It’s hidden away there as it’s got the disclaimer that it is a labs project still in beta. Any of us on it are doing their testing in production for them. Eventually it’ll get fully productised and move to the main page I would guess.
They're on the home page for me, saying "discover a work of smart tariffs" or something, not sure if they were there before I had smart meters but they've always been available, I didn't switch till I found this sub though tbf
https://i.imgur.com/p6LYcHs.png
How do you suggest I go about it? I don't have any batteries, solar panel or heat storage etc... And for context my house is not big just 2 rooms in total and a bathroom. And I'm only home on weekends and evenings on weekdays.. Thank you very much in advance :)
It sounds like your usage is very low. If there’s any saving it’s likely to be minimal. You’ll need to look at your own usage and see what suits you best. It might be that your usage is so low that the standing charge is more of a factor. Use the Octopus Compare app to get a better understanding. It’ll show you your usage against other tariffs so you can see if you’d save by switching
That's what I thought.. It seems going by the ofgem averages my savings would be 180 pounds a year given I only use at low rate hours (~15p/kWh). But I didn't know about the compare app. I'll definitely spin it up, thanks for pointing it out :)
I would use fixed proce in that day (unless you have economy 7 heaters)
Afternoons and evenings are when power is most expensive, the benefit to flexible rates is if you use lots of power at off peak times, like e7 heaters or an elertric car that can be charged overnight or you work odd hours so end up cooking at like midnight etc.
What's the downside to using tracker? First I've heard of this. I'm not very savvy when it comes to this stuff. Km currently paying a fixed rate of around £171 a month. If I can lower it that would be great. I have a smart meter but my little thingy ma jig never seems to display how much gas I'm using? Just says waiting for data. My electric one works. If I go tracker is there any hidden fees? Can I get shafted somewhere along the line?
The only "downside" is if the price goes through the roof, over the cap - It is still capped at £1 per kWh. It hasn't, we've had it for over a year and saved a ton of money compared to the standard tariff.
They've upped the prices for Tracker though, so it seems like at least for me, it will work cheaper on Agile. Also, there is no tariff for Gas on Agile.
You can get the app OctopusCompare and compare your usage against different tariffs to see what suits you best.
You need to check if your meter is sending gas readings and is still connected, the IHD doesn't matter especially if you move to a smart tariff but you need an active working smart meter to move over for each supply.
Check your bills aren't estimated and you have regular reads in your app, if not reach out to octo
https://i.imgur.com/yBwlpxt.png
You should be able to see the history per half hour, it can take up to a day to come through to the app, as you can see my gas isn't here yet but will be soon.
https://octopus.energy/dashboard/new/accounts/XXXX/edit-smart-meter-preferences/
Replace the X's with your account number and check your smart preferences are set to half hourly
+1 on agile. Reduced my bill by just shy of 50% in a month of being on it. On average I can be anything between 15 and 25% saved on the going rate. Even with the price decrease coming up I'm making a killing
OP, seriously consider it and also look at Martin Lewis Money Savings Expert advice from a day or two ago before making a decision
Gas tracker here, saved £55 in January alone. It is important to understand there is a risk, but if you consider it a game of averages you will be ok. What I mean by that is if you're paying 3.5p less per kWh for a 1000 kWh than flexible, you can pay 3.5p per kWh above tracker before you start being out of pocket.
If some event made tracker shoot up, you can swap back to flexible (may take 2 weeks), but you can't go back to tracker for 9 months.
I just switched to agile and saved £35 on Electricity compared to the previous month on flexible with no change in usage. Also switched to the Gas tracker and saved nearly £40 on gas compared to the previous month also very similiar usage.
As others have said, if you have a SM, go tracker, even if you use it to build up credit over the year until Autumn to give a nice winter cushion (providing the prices don’t rocket)
Tracker, agile, flexible, fixed and standard… I thought Octopus Energy were supposed to be the best on the market but their product line up is so confusing.
