Hello everyone,
We recently came across Tibber and are considering whether it might be suitable for us and economically viable. Does anyone here use it? Specifically, we’re interested in the hourly, dynamic billing and this Pulse device that you need to buy for it. Is it some kind of submeter? They throw around terms like “smart home,” but I haven’t fully understood it yet.
Can the Pulse device be installed by yourself, or does it require a certified electrician? The idea seems to be that it measures electricity consumption in real time.
We have photovoltaic panels, an electric car, and a fairly large battery storage system, so we would presumably be well equipped for this. However, I’m not sure if with our setup we can specifically control if and when power is drawn from the grid. Depending on the price (which can sometimes even be negative), it might make sense to feed everything from the photovoltaic system into the grid and power the household from the grid when the price (like yesterday) was as low as -40ct.
If anyone has any experience with this, good or bad, please feel free to share.
We recently came across Tibber and are considering whether it might be suitable for us and economically viable. Does anyone here use it? Specifically, we’re interested in the hourly, dynamic billing and this Pulse device that you need to buy for it. Is it some kind of submeter? They throw around terms like “smart home,” but I haven’t fully understood it yet.
Can the Pulse device be installed by yourself, or does it require a certified electrician? The idea seems to be that it measures electricity consumption in real time.
We have photovoltaic panels, an electric car, and a fairly large battery storage system, so we would presumably be well equipped for this. However, I’m not sure if with our setup we can specifically control if and when power is drawn from the grid. Depending on the price (which can sometimes even be negative), it might make sense to feed everything from the photovoltaic system into the grid and power the household from the grid when the price (like yesterday) was as low as -40ct.
If anyone has any experience with this, good or bad, please feel free to share.
I have looked into this several times, and there are plenty of experience reports on YouTube about it.
The Tibber Pulse connects to your electricity meter (the connection method varies depending on the meter) and then sends your exact hourly consumption to the Tibber servers.
The advantage is that you always get the current spot electricity price (plus about 7 cents administrative fees). That’s basically all there is to it. On average, it’s probably much cheaper since the flat rates from traditional providers naturally include a buffer. In my opinion, Tibber offers a better solution, and we are considering switching as soon as our current contract ends.
From what I’ve observed, with enough technical knowledge, you can also automate practical things like running the washing machine when electricity is cheap. Occasionally, when renewable energy in Germany produces excess power (sunshine, strong wind, etc.), you might even get paid for consuming electricity for an hour. The app apparently shows a negative price and credits you accordingly.
With your battery storage and electric car, you can then really take advantage and fully charge everything. Whether that actually works as expected, I can’t say. It would require more research.
On their website, you can view the history of electricity prices. What’s immediately noticeable is that prices are currently very low, but during the early crisis periods, it could backfire (July/August 2022). Just like with the regular stock market, everyone panics and prices quickly spike before stabilizing again.
With the current electricity price cap, however, this risk should be practically negligible.
The Tibber Pulse connects to your electricity meter (the connection method varies depending on the meter) and then sends your exact hourly consumption to the Tibber servers.
The advantage is that you always get the current spot electricity price (plus about 7 cents administrative fees). That’s basically all there is to it. On average, it’s probably much cheaper since the flat rates from traditional providers naturally include a buffer. In my opinion, Tibber offers a better solution, and we are considering switching as soon as our current contract ends.
From what I’ve observed, with enough technical knowledge, you can also automate practical things like running the washing machine when electricity is cheap. Occasionally, when renewable energy in Germany produces excess power (sunshine, strong wind, etc.), you might even get paid for consuming electricity for an hour. The app apparently shows a negative price and credits you accordingly.
With your battery storage and electric car, you can then really take advantage and fully charge everything. Whether that actually works as expected, I can’t say. It would require more research.
On their website, you can view the history of electricity prices. What’s immediately noticeable is that prices are currently very low, but during the early crisis periods, it could backfire (July/August 2022). Just like with the regular stock market, everyone panics and prices quickly spike before stabilizing again.
With the current electricity price cap, however, this risk should be practically negligible.
