AIO with Gateway.
I signed up a couple of days ago. I was wondering how long it takes to become active?
Currently with OVO and waiting for Battery Boost to be activated as well.
Does anyone have any experience in running these two schemes concurrently?
mikes01666 I had to look up what Ovo Battery Boost was as I wasn’t aware of it
https://www.ovoenergy.com/battery-boost
Seems Ovo take control of your battery and charge it up when the grid is greenest, giving you a reduced battery charge rate of 10p/kWh.
I would say that there is the potential for both Axle/GivBack and Ovo Battery Boost to clash as both systems are taking remote control of your AIO and controlling it remotely and the two suppliers have no knowledge of each other.
But having said that Axle controls your inverter when the grid is stressed and there is a peak electricity demand whereas Ovo battery boost charges your battery when the grid has plenty of green electricity, so not stressed, so in practice the two events are unlikely to coincide at the same time.
What could happen is that you have a GivBack stress event immediately followed by a Ovo battery boost. I saw this scenario happen last winter with a DFS event immediately followed by an Octopus Powerup (free electricity) event. Weird.
Probably just need to keep an eye on what your AIO is doing before and after these events and check there’s no clashes
Thank you.
My understanding is that OVO will charge up overnight (10p) and buy it back at a peak rate price of 20p.
I think there is a potential for a clash and wonder how many Axle 'events' are likely to happen during the winter as I can take advantage of the 10p every night via Battery Boost.
I'm new to all this and it's important to take maximise the large capital outlay in installing the AIO.
Having said that I've not had confirmation of either Battery Boost or Givback! With little sun today the battery sits at 4%!
@"mikes01666"#p69715My understanding is that OVO will charge up overnight (10p) and buy it back at a peak rate price of 20p.
...
I can take advantage of the 10p every night via Battery Boost.
Is it as simple as that ?
Reading the FAQ,
We’ll charge your battery up when there’s less demand on the grid, meaning there’s more renewable power.
Doesn't say every night.
Can I still benefit from SEG rate if I sign up to Battery Boost?
Yes, if you’re on Battery Boost you’ll still be able to export electricity generated by your solar panels. You’ll keep your normal SEG rate.
They are very specific that it's solar they're paying for, not all export. I'm pretty sure the SEG regulations only require that it's solar they pay for. Octopus seem happy to pay it for all export, whereas some other companies (inc. British Gas ?) are quite strict about how batteries are used.
Important information
1 You'll pay our Battery Boost rate of 10p per kWh for any electricity used to top up your battery – when we call on the battery to charge. If you override the controls and charge the battery from the grid, you'll be charged your standard electricity unit rate.
(my italics)
mikes01666 Are you on a tariff that has a cheap overnight charging rate, or is it just the battery boost that Ovo offer? From what I read the battery boost is only going to occur when the grid is greenest which is certainly not every day. Overcast, largely still days like we’ve had this week, the grid is not green and on Octopus Agile we’ve seen higher prices as a result. Fortunately winds coming this weekend so prices will drop and your battery boost would presumably activate
From the T&C
How will you optimise my Battery?
2.7 Optimisation means controlling when your Battery is charged and discharged. We’ll optimise your battery to prioritise using electricity generated by your solar panels before importing from the grid. We’ll then charge and discharge your battery based on the data we collect about your home electricity usage and state of charge within your battery.
At other times, we’ll set your battery to offset the electricity load in your home or export to the grid, at our discretion.
2.8 Manually overriding the optimisation programme that we implement will result in unintended charging or discharging of your Battery and the optimisation not working correctly. You won’t receive Credits if you manually override our optimisation.
Is this sounding a bit like Intelligent Flux ?
From https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/smart-export-guarantee
SEG pays you for the power you export from your renewable energy source.
What if I have a battery installed?
We need to make sure the electricity being recorded on your export meter is definitely coming from your system, and not from another source. If you have a battery installed, you’ll need to send us a detailed line diagram clearly showing the direction of energy going from your solar panels to the rest of the installation.
Well ì must admit to being bewildered!
This is how Battery Boost is described:
"_Together, your GivEnergy battery and your OVO Battery Boost add-on will maximise your renewables ROI. If you’ve got solar panels and a battery, OVO will keep topping up your battery for just 10p per kWh when the sun isn’t shining. And all while making sure you’re still selling back any excess energy for a tidy profit, too.
To be eligible for Battery Boost, you need to have solar panels, a GivEnergy battery, and a smart meter installed by OVO. (All these boxes are ticked)
It specifically mentions topping up when the sun isn't shining!
As a new entrant to Solar/Battery I'm a little confused.
mikes01666
Just a thought, that could be taken to mean between sunset and sunrise only as at other times the sun is shining and obscured by clouds.
Yes, that was my interpretation. Overnight EV rates are from 7p per kWh. Why not offer overnight battery storage at 10p?
I suppose time will tell.