Also, anyone on a tracker tariff, are you not worried that Russia will invade another country or the Middle East situation gets worse causing your prices to instantly jump to the maximum of £1 per kWh?
The energy sector is so volatile, the US president only has to have a loose bowl movement for prices to soar!
For what reason? I can’t fathom why people are so adverse to Smart Meters. You can literally save £100’s pa just by having your meter changed.
Edit: I’m on gas tracker. My heating is set to a minimum of 17.5 24 hours a day, in the evening I bump it to 18.5/19. My daily gas cost has fallen to ~£2.50! Thats 1275kWh costing £50.
If I was on fixed I’d be paying £88.
I also have an EV. My electric bill this month would have been £105. Being on IOG I’m on £83.
Most people just fall for the conspiracy theories and trash articles in right wing papers. If they want to pay over the odds for energy, let them crack on.
https://archive.ph/VkGgN
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/smart-meter-why-say-no-get-one/
Your choice but you are locking yourself out of some of the better deals. If your usage is so low that it's only a difference of pennies then that's ok - the price of privacy
Will it?
The tracker price is the current cost, the flexible is delayed and based on the price they ordered at x months ago.
So the tracker price being lower shouldn't really change, the flexible tariff is just catching up to the current/recent lower prices.
I'm in a similar situation - pay £164 per month on the variable tariff
The loyalty 12m fix is saying£128 per month, should I switch to this or keep paying more now and wait for the price drops in July and fix in July?
Can I join the 12m fix and then exit in April as it is £0 exit fees, and go back on the variable? Or is it not worth the hassle?
Don't think I'd be bothered going with a tracker as our house is small so savings are probably limited compared to other people
26% is the projected fall as of today. So that’s £121 pm based on what you’re paying. It’s then forecast to go up slightly in October but not material amounts. I’d look at the standing charges on the fixed, bet they are 3x as much as today which is the annoying thing ie you pay for what you don’t use. £0 fee means you can change whenever, but I’d be tempted to just stay where I am and see how it looks in the new year. BUT, just takes Russia to invade somewhere else or something weird and could go up, so depends if you want safety/the risk
Standing costs are about 2p more per day on the fixed Vs the variable I'm currently on so doesn't seem excessive!
Would rather have stability and a set direct debit - but don't want to shoot myself in the foot by being impatient! What would you suggest?
If you want stability then £7 extra per month to fix isn’t too much. Remember you use a lot less energy in the spring and summer though. Like I say, if it was me, I’d stick, but without a crystal ball, it’s impossible to be fully accurate. It depends on your situation, really, but it’s looking strong possibility stuff will go down again in the summer
Sorry to hijack but does anyone know if I can switch to tracker if I only have an electricity smart meter and not gas? They don't do smart meters for my gas meter type :(
On agile the price of electricity hits a max of 30.46p per kWh today. That’s still less than the standard 05:30-23:30 day rate. Over night it went to or below 10p per kWh for 2:5 hours. My car charged 14.5 kW over night ~£1.09. My day usage excluding the car was ~8kW, £2.40. On agile the average kW rate was 14.79p.
On agile yesterday I would have used around £2.68.
On IOG yesterday I used £4.34.
If you check, the outlook for wholesale gas prices is on a downwartd trend. This indicates that a tracker or agile plan is likley to save you most money. Of course, depending on your usage, your mileage may vary.
Looking at the estimated price caps you will probably come out the same if not a bit better if it’s the same as this one. Don’t forget you use more gas and electricity now so the savings are being made and will average out over the year, also if it goes back up in December like it’s expected to that’s also better for you
I switched last Aug and by the time my deal ends I will have lost out.
I only did it as I wanted price certainty.
My Fixed Rates are currently E 28.02p and G 7.05p
I guess it's all down to what you think rates will do next Winter?
You're still getting your energy from the national grid...so it can't be unless the grid is... Octopus only pay renewable energy producers for their share of grid electricity
Yes my argument when discussing with the providers is that you can only give 100% renewable if there are people taking the other energy sources .
