Intelligent Octopus

[CharlieCrocodile]

I've got a question about smart meters and IO....
My smart meter is in the cellar and mobile signal isn't great but it does send data eventually. My question is - if data in not sent every 30 minutes would I be penalised? I suspect my smart meter sends data every few hours.

[PF62]

CharlieCrocodile said:

I've got a question about smart meters and IO....
My smart meter is in the cellar and mobile signal isn't great but it does send data eventually. My question is - if data in not sent every 30 minutes would I be penalised? I suspect my smart meter sends data every few hours.

There isn't an issue *if* the meter eventually provides the data, *but* the T&Cs for the tariff say that if they don't get 100% of the meter readings for a day when they come to produce the bill then they will charge the whole day at the standard flexible rate.

Therefore you could charge your car for 6 hours, they don't get a single 30 minute reading from a different part of the day, and then they will charge you the higher flexible rate for everything.

However, the meter should retain the readings for up to a year and provided they eventually make it you should be OK.

Also if you are in the south of the UK where they use the mobile network to get the data, rather than the north where they use a different method, you could ask them to put a booster aerial for the meter.

[Moley RUFC]

Presume that the 7.5p from 11:30 to 5:30 is locked regardless of whether you use the Octopus app to create a charge plan or not?

I cannot resolve the constant fighting between My BMW app and the Octopus App so I’ve resorted to just plugging it in manually around 11pm - like I used to tbf with my Tesla.

[Road2Ruin]

Moley RUFC said:

Presume that the 7.5p from 11:30 to 5:30 is locked regardless of whether you use the Octopus app to create a charge plan or not?

I cannot resolve the constant fighting between My BMW app and the Octopus App so I’ve resorted to just plugging it in manually around 11pm - like I used to tbf with my Tesla.

Yes it does. Although I don't have a BMW, aren't you supposed to turn off any car apps and let Octopus charge when it decides?

[Moley RUFC]

That’s right and no matter what I do it seems to conflict. I set the BMW to charge immediately (as suggested by IO) and then create a charging plan in the IO App - perfect…..

Then as the IO charging begins at the right time I.e 11:30pm the BMW steps in very Germanic and stops the IO and plans a departure time of a week on Friday at 8:34pm or similar - this then pauses the charging in readiness for my epic journey to god knows where a week on Friday

[TheDeuce]

Moley RUFC said:

That’s right and no matter what I do it seems to conflict. I set the BMW to charge immediately (as suggested by IO) and then create a charging plan in the IO App - perfect…..

Then as the IO charging begins at the right time I.e 11:30pm the BMW steps in very Germanic and stops the IO and plans a departure time of a week on Friday at 8:34pm or similar - this then pauses the charging in readiness for my epic journey to god knows where a week on Friday

In the case of BMW, that's how it works to control charging. It's sets a random charge delay in the app to establish control with the car and then alters the charge delay to stop/start charging. It took me a while to figure that out...

Anyway, stop setting it back to 'charge immediately' after you've plugged it in. Just plug in after 17:30 and leave it. You'll probably see the charge start and then stop a few times, then youll get a charge plan on octopus app, which will almost always start well before 23:30 and end well after 05:30 if your car needs more than the min 6 hours.

I plugged in late last night low soc and it's charging right now, as per io schedule on cheap rate, due to complete at 9am

[LordGrover]

I too wrangled with the BMW app initially, but as above leave it to its own devices and it works, so long as you don't want to pre-condition cabin for departure. That's a deal breaker for me in Winter, so I control the charge via BMW app weekdays and let IO do its thing at the weekend.

[TheDeuce]

LordGrover said:

I too wrangled with the BMW app initially, but as above leave it to its own devices and it works, so long as you don't want to pre-condition cabin for departure. That's a deal breaker for me in Winter, so I control the charge via BMW app weekdays and let IO do its thing at the weekend.

I just leave it to its own thing full time and use the app to precondition ten mins ahead of leaving the house - it doesn't interfere if it's still charging.

[Moley RUFC]

Thanks both.

So, in essence plunit in during the evening and so long as the IO app has a plan that’s above the maximum charge % that the car is set to then leave it? I panicked last night as although it started at 11:30pm as planned it stopped at 11:48pm and then checking the BMW app it said it was planning a departure next Friday!?!?

I’ll trust the process

[PF62]

Moley RUFC said:

Presume that the 7.5p from 11:30 to 5:30 is locked regardless of whether you use the Octopus app to create a charge plan or not?

Yes, but there is some difference of opinion about the Octopus T&Cs about whether you are required to do a smart charge at least once a month to remain on the tariff - however given that I have not heard about anyone bleating on Facebook or elsewhere about being kicked off for not doing a smart charge every month, then even if it is a requirement then Octopus don't seem to be enforcing it.

