Octopus Saving Sessions

[NewBootsAndRanty]

Anyone signed up for this? Payments for shifting your energy use away from peak times/within a given timeslot each day.

Makes sense @tribpot

We don't gain anything by not using electricity, but we will be switching everything off that we can tomorrow evening as it's going to be bad. Helping out the Grid is a good thing.

This is going to be tough for us. Finish work at 5.30, then need to cook dinner and do bath/bed for 7. With the 1hr ones we’ve been able to flex a bit. If it was just me and DH we’d just eat later but can’t do that to a 2yr old. I guess if we have the rolling blackouts I won’t have much choice. I do wonder for how many winters this will happen for now.

Thanks again @tribpot

We earn only pennies from this but, like @Stellaris22 we’re doing what we can so that people like elderly MIL and grandma don’t have to. 🤞

Can you put something in the microwave @Flapjackquack so you're not using electricity for too many minutes?

@tribpot - I don’t really have anything microwaveable in at the moment, we’ve eaten down the freezer stash to make room for Christmas baking/leftovers. I would have to buy something which would likely cost more than I’d save! I think I may cook a pasta bake in my lunch break and then heat it up in the microwave later.

2hrs is going to be a challenge but i guess ill do dinner for 5 get kids in to pjs then do what we usually do and snuggle up in the lounge with the fire and candles and tablets might even pull the sofa bed out and make it a big sleepover so 4yr old can go to sleep if she wants as her bedtime is usually 6.30/7

Thanks for the heads up, I've just got my email. My laptop will last an hour before it needs recharging, I'll read my Kindle for the second hour.

Hmm, two hours isn't going to work for me as I've got DD with me tomorrow. The first hour won't be so bad as it'll be just her at home (unless we're snowed in) but I get in at 6 and can't delay dinner for her until after 7. Did the meal planning earlier today so can do a hob meal rather than an oven meal. She needs her laptop for homework but I'll ask if she can manage without the TV on too.

They 'pay' you/assess your savings by the half hour during the session, if that helps.

Oh, so if the first hour is lower but the second hour is the same / higher, it'll still reward me a bit? The rewards are pennies to be honest, I've been economising since June, but I'm a sucker for a target 😆

Yep
It's buried in the faq, I think they should make it more clear.

'we measure each half an hour of the Saving Session separately.

Over an hour-long Session, let’s say you cut your energy usage in the first half hour, but then used so much energy in the second half hour that overall, you still ended up using more power than usual. In this case, you’d still earn OctoPoints for the energy saved in the first half an hour, even if you didn't save overall.'

Do the national grid publish any statistics about the saving sessions showing what we would have needed to import vs what we did import due to the savings sessions?

Just found this thread.
I'm on 12400 points so far from the first four sessions, so about £15.
We have no mains gas so our normal electricity consumption is quite high, all cooking and some heating is electric.
Plus we have a UPS (big battery) provided by BT for the phone and router because there is no mobile signal here and we get frequent power cuts. This means our wifi stays on in a power cut.
On the previous sessions we have just flicked all the power off for an hour. I'm not prepared to do that for two hours so we'll do it differently today.

I'm having an exasperating day and cba with candlelight this evening. Everything basic is staying firmly on.

Lights barely use anything. We never turn ours off for these, it's pretty pointless, and we have earned £8 so far without having to sit in the dark. Cooking, having lots of PCs or consoles on, using appliances, those are the things that matter! We will have our lights on as normal.

We've done slow cooker tea and we pick DD up at nursery at 5 so won't be back till half past by the time we've walked home and then tea and it's time for bed!

I'm not sure how much we will be able to do today. TV would be off anyway so that won't be a reduction. Need to use the grill and microwave for tea.

OP I think a lot of people CBA with these any more. I've sat in the dark 3 times now for 45p a time. Sod that. They need to make the incentive greater.

We're not making any effort today. We've taken part in all the sessions so far and got a grand total of £2.05.

DPs taken it on himself to spend the day catching up with laundry, so the dryer is on and I'm too hungry to wait until 7 pm to start making dinner. So sod it for today.

Finished work early so just made dinner ready for later and am now sat by the light of the Christmas tree. Figured 2 sets of LED tree lights won’t use much and it’s quite atmospheric.

I feel the same. For the first session I got £1 something but the subsequent sessions weren't even 45p despite Octopus telling me I'd reduced my consumption by 97%. Since I got my smart meter I've tried to lower my usage and it feels almost like I'm penalised for that in terms of savings. So I'm wondering why bother now?!

Our first time. The teens are off school so its quite fun and they can stand a late tea. Got smart meter reading down to 82w which is the cctv, alarm and Internet. Can't get any lower!!

I wasn't going to do it tonight, then a friend told me she'd just organised some generators to go to Ukraine with the Sunflower Sisters. I did watch the Weakest Link to the end but am all switched off now. I feel I should, as I have a choice.

I got home a bit early so I've made the meatballs already. They can be heated up after 7 and the garlic bread can go in then too. Just me and DS at home. One light and one tv on.

Fridge, boiler and front room light on, everything else off ("Everything else" pretty much means that I've just not got the radio on).