Morning. For a long time DESS, using an API from Octopus Energy, the system was happily checking the half hour prices of electricity for the Agile tariff I was on. When I switched tariff to a non dynamic tariff (Octopus Go) I switched it off because basically I only needed to charge during the cheap hours. Over the weekend I flipped back to Agile and reactivated DESS but Victron didn’t reflect the changes in prices. I reset the API, to no avail. Since then I’ve switched back, and today gone back to Agile again. DESS is still not updating the prices, despite resetting the API. I know the new API is working as my Octo-App is showing the change of tariff and the new price slots, so it’s definitely a Victron thing. Is there a way of forcing DESS to reset itself?
Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out! I wanted to let you know that this is a known issue on our side. To avoid overwhelming the Octopus API, we only refresh Octopus contract details for users once their current contract has expired.
However, we’ve noticed that in some cases, users switch contracts before the old one officially ends. When that happens, the new pricing isn’t immediately reflected in the app.
We’re looking into a simple improvement: adding a “Force update my Octopus prices” button for users. This would give you the ability to refresh your prices manually, without needing to wait for an automatic update. We believe this would offer a quick fix while keeping things smooth on both sides.
It isn’t in progress yet, so I cannot tell you when this button will be there.
Ah yes, that would explain it. For context, Octopus allow us to swap and change between ‘smart’ tariffs as much as we like, it seems. This is probably quite unusual, but it does mean some of us are swapping pretty regularly between the dynamically priced ‘Agile’ tariff and the more conventional cheap rate/expensive rate two slotted ‘Go’ tariff. (This is my second flip this week, for example.). I don’t need smart charging on the ‘Go’ tariff as I simply need the battery to be full each night: it’s the dynamic slots where DESS is cleverer than me. Another button needn’t be necessary, just forcing a price update or API refresh when toggling the DESS on and off would be enough, and probably easier to code too. In the meantime, is there another way of resetting DESS? Maybe a reboot, perhaps?
We are with Octopus and have switched between tariffs too before the official end date of the contract periods.
I’ve requested several times and also agreed by other Octopus customers that we really could do with having a simple button for export within VRM.
We often get short notice “Savings Sessions” whereby it’s lucrative to export to the grid.
In earlier versions of Dyness you guys had dedicated “Buy” & “Sell” buttons, but you’ve since removed these and now only have an auto option in the Dyness menu.
I regularly used the “Sell” button to export for the Savings Sessions periods, but now I have to revert to the tedious process of changing the grid setpoint to instigate export.
We also get free electric sessions at short notice too, but I can easily use the SOC slider to force a charge import.
Please, please please can we have a simple discharge export button back again.
I have the same problem. I switched recently from Octopus Flexible to Intelligent Go, but I can’t get the Victron app DESS to reflect the new contract. I have tried switching DESS off and on and reinstalling a new API from Octopus. Is there a workaround to force VRM to reflect the new pricing, including the smart charging sessions at the off-peak rate?
I have the same problem which started when Octopus changed the API for the Charge cap on Intelligent go. Unfortunately this also appears to have blocked the rate updating for agile outgoing. The work around I have implemented is to use node red to read from octopus and then insert these into the manual schedular which gives the following and if working
It is low at from11pm because in the summer octopus only publish upto that time until 4pm today. I only have to use this because agile changes every day if you only worried about Intelligent Octopus go import just set the times in the manual schedular once as it is fixed times
Dave
Hi @DaveWalker and @JAF065 ,
We are researching if Octopus provides us with an API for the Intelligent Go subscription.
Hi Dave
I already have the times set up in the manual scheduler, however Octopus Intelligent Go also has additional unscheduled half hour smart charging slots where it starts charging your EV during the day time at the off peak rate when it has excess power. This means any power to the house is also charged at the off peak rate during these slots so it would be good to have VRM recognise this and charge the batteries. However what is currently happening is the opposite: VRM sees the car charging and so discharges the battery during this slot, and then has to top up the battery again afterwards using peak electricity. This means I can only plug in my EV at night otherwise it gets very expensive and is why we need VRM DESS to recognise these slots. They are shown in the Octopus app so it must be possible to link to these in VRM.
It is hard for VRM to pick up these slots because they are dynamic and often change as Octopus tries to optimise the best times to charge which means Victron would have to continually poll Octopus for each and every Intelligent go user adding a lot of load which is not really needed. The best solution is to deal with this locally using the built-in Node red in the Cerbo to recognise that the car is charging and switch the mode on the multiplus into keep batteries charge mode which ensure you take advantage to charge your batteries along with the car and without all the polling. It is also very simply to set this up in Home assistant if you have that. I have been using this for over 2 years and it has worked without fault,
Dave
@Barbara Octopus intelligent as the buy side can be sorted with a fixed price schedule the problem is then even though I select Fix for buy and dynamic for sell it picks up both tariffs as can be seen when I poll the DESS setting
As it is not reading the intelligent go tariff (even though this is on fixed not dynamic)it also seems to block the agile outgoing tariff which is why I have had to switch to my work around and putting the values into the fixed schedular via not red
Dave
Hi Dave
I was hoping this is exactly what the DESS system would do. Is this not the same as Agile where the prices change continually for half hour slots? I don’t have home assistant and not sure how to use node red so was hoping DESS would be a much simpler way to do it.
No agile refreshes once a day just after 4pm and is the same for everyone in that electricity region so just a few calls covers every person. Intelligent go is different for every person and can change minute by minute , so has to be polled continuedly for each person. Node red is not very complicated once you get you head round it. What car charger do you have I may be able to adapt my code to get it working for you.?
Dave
That would be very kind. I am using a Myenergi Zappi EV charger. Because this also uses excess solar to charge the car it would need to change the VRM charging setting only when the EV is receiving the full 7kw (which it can’t get to with just excess solar, only when it is charging from the grid). Will that work?
James
That is the same as me but I use an external shelly CT on the load to the zappi just because it gives me instant response. I can do it by calling the Myenergi web api it will just be a little slower to response because it is rate limited to once per minute. Ie it will pull from the battery for the first minute and charge the battery for 1 minute after the car stops.
Dave
OK thanks I have done both of those.
On Vrm dash board select node red from the venus OS large option that is now available
Once open(as it is first time you will see some welcome dialog) drag an inject, Http request and Debug node into the flow from the pallet (left arrow) , connect as shown by dragging between the grey dots on each node and open the debug window(see the arrow on the right)
Double click on the http request and set with the following string https://s18.myenergi.net/cgi-jstatus-Z the username is your serial number and password is the api key you obtained
once you have done that hit deploy
Once deployed click the square at the front of the inject node and look in the debug window you should see something like this
once we have this working we can move to next stage of controlling the victron
Dave
OK I think that is working.
Can you post a screenshot of you debug window?