[JoeSoap]

Originally Posted by WizzyWigg

Yep, I remember you told me off before 😂😂...

No... not a telling off... constructive criticism 😂

[meldrewreborn]

It’s realty about seeing what could be done by consumers to spread their consumption away from peak periods, the tests now are irrelevant in the overall scheme of things, but help to frame ideas for the future.

fundamentally we all want to flick a switch and have electricity available to us. But when we’re doing it all at the same time it means the generating capacity has to be there , even if it’s used at peak periods for a very short time. The more that the peaks can be limited then the fewer generating plants are needed, which reduces costs to everyone. The way you convince people to spread their consumption away from peak periods is through variable pricing, and we’re familiar with E7, E10 and EV tariffs, but smart meters potentially could facilitate much more dynamic pricing strategies with prices changing every 30 minutes.

Personally I find this notion rather scary , because some people could not cope with the complexity and very big bills could follow on after natural disasters. Nor do I think the current smart meter system fit for such pricing initiatives- look at the issues over these trials!

I think it’s a situation where just because something could be done, it doesn’t necessarily need to be done. So long as sufficient safeguards are put in place to protect everyone from being charged extra though dynamic pricing - so bills would have to show both dynamic pricing and traditional pricing, with the lower of the two constituting your actual bill, then it might be acceptable, dynamic pricing could only lower bills, but not increase them. Without such protection I don’t see dynamic pricing being acceptable to the general public.

will I live long enough to see dynamic pricing introduced at scale in the UK? Perhaps, but the likelihood is on a par with me seeing fusion power at scale.
I’ll not worry about it!

[Actual]

Originally Posted by meldrewreborn

dynamic pricing could only lower bills, but not increase them. Without such protection I don’t see dynamic pricing being acceptable to the general public

Texas?

During the 2021 Texas cold weather power crisis people with dynamic pricing were charged huge amounts for their electricity bills. Some energy firms made billions in profits due to some firms being able to pass extremely high wholesale prices on to consumers while others went bankrupt. Some residents reported bills of up to $16,000 for just a few days of use.

[retrotecchie]

@Actual

Everything is bigger in Texas...even bills. Texas is in the unenviable situation of having a separate power grid from the rest of the USA and a monopoly state energy company.

[wizzo227]

Originally Posted by retrotecchie

@Actual Everything is bigger in Texas...even bills. Texas is in the unenviable situation of having a separate power grid from the rest of the USA and a monopoly state energy company.

What made Texas different is that they don't like commies, don't like government central planners, and do without sufficient backup. There might be a few other types who they don't like but lets not get bogged down in that quagmire. Having Wild West electricity billing, some generators chose to save money and bill cheaper by having no stockpile and insufficient reserve when the cold snap hit. It being Wild West out there, anyone could have signed any contract, including the dumb ones for which you lose the farm if there is a one-in-five year storm in return for cheaper bills now. Texas being full of climate change deniers is a great place to sell those sorts of contracts to 'it couldn't happen to Me' types. Texas might be even more ideologically opposed to the obvious plan to save money in those rare times of extreme scarcity. Plant trees for backup heating by firewood, and "Turn it Off Stupid".

[retrotecchie]

A lot of places in the US are not so different. New York State has a monopoly gas and electricity supplier too, NYSEG (New York State Electricity and Gas). I was rather shocked when I went to stay with friends over there that there just wasn't any competition in the utilities business. Sure, fuel prices are lower over there, but if you lived in NY, you had no choice but to be held to ransom by a utility monopoly. If they hike their prices, you have no option but to suck it up. For a supposedly free market economy, they just have no idea of competition or shopping around.

My friends just couldn't get their heads round price comparisons or searching for deals as the notion of more than one supplier in the marketplace is just alien to them. When I explained that I shop around for energy, insurance, and mobile providers and usually manage to get a better deal by several tens of percent by comparing offers and finding one I like rather than just sticking with one provider, they were completely baffled. 'Un-American', I was told. And how do they choose who gets the monopoly? Whoever gives the biggest 'bung' to the Governor at election time.

[StillWaiting]

A quick question for everyone.

When you sign up for this years DFS with Eon, do you get a confimation email or text?

[Mailman]

@StillWaiting

Cannot find an email confirmation - I think I did get a message when I pressed the link in the email invite sent out.

[Mailman]

Looks like another event planned for Wednesday 29/11/23 starting at 5pm (although some might be starting at 5.30pm). I've yet to see the notification re the participants. Hope Eon Next are on the ball for this event.

NG ESO Data Portal

[StillWaiting]

I didn't get any notification except on the screen. See if I get the invite to participate.

Originally Posted by Mailman

Looks like another event planned for Wednesday 29/11/23 starting at 5pm (although some might be starting at 5.30pm). I've yet to see the notification re the participants. Hope Eon Next are on the ball for this event.

That's handy if it is the case, I'm working at a customer site. Bit of overtime to delay getting home.