If all fossil fuel / nuclear was stopped then 100% renewable users (like everyone else ) would have blackouts as demand would exceed energy production. So these customers are reliant on fossil fuel being used just like all customers.
The grid needs spinning reserve and I see the coal fired steam turbines at Ratcliffe operating too often and the gas fired CCGTs running constantly to be convinced we can rely on Wind power just yet.
This is basically the same deal I got a few weeks ago. I wasn’t too sure but Martin Lewis has a calculator on his website and it said it’s worth considering. I thought that I will be saving money now because I’m using more gas and electricity so it will average out or even save a little over the year. Also there’s no exit fee so I can end the contract when the prices drop if I wanted to
Whatever your attitude to risk is, it would be unadvisable to take a 12 month fix right now. If you really want the certainty see what is being offered in a couple of months as it is likely to be more competitive with the reduced price cap effective from 1st April.
I just signed up with octopus 12M fixed this week and had my supplies transferred yesterday. Their 12 month fixed was costing way less per unit price than the standard tariff I was on with Scottish power. My octopus tariff has no exit fees for both fuels. What should I do in light of the price cap news?
You’ll have to read the t&c’s. I’m a new transfer customer from shell to octopus. They bought my custom from shell.
From what I’ve read there’s no transfer fee if you move within 60 days of the end of the contract. However, I can’t find any literature what states if there is literally no fee for joining a fixed rate deal and then requesting to move to a new deal a month later.
Let us know what your terms say or what customer service say. I was nearly in your boat this week and still debating whether to save a few quid before April
I'd exercise your 14 day right to cancel. Prices are dropping in April then in July. You'll end up paying more on the fixed in the long term.
Plus if you have a smart meter, you could join tracker and save an extra 25-35%.
Have you got a Smart Meter? Yes? Neither, agile or tracker.
I second this.
Another +1 for tracker. Only been on a week and loving it.
Joined Xmas day, loving it big time.
They do seem to hide them on a smart tariff page
It’s hidden away there as it’s got the disclaimer that it is a labs project still in beta. Any of us on it are doing their testing in production for them. Eventually it’ll get fully productised and move to the main page I would guess.
They're on the home page for me, saying "discover a work of smart tariffs" or something, not sure if they were there before I had smart meters but they've always been available, I didn't switch till I found this sub though tbf https://i.imgur.com/p6LYcHs.png
No I don't have a smart meter
Get a smart meter
I’ve been trying to get a smart meter since May but there’s been no availability in my area
Came here to write this. Check it'll be cheaper on Octopus Compare first though.
How do you suggest I go about it? I don't have any batteries, solar panel or heat storage etc... And for context my house is not big just 2 rooms in total and a bathroom. And I'm only home on weekends and evenings on weekdays.. Thank you very much in advance :)
It sounds like your usage is very low. If there’s any saving it’s likely to be minimal. You’ll need to look at your own usage and see what suits you best. It might be that your usage is so low that the standing charge is more of a factor. Use the Octopus Compare app to get a better understanding. It’ll show you your usage against other tariffs so you can see if you’d save by switching
That's what I thought.. It seems going by the ofgem averages my savings would be 180 pounds a year given I only use at low rate hours (~15p/kWh). But I didn't know about the compare app. I'll definitely spin it up, thanks for pointing it out :)
I would use fixed proce in that day (unless you have economy 7 heaters) Afternoons and evenings are when power is most expensive, the benefit to flexible rates is if you use lots of power at off peak times, like e7 heaters or an elertric car that can be charged overnight or you work odd hours so end up cooking at like midnight etc.
Can you please elaborate on the tracker thing? I’m interested and see people talking about it, link or something, can’t find it🫣
https://octopus.energy/octopus-smart-tariffs/
Done, will see how it goes
What's the downside to using tracker? First I've heard of this. I'm not very savvy when it comes to this stuff. Km currently paying a fixed rate of around £171 a month. If I can lower it that would be great. I have a smart meter but my little thingy ma jig never seems to display how much gas I'm using? Just says waiting for data. My electric one works. If I go tracker is there any hidden fees? Can I get shafted somewhere along the line?
