Energy Facts and Fiction

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Where to start. First Standing Charges used to go to the provider of the energy source and it tended to be reasonable.Now it can range from 0.45p to 80p. This must mean that the Regulator is ok with this. Now it is part of the Profit.

As with last year and now this year we are being warned of Power Cuts. This did not happen I think because of the massive price increases. This must have greatly reduced the Demand. The damage to the working poor (up to 70k with mortgage and school fees etc) is still to be seen, as I would think deaths from hypothermia due to the high costs. All of this artificial and due to Illogical Green Thinking. Not denying polution in cities. Saying that in Glasgow they are creating cycle lanes not used, thus causing more traffic holdups, this equals more pollution.

Now getting to my main points over the past week I have requested information regarding Smart Economy 7 and 10. Although they have information it appears nearly impossible to get this. The main Suppliers tend to maintain that even the new Smart Meters cannot handle this. On the other hand if you buy Solar and Batteries from them or have an EV it can. They are not prepared to give you the EV rate if you have a Home Battery. Probably because by using it you would not be paying them the standard rates. It is ok with the EV as you are taking the power away from the house. Although one company did say at the bottom of their list of EV rate benefits you could charge a Home Battery. So the documentation appears to be a scam to keep the Regulator happy.

With all this research I final found one company who appears to be taking the new technology seriously. I find that Octopus Energy have for me an even better system in place that is real, even better offered. It is called ACTIVE. With this you get a trade rate that changes every 30 min. This can be a very low rate (may even pay you now and again) to a maximum of 100p per KWH. To make this work you really nead to plan your day according to the charging patterns to avoid the high charge. The idea is to take load off the Grid at Peak periods. We the elderly tend to be in a good position to do this.

So I have signed up. The basic account opens Oct 20. In the near future I should transfer to AGILE. This is the plan of action. Due to the power cuts that did not happen I have two Bluetti Powerr Banks not being used. They will run Phones, computers, 2 Screens,Wifi and TV and recorders etc. Timers will switch off the Hot Water Heater at Peak times, this also applies to the Fridge Freezer. The biggest problem by far is the electic heating which is not storage, which is sort of out of fashion. I have a plan I am thinking of buying a top quality modern storage heater and fitting it to a mobile platform. With AGILE I will be able to keep it topped up throughout the day very cheaply. Move it from lounge to office during Peak times like 4.00 to 7.00pm. Why would I do all this. I have a two bedroom flat. One person occupation most of the time, used 10,000KWH plus las year. Now I can afford that, but many could not. My rate was going up from 0.195 KWH to 0.26 plus Standing Charge 0.24p to 61p. I also have bottled gas cooker and heater as more back up.

It will be intereting to see how this works.