Time to give electricity the flick?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Time to give electricity the flick?

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meow
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#1602262 1-Aug-2016 14:01

My damage was $8.20 :) Compared to the $4-$6 per day I normally spend yes it is a bit more but not that much more. Average weekly bill comes in at $35-$40

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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voy1d

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#1602270 1-Aug-2016 14:11

$22.53... Our bills are normally around $27 a week...

droopanu

168 posts

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#1602278 1-Aug-2016 14:38

timmmay:

mentalinc:

Can you please link to this and suggest how to set it up (Will be using it with a mitsubishi HI heat pump... Does it connect to anything for smarts or is it just a programme on the device and leave it type device?

thanks

Broadlink RM Pro. Find it on ebay, aliexpress, or similar sites. It has a huge online database of how to control heat pumps, it learns from your remote. It's a basic on/off timer, controlled by an app on your phone. I have two, and they're controlled independently.

However, I just upgraded to Android 6, and the app doesn't work at all. My Android 4 tablet doesn't have an IR port, and neither does my wife's Moto G. So while the program still works (ie heat pumps go on and off) I can't change it.

There are a few cloud based remote control systems for heat pumps, but they are a bit more expensive:

- AmbiClimate(https://www.ambiclimate.com/): the one I'm using right now and it works really well, no IFTTT yet, unfortunatelly, but it's planned

- Tado(https://www.tado.com/): I have no experience with this ....

For both of them I believe you need to check if your Heat Pump unit is actually supported. AmbiClimate have promised support for learning new devices, but have not delivered yet....

timmmay

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#1602297 1-Aug-2016 14:51

Yeah, there's a big thread on them, but the RM pro is about 20% the cost of the others - about $30 instead of $200. You often get what you pay for, though until the app stopped working Broadlink were excellent value.

dantheperson

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#1602522 1-Aug-2016 20:53

timmmay:

Yeah, there's a big thread on them, but the RM pro is about 20% the cost of the others - about $30 instead of $200. You often get what you pay for, though until the app stopped working Broadlink were excellent value.

$30? where from, http://broadlink.co.nz/12-smart-home shows 90 or 110 depending on model.

timmmay

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#1602538 1-Aug-2016 21:08

dantheperson:

$30? where from, http://broadlink.co.nz/12-smart-home shows 90 or 110 depending on model.

US$37 from Ali Express, just like I said in my post. I neglected to post the currency.

luckiestmanalive

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#1602579 1-Aug-2016 22:38

jonathan18:

@luckiestmanalive - any chance you could paste the daily use graph for last Tuesday? Would be interesting to see how you ended up with such a bill - I'm assuming your (substantial?) peak usage hit at both the points prices went crazy?

Sounds like you're a heartless gloater but what the hell... read it and weep (I did).

jonathan18

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#1602674 2-Aug-2016 08:32

luckiestmanalive:

jonathan18:

@luckiestmanalive - any chance you could paste the daily use graph for last Tuesday? Would be interesting to see how you ended up with such a bill - I'm assuming your (substantial?) peak usage hit at both the points prices went crazy?

Sounds like you're a heartless gloater but what the hell... read it and weep (I did).

All I can say is "ouch"!

Oh, and "sure glad that wasn't me!"

That's just some really bad timing - I assume you didn't get the app alert for the morning one? That seems to be the one that hit you really bad, looking at that first peak!

I think I'd be able to cope with one or two of those shocks, but anything more than that the risk's just probably not worth it, as the savings made other times are just being negated...

timmmay

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#1602676 2-Aug-2016 08:35

Given average annual savings of (from memory) around $400, even after spikes, people should probably just stop looking at graphs other than when alerted. If you live week to week then go for a fixed price electric provider, electric kiwi with its free hour of power (which must be super expensive for them as I bet everyone turns on every heater they have) sounds like a reasonable option for many.

richms

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#1602694 2-Aug-2016 09:10

I don't see the free hour at electric kiwi lasting from some of the stories I have heard. Good thing for them most houses only have 63a supplies.

Richard rich.ms

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#1602711 2-Aug-2016 09:48

Finally plucked up the courage to look at our bill... $33 more than the week before... Definitely the biggest bill we've had in nearly two years, but not so bad that i'm going to worry about it.

KrazyKid

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#1602766 2-Aug-2016 11:17

richms: I don't see the free hour at electric kiwi lasting from some of the stories I have heard. Good thing for them most houses only have 63a supplies.

I'm trying out electric kiwi @ the moment as after the base fees they are similar pricing in Dunedin to Flick.
I'm making a decent effort to shift power to the free hour - dishwasher, dryer, washing machine and hot water call come on at the start of the free hour.
Its 9pm for the free hour for me so heating is already been going then (but I do turn up the heatpump for the hour :)

Looking at my kW/hr usage I've pushed 10.6% into that free hour. Not sure I could do much more time shifting so probably at near max savings.

However Electric Kiwi don't give any prompt payment discount or and I am pretty sure they don't do direct debit from credit card - so that is some savings for them.
Their Daily rate also seems a few cents higher than others so that will offset some (I pay 1.08 incl GST per day, and 19c incl GST per kW hour for power in Dunedin)

I'm not sure that they are losing that much money on the free hour since they are paying off peak rates for the power.

jamesrobert

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#1603040 2-Aug-2016 15:45

My savings with Electric Kiwi are currently running at about 50% per day (will be a lot less in Spring and Autumn),
There is a 1.5% charge for DD from credit card. I use DD from my bank account. No discount as it comes out on the due date.
All good so far.

KrazyKid

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#1603066 2-Aug-2016 16:21

jamesrobert: My savings with Electric Kiwi are currently running at about 50% per day.

Are you saying the kWH used in the free hour of power are equal to the power used during kWH used during the rest of the Day?

If so are you in a well insulated house and only having to heat the place during that free hour of power?

For me I have been charged for about 684 kWH this billing month and also had 82 kWH free power.
Total kWH is 766 of power used.

luckiestmanalive

54 posts

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#1603093 2-Aug-2016 16:43

jonathan18:

All I can say is "ouch"!

Oh, and "sure glad that wasn't me!"

That's just some really bad timing - I assume you didn't get the app alert for the morning one? That seems to be the one that hit you really bad, looking at that first peak!

I think I'd be able to cope with one or two of those shocks, but anything more than that the risk's just probably not worth it, as the savings made other times are just being negated...

I got the app alert at 7.40am after I left the house for work, leaving my wife in a house that had been pre-warmed by heat pump until 7am. I crossed my fingers that Wgtn electricity would control hot water load that morning (they didn't), my wife wouldn't turn the heat pump back on (she did), and it wouldn't last longer than half an hour (it did). Voila - a perfect storm!

Flick should provide a separate notification for high forecast prices as it would show you how long a high price event might last.

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