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Octopus Energy Intelligent Tariff
At the click of a button, the Intelligent Octopus tariff will charge your EV when energy is at its cheapest and greenest.
The Intelligent Octopus tariff is the latest Octopus Energy electric vehicle tariff on the market. It gives electric vehicle owners a minimum of 6 hours of super-cheap electricity every night at 10p per kWh. In some ways, the Intelligent Octopus tariff is a mash-up of both the Octopus Go and Octopus Agile tariffs combined! 🌍 It is a groundbreaking tariff that could help transform the national grid. Could you be a part of it?
Why is the Intelligent Octopus so exciting?
The national grid was built and is based on providing us with energy on demand. As the uptake of electric vehicles, air source heat pumps and all things electrical move forward so does our need for more electricity. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) forecasts that total yearly energy demand will roughly double. In order to accommodate large items that draw on the National Grid, such as a 7 kWh EV charger, we need to rethink how demand can be balanced.
The intelligent Octopus tariff is a beta tariff that is leading the way. It is more than a time-of-use tariff. It is an intelligent tariff that can use excess energy when it is in abundance. Octopus can turn your EV charger off and on remotely. All you need to do is plug in, select the percentage of charge you need and by when and Octopus will take care of the rest.
You can read more about how the beta tariffs like the Intelligent Octopus tariff can help shape the future of energy in the Octopus blog post from 30th August 2022.
How much does the Octopus Energy Intelligent Tariff cost per kWh?
The Intelligent Octopus tariff, like Octopus Go, provides an off-peak energy tariff for charging your electric vehicle at night. On Intelligence Octopus you will be charged a unit price of 10p per kWh for electricity between 11.30 pm and 5.30 am. Outside these times you will have a standard electricity fixed tariff which varies depending on your geographical location within the UK. In my region, this would be 42.17p per kWh. It’s now a variable tariff.
So like Octopus Go, Intelligent Octopus is a fixed rate energy tariff with a discount period but instead of having 4 discount hours the new Octopus electric vehicle tariff, that is Intelligent Octopus offers 6 hours of off-peak charging. It doesn’t stop there!! By linking your electric vehicle or your EV charger to the Intelligence Octopus app you could get even more hours discounted to the off-peak rate.
The Intelligent Octopus app works out when energy is at the cheapest and greenest and if that’s outside your off-peak window it will ask your car to charge then BUT only charge you 10p per kWh! You will also retain your 6 off-peak hours so you can use appliances such as the dishwasher or washing machine at 10p per kWh too. How cool is that!
What’s the catch – 6 hours plus of electricity at 10p per kWh for charging your electric vehicle?🙋♀️
Well, there is a catch with the intelligent Octopus tariff. You will have to tick all the boxes to get on this new beta tariff but the list is expected to expand. You will need to be either a Tesla owner OR own a Wallbox Pulsar Plus charger. (I am working on a new EV charger website but I have already done a review on the Wallbox Pulsar Plus so feel free to take a look at the review) Plus you will need an iPhone! The Intelligence Octopus app is only available on IOS at the moment!!
Energy prices were already on the rise and then when Russia invaded Ukraine energy prices went to another level! It’s yet another reason why we need to increase our own homegrown green energy supply in the UK so we aren’t so reliant on other countries.🥺😢💚
There may be some validity in switching if you have a smart meter and want to sign up for one of the Octopus smart tariffs, like Octopus Go or Intelligent Octopus. (It’s still a really great tariff if you own an EV. Where else will you get 10p a kWh?) You can’t sign up for a smart tariff on the Octopus website. You’ll have to call and go on an interim fixed tariff first. Please read all the information below and take on the advice given by Octopus. Let’s hope this all ends really soon!!💚🥺🤯
Existing Octopus Energy customers can also switch to the Intelligent tariff via the Octopus IOS app. This is the method I used to switch to the Intelligent tariff. I found it easier as you can complete the test charge within the signup process within the app.
Has the Intelligent Octopus increased in price over the last 12 months?
Yes, on the 14th of October the Intelligent Octopus tariff increased from 7.5p per kWh off-peak to 10p per kWh off-peak. The daytime rate increased from 40.04p per kWh to 42.17p per kWh. The standing charge went down slightly..
How does Intelligent Octopus work?
Octopus Energy will connect to your car or charging equipment through the Octopus app. After completing the initial set up it’s all relatively straightforward.
- Plug your EV in and tell the app when you need your EV next and the percentage of charge you require.
- If you are all set to charge before 5 pm Octopus will tell you your charge schedule around 5 pm. This will appear in the Octopus app.
- If you plug in after 5 pm a schedule will be created at this time.
The great thing about this tariff is that if Octopus decides to schedule your charge before the 11.30 pm off-peak time you will get these time slots at the off-peak rate of 10p per kWh too. The same rate is also applied to any other electricity used within the home during these times!👏
While your EV is plugged in Octopus will make sure you charge when electricity is at its cheapest, and greenest on the national grid.
