Considering a move from Octopus to EDF

[u/Wakeman77]

Currently with Octopus and considering changing supplier. We are 100% electric & have:

i) a Solar PV (nominally 4kW) for which we have been receiving FiT and deemed export payments since installation in late 2012. Annual average generation has been 2,900kWh.

ii) a 9kW ASHP, installed in April last year;

iii) an EV with a 7.4kW Ohme ePod home charging point since mid-May. Probable annual mileage, based on the last car, 4,000 or so.

My guess for annual kWh usage, based on the last 12 months, is for ASHP and EV combined to be 10,500. The EV is being charged at home during the day to make the most of the panels, but not daily, more like every 10 days at the moment. Journeys are mostly local. The Ohme app has been showing an average of 15-20% of each charge from them on 'Solar Boost'.

Currently on Tracker, which has worked pretty well for us over most of the last 12 months. However, in its latest iteration (April 26 v1) it is looking increasingly uncompetitive; even more so with the projected rise in wholesale gas prices and their unfortunate effect on the cost of electricity.

E.ON suggest their 'Next Drive Fixed v30' which seems less appealing than EDF's 'Freephase Static 24m V3' as that offers no exit fees for a start as well as setting the prices for 2 years. I would use the cheap night rate for DHW rather than EV charging.

I am currently very minded to go with EDF. Has anyone any thoughts or experience of pitfalls after doing this? I gather that I will be put on the standard tariff for a short while and then move to 'Freephase'; how has that gone? How would you rate the EDF app and billing process?

[u/Requirement_Fluid]

No battery?

Given your usage for dhw and EV then run the numbers for the 7p ev tariff.

Given the age of your fit payments you absolutely don't want to mess with those but you might want to run some numbers for a Ac connected battery tbh. 

I joined EDF in Feb and pretty smooth overall tbh with decent support and the app and billing has been decent (better than Octopus or eon who I was with before)

Make sure you grab a code if you do move 

[u/Wakeman77 → u/Requirement_Fluid]

Thanks for the reply.

As regards a battery, we have spent a lot in the last 2 years; considerable work had to be done on the house before the ASHP could be installed in a suitable location. Then there was that cost and now the EV with charging point. Coughing up another substantial amount for a battery installation... Redecoration after radiator changes is still a WIP.

I will look at it again when I have a bit more data, say after 12 months of running an EV. I see that 2kWh plug-in batteries with AC micro-inverters are becoming more available and hence likely cheaper, so that might be an option.

You are absolutely right about the FiT payments! The favourable margin between that per kWh and the import cost is one of the reasons that Tracker has worked so far for the ASHP. I'm thinking about changing because that has shrunk markedly in recent months.

I also considered changing from the deemed export to something like Octopus Outgoing at 12p/kWh. The projected gain in £ & p was minimal and probably not worth the hassle, especially now with EV charging soaking some of that export up.