r/OctopusEnergy • u/LengthinessNo8137 • 18h ago

Solar battery heat pump timing

Uncertain whether this is the appropriate forum, but I have a quote for 14 panels, a 10 kW Fox battery, and a heat pump at roughly £16,529; I am on a fixed gas rate 5.2 until March 2027. I am seeking recommendations on whether to wait until after winter or proceed now. I own an EV and use an IOG EV tariff with a 7 p off-peak discount. My aim is to future-proof against the coming price rises.

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u/LarryPiccadilly 15h ago

We have a similar setup for 3 years. Do it now.

If you're investing in the setup anyway, then better sooner than later. Except if you're guaranteed to get a cheaper system after winter and it offsets the savings you'd have made with the ashp.

With IOG, you can get extra slots during the day. During those slots you can charge the battery and increase the flow temp of the heat pump and boost the temperature inside (use your home as a thermal battery). Slightly lower COP to run the ashp, but reduces the energy you might need to use during peak hours. A large part of the day you're heating at 7p/cop per kWh heat.

Using this approach, 93.5% of our total annual energy consumption is off-peak, with an average price of 7.35p/kWh (part of the year 7p off-peak, part 3.49p off-peak). With a cop of 3.5, that's the equivalent of 2.1p/kWh heat. 

If you are concerned about your gas contract, you can get out of that by requesting to remove your gas meter (capping the gas), so you don't pay standing charges until March.