[OT] 'Surge Pricing' proposed for consumer electricity prices

My hybrid has a timer built in. I?ve programmed it to charge during the Economy 7 slot. I assume they all have a similar function.

An even better idea would be to stop pretending we're in Bongo-bongo land and install some proper infrastructure so power is there when people need it.

Bill

Fantastic if you get a call-out and the car hasn't been charged up.

Bill

That's what the greenies want.

Bill

In message snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net>, williamwright snipped-for-privacy@f2s.com writes

That sounds dangerously like the application of common sense. Anyway, why would you do that when you could come up with some convoluted (but cheaper) system to discourage people from using that power ?

Adrian

Not a new idea. When I was talking to EDF, before I got my meter they told me that surge pricing economy 7 or whatever tariff you go for is basically just software, and so you would choose what is right for your usage pattern. I opted for a fixed tariff till 2024, which I hope is honoured, using economy 7.

Obviously, the prices were slightly higher than the standard variable, which effectively means they can dynamically alter the cost per kw hour as they feel, which in the current volatile energy market seemed a bit of a risk, so I opted for the slightly higher bills for a few years. With the advent of electric car charging over night I can well see the night rate increasing significantly, due to extra demand though. Brian

Spot on. The idea is being 'sold' on the premise that each individual consumer can benefit, but with millions doing the same thing the benefits are imaginary, and /some other form/ of demand control will be necessary to underpin the 'surge pricing'. You can bet your bottom dollar that the consumer won't be the one to benefit. It's getting to the point where having your own 3kW generator might be the best way forward...or a 1kW genny running a battery/inverter system.

Shades of 'don't boil more that a mugful of water' that we've heard in recent years...

I like their recommendation to line-dry washing. If I'd put out a lineful at the end of October, it'd still be there....They Just Don't Think Things Through, do they?

You are assuming that they will offer the same pricing to all of their customers at the same time.

There is nothing to stop them rotating the best deal times around their customer base so that they spread out the incentive periods enough to flatten their demand curve.

What were you planning to run the genny on?

Chip fat? Or will chips be rationed too?

The problem remains with the current green policy of building more wind turbines and solar farms is that the only time the supply companies will want to offer a better half hour deal is when there is excess generation when wind does blow and the sun does shine. What incentive will there be to customers to shift usage times in the winter months when the wind doesn't blow for a week or more.

It doesn't have to fully dry on the line. In this household there has been an average of 1 line of washing outside every 10 days since October. In a few cases it only requires a short time in front of a radiator when brought back in to deal with the residual dampness. I expect the load on the line today will be completely dry by 4pm, pegged out at 8am.

Indeed, and I am not defending the short sighted choices made on installed generation capacity and mix.

They can apply the same "incentives" there - although the incentive may be negative - i.e. much higher pricing if you want to buy at peak demand times.

rather than give us £200 which we may not want and will have to pay back, surely it would be better and easier to lower the price cap by £200.

The system seems to be the reverse of one proposed and tested many years ago.

In that one, a whole estate had its consumption monitored and a computer switched the whole estate to the cheapest supply on offer ... every five minutes.

Of course that benefited the consumer and not the supplier, so it soon disappeared.

A late friend shouted that one at me, until I pointed out that the cost saving once the influx of the extra heat into the house had been deducted off his gas bill, was about 15p a week.I dropped a pound coin on his counter top and asked him to STFU.

Socialists and Greens are in competition as to whether you should sleep with your pets, or eat them...

Using them at night in attached properties or flats that have poor sound insulation is a challenge too.