H
HeimatBauer3 Jul 2023 13:17I don’t have personal experience yet, but because of the heat pump and an already existing Home Assistant system, I am considering it.
First, you need to think about what you want to control with it – in other words, can your major power consumers actually be controlled remotely? I would clarify that first. If that is the case, then calculate what the actual effect would be, because currently, electricity prices with Tibber do not fluctuate enough to save a significant amount. In the long term, I do expect providers to essentially pass wholesale prices through within the framework of network charges, and then it could actually be possible to get paid for charging an electric car during periods of negative electricity prices. As far as I know, though, it will be a few years before that works for the average consumer.
First, you need to think about what you want to control with it – in other words, can your major power consumers actually be controlled remotely? I would clarify that first. If that is the case, then calculate what the actual effect would be, because currently, electricity prices with Tibber do not fluctuate enough to save a significant amount. In the long term, I do expect providers to essentially pass wholesale prices through within the framework of network charges, and then it could actually be possible to get paid for charging an electric car during periods of negative electricity prices. As far as I know, though, it will be a few years before that works for the average consumer.
W
WilderSueden3 Jul 2023 13:21Do you want to make power optimization a hobby? With photovoltaic panels plus storage, you should already have about a 90% solution. When there is cheap electricity on the market, you usually get inexpensive power from your own roof. The rest then has to be worked hard for.
You also always run the risk that during a week of no sunlight you might lose the savings of the rest of the year. I would ignore electricity price caps, as they will only be in place for one more winter.
You also always run the risk that during a week of no sunlight you might lose the savings of the rest of the year. I would ignore electricity price caps, as they will only be in place for one more winter.
HeimatBauer schrieb:
In the long term, I do expect providers to basically pass on the wholesale price within the framework of grid fees, so it might actually be possible to get paid to charge an electric car during times of negative electricity prices. As far as I know, though, it will still take a few years until this works for the average consumer.On the major deal website, there are regular reminders for Tibber customers. Yesterday, the price was apparently 45 cents per kWh between 12 and 5 pm. So, a price of -45 cents/kWh.
It seems this already happens occasionally. During the day, the price is regularly around 18-19 cents per kWh. That is definitely less than a "standard" contract. We currently pay 29 cents and are already on the lower side.
H
HeimatBauer3 Jul 2023 13:35Well, there are already modules available that can autonomously control appliances, provided they are suitable for it. Take a look at Ohmigo, for example; these are ready-made modules. Of course, manual control is also possible.
Having photovoltaic panels and a storage system does not mean you can’t use them flexibly. For instance, if I need a lot of electricity at noon, I can set the battery to discharge lock and draw power from the grid. When the price rises again, I remove the discharge lock and, voilà, I draw from the battery again. In other words, price-dependent control and photovoltaic/storage systems are not mutually exclusive. Yes, the potential savings are lower because, over the year, I feed more into the grid than I consume. But in winter, I can also shift consumption somewhat to times of day when prices are lower.
One thing should be clear: at some point, it becomes more about the enjoyment of optimization and no longer cost-effective. Just to buy a small relay board, you would need to have shifted several hundred kWh from the worst possible to the best possible time window, and some loads simply cannot be shifted. Not to mention the time invested. You should genuinely enjoy it.
Having photovoltaic panels and a storage system does not mean you can’t use them flexibly. For instance, if I need a lot of electricity at noon, I can set the battery to discharge lock and draw power from the grid. When the price rises again, I remove the discharge lock and, voilà, I draw from the battery again. In other words, price-dependent control and photovoltaic/storage systems are not mutually exclusive. Yes, the potential savings are lower because, over the year, I feed more into the grid than I consume. But in winter, I can also shift consumption somewhat to times of day when prices are lower.
One thing should be clear: at some point, it becomes more about the enjoyment of optimization and no longer cost-effective. Just to buy a small relay board, you would need to have shifted several hundred kWh from the worst possible to the best possible time window, and some loads simply cannot be shifted. Not to mention the time invested. You should genuinely enjoy it.
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