Homes in Dumfries and Galloway get free power in our Windy Day Fund trial
Our cutting-edge trial, in partnership with SP Energy Networks, will pay Octopus customers in Dumfries and Galloway to use more power at certain times when there's excess wind energy being generated.
We think it’s only right to give customers who live closest to lots of wind generation the benefit of having clean energy on their doorstep.
In our Windy Day Fund trial, we’re setting out to prove that we don’t need to let wind power go to waste. If enough people nearby shift their energy use to those times when we know it’s going to be really windy, we can use much more of it up. Then, in turn, we won’t need to use as much power later on when the wind isn’t blowing and we’d typically have to rely on fossil fuels.
Where the Big Dirty Turn Down has people joining in all across the country, the Windy Day Fund is just for Octopus smart meter customers in Dumfries and Galloway – where there's a high concentration of wind generation.
We've put together a list of frequently asked questions to help you decide if you'd like to take part.
How will it work?
If you opt in via the invitation email, you'll be invited to take part in a number of two hour 'Turn Up' periods over the next few months.
The day before a Turn Up window, we’ll email you to let you know. We’ll tell you when the two hour Turn Up window will take place the next day, and will set you a target to increase your typical electricity use by. (We calculate what we think you would’ve used based on your historical meter readings from that time).
Your smart meter will record how much you use, and if you manage to hit the target increase, everything you use during those two hours is free.
Plus if you manage to shift enough energy into the window that your usage doubles, we’ll give you an additional credit worth your usage multiplied by your unit rate, effectively doubling the benefit.
We’ll calculate the energy you use during the window and credit it to your Octopus account within two weeks.
Who is eligible?
Anybody who has a working smart meter, three months of energy consumption history (so we can predict your normal usage), don’t have solar panels or a home battery system and lives in a DG or KA postcode is eligible to take part.
If you’re taking part in another trial already, like our Big Dirty Turn Down, unfortunately you can’t get involved in this one as it’ll impact the results of the trial.
Why can’t export customers participate?
We already provide several export products where customers can benefit from exporting energy to the grid at key times, such as Outgoing Agile and the Tesla Energy Plan. We've done several trials (including Powerloop and Powervault GridFLEX) to understand the implications of customers exporting energy to the grid.
For this trial, we want to understand how customers with import only can help shift demand to give an insight to how this could be used across the whole population. We will, however, definitely look to include export customers in future trials!
Why only DG/KA postcodes?
Your area as it has amongst the highest proportion of renewable generation connected within the UK relative to its own local energy demand. Other areas suffer from the opposite - not enough renewable energy - so incentivising customers to turn up demand there would cause extreme stress on the grid.
What if I forget to take part?
You’ll only qualify for the free electricity if you increase your consumption by your target on the specified day. If you don’t participate in a certain event, that’s OK, there’ll be other opportunities.
Can I opt-out once I’ve opted in?
Yes - If at any point you want to opt-out, please click on the “opt-out” link in the email.
How will I be paid?
We will credit your account with free electricity for the event window within 2 weeks of each event.
Can I take part in two trials at once?
If you’re taking part in another trial already, like our Big Dirty Turn Down, unfortunately you can’t get involved in this one as it’ll impact the results of the trial.
Terms & Conditions for The Windy Day trial
General
- The trial will be run by Octopus Energy Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with registered number 09263424 and registered office 33 Holborn, London, EC1N 2HT (“Octopus Energy”, “we”, “us”).
- These terms and conditions, together with any specific rules set out in any communications relating to the trial to incentivise customers to turn up demand in specified time periods to avoid renewables curtailment (the “Trial”), are the trial rules (“Rules”) and apply to this Trial. By entering this Trial, you are agreeing to be bound by these Rules and any other applicable instructions introduced from time to time.
- Details specific to the trial are displayed on our website.