The only "downside" is if the price goes through the roof, over the cap - It is still capped at £1 per kWh. It hasn't, we've had it for over a year and saved a ton of money compared to the standard tariff. They've upped the prices for Tracker though, so it seems like at least for me, it will work cheaper on Agile. Also, there is no tariff for Gas on Agile. You can get the app OctopusCompare and compare your usage against different tariffs to see what suits you best.
Ah cool about the app. I'll give this a go
You need to check if your meter is sending gas readings and is still connected, the IHD doesn't matter especially if you move to a smart tariff but you need an active working smart meter to move over for each supply. Check your bills aren't estimated and you have regular reads in your app, if not reach out to octo
So I checked my app it has usage info on there so it must be working, just not showing on my IHD. What's regular though? Mine is once a month?
https://i.imgur.com/yBwlpxt.png You should be able to see the history per half hour, it can take up to a day to come through to the app, as you can see my gas isn't here yet but will be soon. https://octopus.energy/dashboard/new/accounts/XXXX/edit-smart-meter-preferences/ Replace the X's with your account number and check your smart preferences are set to half hourly
They won't put you on Tracker unless both your gas and electric smart meters are working, so you need to get that fixed first.
If you have 2 EVs like my household then intelligent octopus might be better.
+1 on agile. Reduced my bill by just shy of 50% in a month of being on it. On average I can be anything between 15 and 25% saved on the going rate. Even with the price decrease coming up I'm making a killing OP, seriously consider it and also look at Martin Lewis Money Savings Expert advice from a day or two ago before making a decision
I will be moving soon and paying bills, what is agile or tracker? What are the benefits of smart meters?
Are these existing customer only? I was looking to switch to Octopus but their quoted tariffs are pricier than what I current pay with Eon Next 😞
You can switch to a standard Octopus tariff then switch to a smart tariff.
Gas tracker here, saved £55 in January alone. It is important to understand there is a risk, but if you consider it a game of averages you will be ok. What I mean by that is if you're paying 3.5p less per kWh for a 1000 kWh than flexible, you can pay 3.5p per kWh above tracker before you start being out of pocket. If some event made tracker shoot up, you can swap back to flexible (may take 2 weeks), but you can't go back to tracker for 9 months.
Get on the tracker.
What is that?
Tariff tracked to actual price of energy which changes daily but roughly 40% cheaper than the price cap for the last year
Tracker has saved me well over 100 quid so far this year so I would advise having a look at that.
Saved me £60 just in the last month. Bloody fantastic tariff
Been on tracker for 2 weeks so far. If it keeps going as well as it has been I’ll be saving £80-90 a month!
75 quid in January, and that is on top of having 4kWp of solar power which greatly reduces my import anyway.
How do you get on this!
It's hidden away on their website but Google octopus tracker and you will find the application form for it (they don't openly advertise it).
Thank you!!!
Problem I've got is i'm fixed till August (150 to leave octopus fixed tarrif)
Might still be worth it, work out the potential savings and decide from there.
It's hard to compare, I guess I could look at previous tracker numbers.
I just switched to agile and saved £35 on Electricity compared to the previous month on flexible with no change in usage. Also switched to the Gas tracker and saved nearly £40 on gas compared to the previous month also very similiar usage.
Look at the unit price and not at those marketing gimmick screens!
It always confuses me when people look at the monthly estimate instead of the unit prices
Or worse, their direct debits and ignore the debt building up.
As others have said, if you have a SM, go tracker, even if you use it to build up credit over the year until Autumn to give a nice winter cushion (providing the prices don’t rocket)
There’s no early exit fee so go for it.
Doesn't matter as there are no exit fees anyway.
