Variable Electricity Pricing - the Highs and the Lows

For one glorious day in September, we had several hours where we were paid to use electricity. Our home is on Octopus Energy's variable price tariff. Our smart-meter sends back readings every half-hour. That means the energy company can set a different price every half hour. Rather than paying a flat rate of 30p per kWh, we pay a rate which constantly changes throughout the day. I built a little display out of an old Android tablet. It sits in our kitchen and looks like this: To be clear, we have chosen this tariff. It is not mandatory. You are free to choose a fixed price tariff if you want. It fits our lifestyle (just about) but we could choose to change back any time we want. When the sun is shining and the wind a-howling, the UK produces more electricity than it can consume. Our country frequently sells electricity to its neighbours - but it can also sell it to its internal customers. So, for a few hours a day, our meter runs backwards and our electricity bills go down. That's the…

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