You can bump start charging from the app if you need to charge during the day. (This will be at the standard electricity price rather than off-peak)
You will need;
- A smart meter we can connect to (either a SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1)
- A compatible EV charging system (currently, either Tesla or Wallbox Pulsar Plus)
- An iOS smartphone
What are the benefits of the Intelligent Octopus tariff?
- Reduce your overall energy bill. It is anticipated that you could around £100 compared to Octopus Go.
- Decrease your environmental impact.
- Make your home energy work smarter for you and the planet.🌍
During the 6 hours off-peak period not only can you get your washing machine or dishwasher on at a reduced rate but you can set your car to charge when it is going to use the least CO2 even if that is outside your 6-hour off-peak window! Plus you won’t pay any more than 10p per kWh!! Beep, beep!!!! 🚘🌍💚
@sarah_go_green If you have an #electricvehicle you can #savemoney on #energybills by getting cheap off-peak electricity while charging. Its a great #octopus ♬ original sound – sarah_go_green
Here’s a quote from 6th December 2022. You can check the most up-to-date rates for the Intelligent Octopus tariff on the Octopus website. Prices may vary slightly in different geographical locations.
| Compare Intelligent Octopus Tariff | |
|---|---|
| Electricity per kWh | 42.17p |
| Discount 6 hours 23.30 to 05.30 🚘 | 10.0p 👀 |
| Standing charge per day | 47.61p |
Does the electricity discounted rate end after my electric car is charged?
No, you get the full 6 hours of off-peak electricity at 10p per kWh every night regardless if you schedule a charge or not!
Is there an Octopus Intelligent Gas Tariff?
No, the Octopus Intelligent tariff is simply for your electricity but you can pick a standard Octopus gas Tariff to sit alongside your Intelligent electricity tariff. The Octopus flexible tariff is capped by the Energy Price Guarantee and so would be an ideal interim tariff.
Do I need to get all my family to switch their energy use to benefit from Octopus Intelligent?
In a recent survey by Ofgem, most electric vehicle owners stated that they hadn’t made any changes to how they use their electricity at home. The assumption seemed to be that to fully benefit from the switch to an intelligent tariff the whole household needs to modify their energy use. 🤯 With Octopus Intelligent this isn’t the case! Even if your kids don’t act that intelligently sometimes 😂
Energy Prices
06/12/2022
Octopus Flexible Tariff -EPG average price (Electricity) 02/10/2022 Intelligent Octopus Tariff. (Electricity)
42.17p per kWh 42.17p per kWh (05.30 - 00.30)
16.09p per kWh off-peak Eco 7. 10.0p per kWh off-peak. (23.30 - 05.30)
47.61p per day Standing Charge 47.61p per day Standing charge.
🌟🎉🥁🚘 #winner
The numbers really speak for themselves. The Octopus Intelligent tariff with its 10p slot is just unbeatable! 🎄🤶🏻
What if I want to plug in my car and just get it charged as quickly as possible?
Octopus has this under control too. You can schedule a Bump Charge through the Intelligent Octopus app, which will start the car charging immediately. For this, you will be charged the unit rate at the time. If it’s during your off-peak window you will be charged – 10p/kWh for Bump Charging or your local day unit rate outside of these hours.
How do you switch to Octopus Intelligent Tariff?
As a new customer, you’ll simply have to switch to Octopus Energy and select an interim tariff before making your switch to Octopus Intelligence. As a new customer, you have to sign up for a nonsmart tariff when you switch. It’s then a case of moving from your interim tariff to your chosen smart tariff, such as Intelligent Octopus.
- Switch to Octopus Energy. (This usually takes around 17 days)
- Octopus must be satisfied that they are receiving half-hourly readings from your smart meter. (This usually happens within 14 days but could take longer.
- You can then switch to Intelligent Octopus once you have confirmed all your equipment is compatible. (This is a new beta tariff so it may be a little more tweaking)
- You’ll need to download the Intelligent Octopus IOS app and register your car or charger.
You can check on your Octopus Energy dashboard to see if half-hourly readings are being received.
If you haven’t got a smart meter it’s a case of switching, requesting a smart meter, and waiting for an installation date to become available in your area. You’ll need a Secure SMETS1 (Secure is a brand name and it’s written on the front of the meter) or a SMETS2 smart meter to switch to any of the Octopus smart tariffs
Get a quote and find more information on signing up to Octopus Intelligent HERE.
How can I tell if I have a SMETS2 smart meter already?
Look out for ‘GUID’ or a Device ID which looks like this: AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF-00-GG-ZZ on the front of the meter. If you can see a number like this it is a good indication you have a SMETS2 meter
Take your first step towards cheaper EV charging.↓🚘🥳
Ready to make the switch? Simply pick your interim tariff and contact Octopus Energy to get your smart meter installed or checked. Following half-hourly meter readings, you will be ready to switch to Intelligent Octopus.
You’ll need to call Octopus Energy to make the switch as they stopped giving online quotes on the 28th of February 2022. Online quotes at the moment are suspended.
The prices below are correct as of 6th December 2022. They will vary depending on where you live in the country.