- This is an experimental research project. This Trial has not been done before, and we may therefore experience unforeseen billing issues or other problems as a result of the Trial. We will work to minimise and resolve any unforeseen issues, but by taking part in this research, you acknowledge these risks.
- Octopus Energy reserves the right to cancel or amend the Trial and/or the Rules without prior notice. Any changes will be posted on our website.
- In the event of any dispute regarding any aspect of the trial, the decision of Octopus Energy shall be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Our General Terms & Conditions for Domestic Customers still apply to you and should be read in conjunction with these additional terms.
Trial Participation
8. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this Trial. Entrants must be 18 or over. Only residents of ‘DG’ and ‘KA’ postcode regions are eligible to take part in
the trial.
9. To be eligible for the Trial, you must:
a. be a resident of ‘DG’ or ‘KA’ postcode regions;
b. be a current electricity customer of Octopus Energy and have been on supply as of 1st December 2021 at the same address;
c. have a working smart meter which is sending us half-hourly readings;
d. not be on an export tariff with any supplier;
e. opt-into the Trial by completing the form in the email sent to you by us regarding the Trial.
10. The trial period will start at 00:01 on Wednesday 9th March 2022 and will end at 23:59 on Saturday 30th May 2022.
11. Each participant will have a personal target of increased energy usage calculated for them by Octopus Energy, based on their last 4 weeks of consumption data collected
from their smart meter (the “Personal Target”) before each event.
12. There will be 6 events throughout the trial period, with each event taking place for two hours and confirmed one day prior (an “Event Window”). Prior to each event, we
will send you a notification of the event window and your own Personal Target via email.
13. We ask that you increase your energy consumption by your Personal Target during the Event Window. If you do, the electricity you use during that window will be free.
We will credit your account within two weeks of each event. Note that if you increase your usage but not by an amount greater than or equal to the Personal Target, you
will be charged for your energy usage.
14. If you increase your energy consumption to double your forecast baseline consumption (the four prior weeks of consumption) for the period, we will give you an
additional credit equal to your consumption multiplied by your unit rate.
15. In the event that we’re unable to pull your meter readings to calculate your usage from any of the Event Windows, we’ll work it out using an average across all trial participants. If we are consistently unable to retrieve meter readings from your smart meter despite making all reasonable efforts to do so over the course of one working week, we reserve the right to remove you from the trial.
17. By entering the Trial, you warrant that all information submitted by you is true, current and complete. If any information you submit is found to be fraudulent or incorrectly completed or if Octopus Energy has reasonable grounds to believe that you have breached any of the Rules, Octopus Energy reserves the right to disqualify you from the Trial.
18. Octopus Energy will not be liable to reimburse any expenses incurred with entering the trial.
19. Please note that we will frequently send you surveys to complete as part of this research.
Data Protection and Publicity
20. Octopus Energy’s privacy policy shall apply to any data collected in connection with this Trial and can be found on our website at http://octopus.energy/privacy.
21. Octopus Energy in its sole discretion reserves the right to withdraw or vary the Rules and/or any offer made in connection with them in order to comply with the decision of any relevant judicial or regulatory body and shall not be held liable to any entrant for so doing
22. Our aim is that the data (including any Personal Data as defined in the EU General Data Protection Regulation) (“Data”) generated under the Trial will enable us, and other organisations involved in the Trial, to develop new ways of improving the products and services we are able to offer, such as developing ways to help you use energy more efficiently. We will therefore need to use the Data, along with other information you provide to us, for these and other research, legal, administrative and management purposes. By taking part in a Trial, you consent to this and to our sharing of the Data with other third parties who are involved in the Trial and the wider energy flexibility analysis being undertaken in relation thereto
23. You acknowledge and agree that we may keep your Data during the Trial and for such a period as is reasonably required thereafter for the purposes of our research into energy flexibility services.
24. You may withdraw your consent for us to collect and process your Data at any time by giving us written notice. If you do this, you will no longer be able to participate on a Trial.
Published on 12th October 2022 by:
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