[Shaoxter]

I moved back to Agile recently as the daytime rates are quite a bit lower and we use a fair bit wfh. I've been charging at 11-12p overnight recently but looking at the historical data it should come down hopefully.
I could never get IO to work properly (BMW i3), most of the time it would just keep charging at max as soon as I plugged in and I never saw these fabled cheap periods outside of 23:30-05:30 either.

[PF62]

Shaoxter said:

and I never saw these fabled cheap periods outside of 23:30-05:30 either.

Just to make you jealous, this was what I got when I plugged my car in 15 minutes ago - 13:00 to 07:30

[iDrive]

Dashnine said:

If you want better financial tracking, use the Hugo app, gets a hold of your Smart meter data and you can input the IO rates and it calculates a daily cost, etc. I had to flip day and night rates as it couldn’t handle two separate cheap rate periods in the same day ( 23:30-00:00 and 00:00-05:30 ).

Started using the HUGO App as suggested and it works really well - particularly being able to flick between cost and use graphs - Thank you!

Moley RUFC said:

Thanks both.

So, in essence plunit in during the evening and so long as the IO app has a plan that’s above the maximum charge % that the car is set to then leave it? I panicked last night as although it started at 11:30pm as planned it stopped at 11:48pm and then checking the BMW app it said it was planning a departure next Friday!?!?

I’ll trust the process

I had the same wrestle with the BMW App initially and then once I just left it alone, it worked itself out perfectly.

[dmsims]

GLWT

for November Avg peak = 37.5p, Avg Offpeak = 18.0p

Shaoxter said:

I moved back to Agile recently as the daytime rates are quite a bit lower and we use a fair bit wfh. I've been charging at 11-12p overnight recently but looking at the historical data it should come down hopefully.
I could never get IO to work properly (BMW i3), most of the time it would just keep charging at max as soon as I plugged in and I never saw these fabled cheap periods outside of 23:30-05:30 either.

[Shaoxter]

dmsims said:

GLWT

for November Avg peak = 37.5p, Avg Offpeak = 18.0p

Shaoxter said:

I moved back to Agile recently as the daytime rates are quite a bit lower and we use a fair bit wfh. I've been charging at 11-12p overnight recently but looking at the historical data it should come down hopefully.
I could never get IO to work properly (BMW i3), most of the time it would just keep charging at max as soon as I plugged in and I never saw these fabled cheap periods outside of 23:30-05:30 either.

Where did you get that data from?
The overall average is 19.5p for Nov:

[Moley RUFC]

TheDeuce said:

In the case of BMW, that's how it works to control charging. It's sets a random charge delay in the app to establish control with the car and then alters the charge delay to stop/start charging. It took me a while to figure that out...

Anyway, stop setting it back to 'charge immediately' after you've plugged it in. Just plug in after 17:30 and leave it. You'll probably see the charge start and then stop a few times, then youll get a charge plan on octopus app, which will almost always start well before 23:30 and end well after 05:30 if your car needs more than the min 6 hours.

I plugged in late last night low soc and it's charging right now, as per io schedule on cheap rate, due to complete at 9am

Right…..the grand test tonight. What follows is what confuses me. IO is now in ‘charge’ for tonight’s charge buts it’s hugely confusing on what the BMW App is now showing as per below.

Do I just trust the process and ignore what the BMW is saying go with the IO plan?

[Zenith86]

It’ll probably work but you won’t get bonus cheap hours if you’re charging like that. I always run my car low on the battery and I have it set to 100% charge by 4am which is the earliest the app allows. That way when I plug my car in early evening I always get cheap hours all night and we have the washing machine and tumble dryer on constantly! I always get random timers and things on the porsche app but IO tends to know what it’s doing. The other thing I do is plug it in just after the hour or half hour so I’m likely to also get any initial charging at the cheap rate as well given they bill by 30 minutes slots.

[Moley RUFC]

Got you however I’m driving down to Northampton tomorrow and back so needed it back to 85%.

Ps : what do you mean by bonus cheap hours? It’s cheap between 11:30pm and 5:00am no?

[Murph7355]

Moley RUFC said:

Got you however I’m driving down to Northampton tomorrow and back so needed it back to 85%.

Ps : what do you mean by bonus cheap hours? It’s cheap between 11:30pm and 5:00am no?

Just in the process of switching...

But my understanding is that if you leave the car plugged in, and leave the scheduling fully to Octopus, they can also charge the car outside of these hours at the cheaper rate if they get some cheap supply.

I also believe you get the cheaper rate for other uses during that window too, but could be wrong on that.

[Moley RUFC]

Yeah okay I have read that…which leads to the next question.

The Smart meter I have doesn’t ‘see’ the 7.5p deal only normal octopus daily charge. Is there an app or something that can work out what your actual bill is running out?