OT: OVO pricing

They just quoted the rate for the day. It's probably a bit difficult to quote a future range of prices because it depends on the weather, demand, generation and wholesale prices. They do however explain what the tariff is about and how it varies day to day and, in general, summer prices being cheaper than winter prices, the gamble you may be taking and explain that if it's not right for you can exit the tariff without a penalty fee.

As I've posted before, during last winter I broke even compared to their fixed tariff but during the other 9 months for both gas and electricity the prices were on average about 10% cheaper than their current fixed price deal. Although not a solution for a stable National supply, in some periods when there was a lot of wind and solar and little demand the price dropped to 50% of their current fixed price tariff.

If you are considering this tariff read the T&C very carefully especially the bit where you could be paying 4x the price for electricity/gas before the price is capped.

With any price comparison the cheapest deal depends on your geographical region, your annual consumption and an assumption that your future consumption is broadly the same. Some tariffs suit low users, some high users and the with newer tariffs what time of day you use the energy. Those home charging EVs or running an ASHP overnight are likely to benefit from these newer tariffs that require a working smart meter

If they had said, "It's so we can save money by not employing meter readers [1]," I might have got one, but they insisted that I could save money by seeing what I was using (which I can't).

If Rachel wants to recover the equivalent of the fuel tax and duty that ICE vehicles currently pay, by slapping a 10p/mile tax on EVs in the coming budget, that’s liable to negate any savings made by going to smart meters and tariffs for charging.

I have a 'smart' water meter. The chart on the supplier's website consistently has sections where there was not enough signal strength on any particular day to give them a readout. They therefore estimate usage, which gives weird results if I happen to be away. The estimate echoes previous usage, but they don't know that I have been away. For long-term monitoring, fine, but for short-term, absolutely useless. As an advert. for 'smart' meters. it fails miserably.

You have that back to front. There's nothing wrong with the meters, you are just the wrong sort of customers. 😊

Good point. Is there a requirement to have smart meters visited by a meter reader from time to time? (I mean those that actually work.)

If not, then the business model for companies which employ those meter readers becomes - at best - marginal.

We too have not seen a meter reader for quite some time.

The gummint giveth and the gummint taketh away

They should also abolish the £7.5k grant on ASHP. If they are the "right" thing to do then it shouldn't require a subsidy which in the main only benefits the rich that can afford the additional costs on top of the grant.

That seems to be true of all suppliers - The 'more adventurous tariffs', rely on the time/consumption data from your smart meter. The data can take up to two weeks to begin flowing reliably, so until it does, you have to wait on a basic tariff.

There is no range, just a scary maximum. What they probably quoted, was the Kwh cost, for that one particular day.

Although the current tracker tariff isn't as good as its been in the past I don't think the price has ever got anywhere near to the scary maximum cap. (as I recall £1/kwh for electricity)

If the electric meter data transfer here is as reliable as the water one, then it would be waiting for ever to stabilise.

No, there have been a few excursions, up to higher pricing, earlier in the year - during which it seemed sensible to minimise consumption where possible, for the sake of economics. The short higher cost days, have always been more than compensated for, by the low cost days.

I briefly fell back onto the fixed price, in February, and March, but checking the Tracker cost graph in April, I realised I would be much better on the Tracker, so moved back. It's been well worthwhile so far, and averages well below other tariffs.

There are cheaper, from smaller companies, but I've already had one dose of the problems with small companies going bust, and the extra costs involved - I'm not keen on repeating it.

Octopus, come across as a company here to stay, with some unconventional, forward thinking ideas, plus some good value tariffs.