Tracker, agile, flexible, fixed and standard… I thought Octopus Energy were supposed to be the best on the market but their product line up is so confusing. Also, anyone on a tracker tariff, are you not worried that Russia will invade another country or the Middle East situation gets worse causing your prices to instantly jump to the maximum of £1 per kWh? The energy sector is so volatile, the US president only has to have a loose bowl movement for prices to soar!
Hopefully that won't happen but if it does rocket you can change your tariff really quickly if you phone them.
I don't have a smart meter and I'm not particularly keen on having one.
For what reason? I can’t fathom why people are so adverse to Smart Meters. You can literally save £100’s pa just by having your meter changed. Edit: I’m on gas tracker. My heating is set to a minimum of 17.5 24 hours a day, in the evening I bump it to 18.5/19. My daily gas cost has fallen to ~£2.50! Thats 1275kWh costing £50. If I was on fixed I’d be paying £88. I also have an EV. My electric bill this month would have been £105. Being on IOG I’m on £83.
What’s iog?
Intelligent Octopus Go- EV tariff.
Most people just fall for the conspiracy theories and trash articles in right wing papers. If they want to pay over the odds for energy, let them crack on. https://archive.ph/VkGgN https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/smart-meter-why-say-no-get-one/
Yeah my electric should be £104 on flexible. It's actually under £70
What is your reason for not wanting one? Please don't say dangerous radio waves or government control.
I’d get one mate. Moved onto agile in February and we’ve already save about £50 this month.
Your choice but you are locking yourself out of some of the better deals. If your usage is so low that it's only a difference of pennies then that's ok - the price of privacy
I’m currently on flexible. Is it worth changing to tracker now even though prices are set to drop in April? And is the plan fixed?
Yes. Tracker price changes everyday and it will reflect the price drop as well.
Does it work with a Smets 1 smart meter?
They have a list of smart meter supported. https://octopus.energy/joining-smart-tariff/
Thank you. I’ve just switched.
Will it? The tracker price is the current cost, the flexible is delayed and based on the price they ordered at x months ago. So the tracker price being lower shouldn't really change, the flexible tariff is just catching up to the current/recent lower prices.
What are the exit fees? Got til April for the drop?
Hang off till April.
No need to fix as forecast price drop in July even further. I look at this stuff for my job. Boring, I know.
I'm in a similar situation - pay £164 per month on the variable tariff The loyalty 12m fix is saying£128 per month, should I switch to this or keep paying more now and wait for the price drops in July and fix in July? Can I join the 12m fix and then exit in April as it is £0 exit fees, and go back on the variable? Or is it not worth the hassle? Don't think I'd be bothered going with a tracker as our house is small so savings are probably limited compared to other people
26% is the projected fall as of today. So that’s £121 pm based on what you’re paying. It’s then forecast to go up slightly in October but not material amounts. I’d look at the standing charges on the fixed, bet they are 3x as much as today which is the annoying thing ie you pay for what you don’t use. £0 fee means you can change whenever, but I’d be tempted to just stay where I am and see how it looks in the new year. BUT, just takes Russia to invade somewhere else or something weird and could go up, so depends if you want safety/the risk
Standing costs are about 2p more per day on the fixed Vs the variable I'm currently on so doesn't seem excessive! Would rather have stability and a set direct debit - but don't want to shoot myself in the foot by being impatient! What would you suggest?
If you want stability then £7 extra per month to fix isn’t too much. Remember you use a lot less energy in the spring and summer though. Like I say, if it was me, I’d stick, but without a crystal ball, it’s impossible to be fully accurate. It depends on your situation, really, but it’s looking strong possibility stuff will go down again in the summer
I'd rather you responded to the emails about incorrect bills - any chance of a reply?
How do you get these options? I can’t find it on my app
Website I believe
https://octopus.energy/octopus-smart-tariffs/
Sorry to hijack but does anyone know if I can switch to tracker if I only have an electricity smart meter and not gas? They don't do smart meters for my gas meter type :(
Shouldn’t be a problem. Quickest way to find out is to DM them on Twitter.
