Octopus Agile API Support by Victron For Controlling Charging Off Peak Times

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dune7 asked Nov 24, '22

Octopus Agile API Support by Victron For Controlling Charging Off Peak Times

Thank you so much for the very informative webinar on 23/11/22.

Octopus Energy in the UK is disrupting the energy industry for good and their Kraken platform is in many countries bought by suppliers and growing.

Will Victron please look at integration with Octopus Kraken API to allow us to auto set charging times when energy prices are low and export when high?

“Works with Octopus” is a standard attained by many ESS systems and it would be great if Victron would look at putting this on their roadmap.

NodeRed and some technical challenges aren’t for all of us and I believe it would help in adoption of Victron into many domestic installations where people just aren’t getting the quality and support from certain other brands.

Standards to help home storage and EV take-up are so very crucial to environmental gains and the rapid change needed to combat climate change.

Many thanks for your great work. New Solar ESS Victron User in the UK, Installed by Callidus, another great cutting edge supplier and supporter of Victron.

battery charging api octopus

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Jason - UK answered · Nov 24, 2022 at 03:12 PM

@Dune7 There is a simplistic solution to this. In short, use a IFTTT enabled time clock (like a Heatmiser Neostat 2 HW with hub), wire it into one of the relays on the Multiplus with an assistant for charge current controller, and set up an applet on IFTTT with Octopus Agile IFTTT service for charge when below £x, or charge 8 lowest cost half hour periods.

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jameshoare1964 commented · Nov 26, 2022 at 05:55 PM

@Jason - UK Thank you very helpful. Always great to unfreeze a way of thinking, and look for a simple solution instead. Presumably if one sets another applet on IFTT for charge negatively ie discharge for 8 highest half hour periods - that is job done.

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Answer 1 · 2022-11-27T08:04:19Z

Richard Weir answered · Nov 27, 2022 at 08:04 AM

@Jason - UK thanks for the tips, that sounds great. I’m just wondering how the heating controller is physically wired into the Multiplus 2 and how it’s configured with the ESS, some more detail would be helpful. I’m also a mechanical engineer and a heating engineer and doing some similar stuff as you. I’ve installed a Viessmann 150a heat pump and running it of 20kwh of PylonTech batteries, connected to Octopus Go.

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Jason - UK commented · Nov 28, 2022 at 09:12 AM

@Richard Weir I use Heatmiser Neostats V2 for a lot of things. Even if you buy one of their thermostats, you can change the thermostat to time clock mode only which is actually cheaper than buying the Neostat V2 HW time clock. Set up an assistant for the current charge control to the relevant wired connection. It takes at bit of playing around to use a 3rd party controller with ESS & scheduled charge. In short, the assistant only throttles charging so inherently you set up your scheduled charge during periods of no potential solar generation, then use the time clock to allow or 'stop' the charge depending on when the cheap rate electric is.

My advise is use a cheap time clock to test your set up and see if it works for you as its not 100% perfect solution. Im working on a node red solution currently that Im aiming to be 100% perfect solution to charging on the Octopus Agile tariff.

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Answer 2 · 2022-11-28T15:49:26Z

Richard Weir answered · Nov 28, 2022 at 03:49 PM

Hi @Jason - UK , Thanks for the tips most helpful. I have ordered a controller and see where it links in and have programed the assistant to take the other input. Like you say, i'll test it with another device first. What has been your experience of Octopus lowering the tariff? Cheers, Richard.

www.boilerbee.com

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Jason - UK commented · Nov 28, 2022 at 04:06 PM

@Richard Weir I've been following the Agile tariff for a while now and its defo a winner in the summer but the winter its difficult to tell because of the instability Truss brought to the energy markets. Things have been very stable since that woman left office.

My opinion is if you have battery storage to cover your daily usage, then the Octopus Go is the better tariff as you can charge on the 12p off-peak rate but you only get the SEG 4.1p/kWh for export. If not enough battery storage or no batteries at all, then then the Octopus Agile is best as the average rate on the Agile has been around the 20p mark other than between 3pm and 7pm providing you can shift your energy usage outside 3-7pm but the Agile then pays retail rates for export which last summer went well in excess of £1/kWh at times. If you have a PV array that as a year generates double your annual demand, then the Agile is a winner based on this winter and summer as the increased cost of energy on the Agile is noting compaired to how much you will earn on the Agile Export tariff.

Ideally the best thing is for you to assess yourself which is best for yourself using the data available. I use a app call 'OctopusCompair' which costs about £1 per month and then also the data on the below link. OctopusCompair can work out which is cheapest for you based on your usage as it takes your meter data and compares t against what ever tariff you select.

https://dashboards.energy-stats.uk/d/y9iWNjZMz/user-dashboard?orgId=1&var-area_name=Southern_England

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