Is the Ohme charger with Octopus Energy the best value option?

We're fairly similar in terms of usage, We do a few more miles then you (around 8000 per year) and I work from Home most of the time. Up until recently Octopus Agile was working out very cheap however we're having a bad run on prices at the moment so we have jumped to Go Faster. The daytime rate is 14p however we get 5 hours from 20:30 in the evening at 5.5p which is perfect for charging the car and running the washing machine / dishwasher etc. I think that's one of the most useful things about Octopus, being able to change tariffs every 30 days should one not work for you.
We will jump back to Agile in the spring when the unit prices improve as I'm slightly addicted to charging the car for free! The Ohme charger also integrates with both Go and Agile and automatically finds the cheapest times to charge which is very useful. We went down the commando route which worked out much cheaper then podpoint etc.

The OLEV grant only applies to hard wired fixed EVSEs. It does seem to cause price inflation!

I'm on Octopus Go, and don't just use the cheap rate electricity for charging the car, I also run domestic appliances during the time window, and top up my solar/battery system!

£115 a month for electricity alone is a lot - do you have electric heating?

You need to look at the unit prices - I find the day rate for Go perfectly reasonable but I don’t have usage anything like yours.

Ohme is a great charger regardless of tariff though.

donald said:

Yes. Fit commando. Get an octolead.

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It seems that's the way to go. What commando socket did people get for outdoor use? I was looking at the below, but it's only rated to IP44:


I need something with a bit better IP rating for outdoor use.

Or you can get an uninterlocked socket and put both the socket and the unit of the Phme lead in an IP66 plastic (so that the mobile data connection still works) enclosure to keep it all safe and waterproof.

I've gone for the commando/OHME combination too and had it installed last Monday but haven't used it (apart from testing) as the Agile prices have been so high. The commando socket was from Gewiss, can't remember the details ATM but was IP76? and installation was free - Christmas present from a friend!

My electric/gas DD is £20 a month although that may have to change as I start to charge the car more at home and I'm currently £40 in debt which should change over the spring and summer as I have 4kwp of solar panels. Your usage does seem high to me at any rate!

I've been asking for prices for work charge points but it's more expensive than the domestic ones. I think they just look at the grant and take that as an extra payment as the prices have at least doubles since I had mine installed 3.5 years ago.

I've ordered the 32amp Ohme and work will get a commando socket installed.

Overall octopus works out well especially if you get a few referrals.
Agile has been great, and I'm sure prices will come down again. It was great for high daytime user especially if you could limit your use during the peak hours.
At the moment Go is cheaper and 14p isn't a bad rate if you can get lots of the high usage, ie car charging, at 5p.
I see a lot too, over 15000kWh, but can keep the average unit cost below 9p on Go and less on Agile once the prices return to normal.

SueH said:

The commando socket was from Gewiss, can't remember the details ATM but was IP76?

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I have been unable to find any that are fully rated for outdoor use, as I want to place it on an exterior wall of the house. I plan to buy all the stuff, route the cable etc and then pay an electrician just to connect it to the consumer unit and sign the work off.

Not sure how commando plugs work exactly? Are they fully waterproof when the ohme cable is plugged into them? Is the commando connection suitable for charging in heavy rain safely?

I hope so! I'll have another look when i get the chance

tommydog1 said:

I am not sure if Octopus is the best option?

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Yeah, Octopus Go Faster should suit you well. I'm with @Paul M here, we run our appliances during our GoFaster period. GoFaster is a little more usable that Go as you can choose a more convenient 4 hours, not just 00:30 to 04:30. We have ours set to 21:30 to 01:30 (any 4 hour period from 20:30 is available). As we have an MG and a Chargemaster dumb charger I can set the car going before bedtime.

tommydog1 said:

I think it's a hell of a lot as well, although I note this month it was less at £78.02. This is my recent bill from Bulb - Do you think Octopus would work out better?:

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Yes if you can fit all your cheap rate charging in the 4 or 5 hour 5 or 5.5p window you get on octopus Go.
Check your area but I think all of the octopus Go daytime rates are less than the 16.6p you are paying.
I'm paying 14.5p

tommydog1 said:

I am just moving house and need to install a charger.

I see there is a special deal for Octopus Energy customers for £199:

Ohme Home Charging Solutions

Welcome to the home of innovative smart charging for electric vehicles. Our solution helps you charge at the cheapest rate. Sounds good, right? Simple.

www.ohme-ev.com

I also need a new electricity supplier, but wonder if Octopus Energy is worth it for me? I only do 8 thousand miles per year and can do all my charging at night. I work from home, so need a tariff that is also reasonable in the day. In light of this, I am not sure if Octopus is the best option? My electricity currently costs about £115 per month with Bulb.

My other option is to go for the OLEV grant, as I did not have it at my previous house. But is it really worth it? Am I not better paying an electrician privately to install a 32amp commando socket and getting the Ohme Octopus deal for £199? Or maybe Octopus will work out expensive for me, with my limited mileage and working from home in the day?

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yeah Octopus Agile has been fine since the meters was change in Aug. basically just keep the time of use out of 4pm to 7pm and you get a nice saving.
our bills dropped from £160 per months back to £85 due to the cheaper charging using the Ohme.

our Ohme is tethered using the gov grant.

Woodulike said:

I've been asking for prices for work charge points but it's more expensive than the domestic ones. I think they just look at the grant and take that as an extra payment as the prices have at least doubles since I had mine installed 3.5 years ago.

I've ordered the 32amp Ohme and work will get a commando socket installed.

Overall octopus works out well especially if you get a few referrals.
Agile has been great, and I'm sure prices will come down again. It was great for high daytime user especially if you could limit your use during the peak hours.
At the moment Go is cheaper and 14p isn't a bad rate if you can get lots of the high usage, ie car charging, at 5p.
I see a lot too, over 15000kWh, but can keep the average unit cost below 9p on Go and less on Agile once the prices return to normal.

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Agile prices are already dropping and now the cold spell is over and we got wind back they are falling nicely again. so will be back to <5p soon I think

tommydog1 said:

I plan to buy all the stuff, route the cable etc and then pay an electrician just to connect it to the consumer unit and sign the work off.

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I suggest you find one willing to do that before you buy anything. I suspect it won't be easy as they aren't usually keen - for many reasons!

Personally I think the commando solution looks a mess outside, but each to their own. It will need a correct dual pole RCBO to protect the circuit - attached are notes from Ohme. I wouldn't cut corners - safety is important.

The electrician who fitted my zappis was very happy that I wanted to put the cables in myself. It saved me quite a bit and he didn't have the hard work of routing the cables through all the awkward places they had to go to keep them as hidden as possible.
I had said that's what I wanted to do before they quoted and he advised me on the cable I needed to buy etc.

Woodulike said:

The electrician who fitted my zappis was very happy that I wanted to put the cables in myself. It saved me quite a bit and he didn't have the hard work of routing the cables through all the awkward places they had to go to keep them as hidden as possible.
I had said that's what I wanted to do before they quoted and he advised me on the cable I needed to buy etc.

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Sure and a lot of people here have dug trenches and put wire in etc, but that is a lot different from buying all the stuff yourself, doing 95% of the work and then saying to an electrician "I just want you to connect this wire and give me a certificate"