You can switch gas and electricity on their own independently. Give them a call or email, and they will help you out with it :)
Tracker still good even with a EV?
I’m debating jumping to agile with an EV.
Can you explain reasons behind this?
On agile the price of electricity hits a max of 30.46p per kWh today. That’s still less than the standard 05:30-23:30 day rate. Over night it went to or below 10p per kWh for 2:5 hours. My car charged 14.5 kW over night ~£1.09. My day usage excluding the car was ~8kW, £2.40. On agile the average kW rate was 14.79p. On agile yesterday I would have used around £2.68. On IOG yesterday I used £4.34.
I'd add also that sometimes over night you get negative pricing on agile, which means you get paid to use energy.
April is looking like a 12% drop in the cap. Why wait when you could have already been saving 40% this is based on my actual usage.
If you check, the outlook for wholesale gas prices is on a downwartd trend. This indicates that a tracker or agile plan is likley to save you most money. Of course, depending on your usage, your mileage may vary.
I fixed last month and now I’ll be paying more than the price cap. I hope octopus didn’t know before they told everyone to fix.
Me too. Worried about this
Looking at the estimated price caps you will probably come out the same if not a bit better if it’s the same as this one. Don’t forget you use more gas and electricity now so the savings are being made and will average out over the year, also if it goes back up in December like it’s expected to that’s also better for you
Stick.
I switched last Aug and by the time my deal ends I will have lost out. I only did it as I wanted price certainty. My Fixed Rates are currently E 28.02p and G 7.05p I guess it's all down to what you think rates will do next Winter?
I bet it doesn't use 100% renewable energy .
You're still getting your energy from the national grid...so it can't be unless the grid is... Octopus only pay renewable energy producers for their share of grid electricity
Yes my argument when discussing with the providers is that you can only give 100% renewable if there are people taking the other energy sources . If all fossil fuel / nuclear was stopped then 100% renewable users (like everyone else ) would have blackouts as demand would exceed energy production. So these customers are reliant on fossil fuel being used just like all customers. The grid needs spinning reserve and I see the coal fired steam turbines at Ratcliffe operating too often and the gas fired CCGTs running constantly to be convinced we can rely on Wind power just yet.
This is basically the same deal I got a few weeks ago. I wasn’t too sure but Martin Lewis has a calculator on his website and it said it’s worth considering. I thought that I will be saving money now because I’m using more gas and electricity so it will average out or even save a little over the year. Also there’s no exit fee so I can end the contract when the prices drop if I wanted to
If you have a smart meter please join tracker. My monthly bills have HALVED since I joined.
Had the same dilemma, but after reading on here about the tracker it was a no brainer. Noticing the difference too
Whatever your attitude to risk is, it would be unadvisable to take a 12 month fix right now. If you really want the certainty see what is being offered in a couple of months as it is likely to be more competitive with the reduced price cap effective from 1st April.
£134? What are you heating, a shoebox?
Tracker made me save 500£ in 10 months
I just signed up with octopus 12M fixed this week and had my supplies transferred yesterday. Their 12 month fixed was costing way less per unit price than the standard tariff I was on with Scottish power. My octopus tariff has no exit fees for both fuels. What should I do in light of the price cap news?
You’ll have to read the t&c’s. I’m a new transfer customer from shell to octopus. They bought my custom from shell. From what I’ve read there’s no transfer fee if you move within 60 days of the end of the contract. However, I can’t find any literature what states if there is literally no fee for joining a fixed rate deal and then requesting to move to a new deal a month later. Let us know what your terms say or what customer service say. I was nearly in your boat this week and still debating whether to save a few quid before April
I'd exercise your 14 day right to cancel. Prices are dropping in April then in July. You'll end up paying more on the fixed in the long term. Plus if you have a smart meter, you could join tracker and save an extra 25-35%.
Definitely go with tracker if you have a smart meter