flux import for a month or more without getting the Flux export would not be a good position.

zoozaa I'm not sure the extra income from exporting the remaining battery during the peak period is worth it in additional cycles. You would then still need to pay the standard rate for any energy used between 7pm-2am .

I would imagine the aim is either dump the battery and get the £3.16, knowing you don't use much in the next 7 hours, or say it up to dump say 5kw for the £1.76 leaving you maybe enough to get back to 2am. In the winter it almost certainly isn't worth it as you're going to have to pay that 20p to fill up again and won;t have much generation. But in the better 6 months of the year there is a few hundred quid to knock off your bill without doing a full cycle.

Just requested a switch from Outgoing+Flexible to Flux. Have been running scenarios the past few days. Battery should still have enough charge left to coast through the peak period. Not planning to force export but if there is any daytime export of the surplus PV I will be paid more than Outgoing. Should be better off according to calcs. Winter on the other hand...
At least I can exit Flux whenever with no penalties if things don't pan out.