I've just had an email from Octopus to say they're having a Saving Session today. I'm interested to see if PredBat acts on it.
I think I've got it configured to do so (haven't changed the defaults).
Or will PredBat decide I need the energy more than others?
Looks like it's picked up the Saving Session:
Personally, I'm not so interested in the financial gain for me, but more in the overall reason for the Saving Session - to help even out the Grid demand.
I think this is a workaround by predbat to stop it trying to import during the saving session.
PianSom Interestingly, like me, your Predbat is showing import pricing as very elevated.
Mine is clearly wrong, as I am on IOG which is fixed at 30p. I'm guessing you are on Agile - are those numbers actually correct?
This is the way Predbat works, its a lowest cost optimisation.
During the saving session you get paid extra to import less and paid more to export more so Predbat adjusts your normal import and export rates by the saving session rate (225p for this one), so it "dissuades itself" from importing and "persuades itself" that exporting is better.
You see this in the plan.
Mine shows the same, normally Predbat would start releasing my battery at the start of the peak rate period (16:00 or 16:30), instead it is holding the charge to 17:30 to ensure I have enough battery for the saving period, and then releasing (and discharging) from then:
This is covered in the documentation: https://github.com/springfall2008/batpred/blob/main/docs/energy-rates.md#octopus-saving-sessions
I've a question.. how do I sign up for Octopus Saver Sessions for Export? Is this a special saver session different to the reduce your load session?
I signed up to saver sessions end of last year and didnt need to do anything special to be able to benefit from export. I normally don't use the grid during those times so couldn't save during the last sessions so my only money making method is export.
danerf same saver session. Same opt in. Just export more than you usually would export in that hour.
However you need an export MPAN (if you are on a seg tariff for export you'll have that).
If you are on FIT tariff you might not (especially if it's deemed export on FIT rather than measured export).
geoffreycoan This is the way Predbat works, its a lowest cost optimisation.
During the saving session you get paid extra to import less and paid more to export more so Predbat adjusts your normal import and export rates by the saving session rate (225p for this one), so it "dissuades itself" from importing and "persuades itself" that exporting is better.
Yes, I realise that.
But I had imagined that the high export rate would be more than enough to "persuade". I guess the issue must be that not all users can export, so a high (and false) import price is needed to encourage battery discharge. Maybe?
geoffreycoan I believe you can opt out of FIT export payments and still be paid for FIT generation
https://octopus.energy/blog/outgoing-faqs/
Under FiT guidelines, you get paid for being a generator, and paid for whatever you export.
You won’t be able to receive FiT export payments whilst also being on the Outgoing Octopus tariff. However, you will still be able to receive your generation payments. When you sign up to the Outgoing Octopus, you will be required to opt out of your deemed export payments from your existing FiT supplier (but there’s no requirement to switch your FiT contract to Octopus.)
deanjesper geoffreycoan I believe you can opt out of FIT export payments and still be paid for FIT generation
yes absolutely you can. I have a 4kW FIT array installed in 2016 and two newer arrays on GivEnergy inverters installed at the beginning of 2023. We moved to Flux in the summer of '23 and as part of the process we had to give up the FIT deemed export payments. We still get paid for generation.
I did get it confirmed with both Eon (my FIT supplier) and OfGen that you can actually transfer back onto FIT deemed export if you wish to in the future. Its not a one-way transfer out.
In my case I was giving up £100 of deemed export a year and received £333 of measured output from mid August to end 2023 so it was worth changing. Plus the saving sessions is more icing on the cake!
PianSom But I had imagined that the high export rate would be more than enough to "persuade". I guess the issue must be that not all users can export, so a high (and false) import price is needed to encourage battery discharge. Maybe?
I think the import rate is increased so Predbat will preserve the soc for the saving session period so that the house will use the battery rather than import during the saving session period.
e.g. if you're on a flatter import rate (say Flux where the import rate from 4-7pm is the same) then if the import rate wasn't increased Predbat might let the battery soc be consumed before the saving session starts.
By increasing the import rate it stops this happening.
And as you say some people don't have an export rate.
geoffreycoan well worth it then! I need to convince the father in law to switch as he will be able to earn much more
Does anyone know if Predbat is worth using if you’re on Intelligent Octopus?
I forgot to turn off discharge schedule after yesterdays session, 45m of full export from AIO 🙁 There goes my 0 baseline, hope there are no more sessions for next couple weeks.
Jellybaby I forgot to turn off discharge schedule after yesterdays session, 45m of full export from AIO 🙁 There goes my 0 baseline, hope there are no more sessions for next couple weeks.
The baseline is average over 10 days of the same hours, so you'll only slightly skew the figures with the extra discharge, and only for any saving sessions that are over the time that you were extra discharging.
Just looked up my figures for yesterday's saving session on the streamlit app, my best result yet, earnt £8.50 :-)
Pays for a good chunk of the day's electricity.
Not a lot compared to some of you AIO owners, but not bad from a single gen 1 hybrid exporting 1.5kW from my 5.2kW battery.
Most of the savings were against my reduced import though, the baseline was an import of 2.31kWh as we're usually cooking and the heat pump on at that time so we're net importing.
If there is indeed 6 to go this year til march iirc and we dont get many between now and march it may just be beneficial to run from grid, all depends on how many more there are.
Jellybaby https://www.nationalgrideso.com/industry-information/balancing-services/demand-flexibility-service/esos-demand-flexibility-service
says there will be 12 test events and a number of live events. 6 tests in 2023 and 6 tests in Jan-March 24.
There's only been 2 live events (I think)
geoffreycoan I might just use during peak in March if we go Jan+Feb with with 3 tests left in march