Dynamic Electricity Price Tariffs Consultation Paper

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123712514#Comment_123712514

Well personally I'm glad you did because maybe you can tell me what all the fuss is about Rust 😂

I always think about this video whenever someone mentions Rust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGfQu0bQTKc

AvalonEnaid

First I'd recommend scanning more than the previous month. For a better overall picture, you'd probably want to see a 12 month overall cost as well as a month by month breakdown

While building the 12 month window feature I noticed there are missing entries in my CSV file. Each day should have 48 entries (24 hours at 30 minute intervals = 48 entries), but my January month is missing a bunch.

*Exceptions are March and October because of DST

Read Date and End Time
24/01/2025 16:30
24/01/2025 16:00
???
???
24/01/2025 05:00
24/01/2025 04:30

I wonder how Utility Companies are going to bill for the 30 minute intervals where there is no data?

Second, it would be good to have a surcharge per kWh rate applied to the rate. I believe dynamic pricing allows suppliers to tack on a fee above market rate and its likely they'll use that option

This was already added I think?

My formula adds a supplier uplift of €0.03/kWh, which is the same as your "surcharge per kWh"

…
…

Then add Supplier uplift: €0.03/kWh

Similarly, it would be good to include export into the overall total. Since there doesn't seem to be dynamic export happening, this could again be done with a user set value

Thanks for the challenge! Export feature has been added.

Finally, a nice extra would be to allow users to try and see how things would look if they optimised consumption.

Maybe for another time when I recover from the absolute beating Rust has given me.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123712911#Comment_123712911

Regarding the missing data, I believe this can happen when the smart meter doesn't have good signal and misses some updates

How to handle it? I think the simplest solution would be to assume emtpy cells are 0kWh. It's a coarse solution but the worst you can be off would be around 8kWh and the majority of the time you'll probably have less than 1kWh per day error

Unfortunately the HDF doesn't include the daily meter reading value, just the consumption per 30 mins period. So there doesn't seem to be a way to interpolate the data

I think the suppliers use an estimate model to fill in any missing data they have, so you'll be somewhat consistent with them

td2008

Where you getting the file from, ESBN or the supplier? ESBN would send estimates rather than any blank data.
You could also fill in the blanks from the 24hour register, if the data is there. Go to the ESBN site and download the Daily snapshot total usage file

AvalonEnaid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123713009#Comment_123713009

The file is directly from ESBN (https://myaccount.esbnetworks.ie/Api/HistoricConsumption) and it definitely has some missing entries. I suppose its just network or data capturing issues as our amazing raisin pointed out.

Not sure what you mean by using the Daily snapshot to fill in the data? From what I see in the file, it's just the total for one day? By missing entries, it's not necessarily whole days missing (though that can happen). It's more like a few 30-minute time slots are missing.

td2008

You could try the file from the supplier as it might have the entries.

It's cumulative register so you can see the total you have used each day in kwh.

Then add up your profile values for the day you are missing, divide by 2 and the difference between that and the cumulative register will be the missing consumption you can interpolate

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123714562#Comment_123714562

Some suppliers activate smart meter's once you access the data on their sites, it caught a good few here out when they went to change supplier and the meter was activated. That's why people say to only access it via ESBN.

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123710236#Comment_123710236

I just uploaded my csv, little if no change to what I'm paying now unfortunately.

AvalonEnaid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123715012#Comment_123715012

Maybe?

I have plans to "load shift" 10%, 30%, and 50% of your usage to the cheaper times to give you an indicative estimate. Just not feeling masochist enough for that yet.

THE ALM

Email just landed from Energia introducing TOU Tariffs.

No rates yet so just laying the groundwork

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123721724#Comment_123721724

I've just joined them I might get one too.

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123721724#Comment_123721724

Just got the email..

Nothing mentioned about dynamic tariffs. Just the time of use that we currently have. Day/night/peak.

And it's not even new, my parents had a day night meter from before I was born! That's still time of use!

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123720909#Comment_123720909

Get more ambitious! Many of us here are at close to 100% for many years now. Even with the 3 and 4 hour short night rate slots. Saved us a fortune!

THE ALM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123723591#Comment_123723591

I should have spent more time reading it, was getting my hopes up…

ECO_Mental

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123724151#Comment_123724151

From my reading of the CRU paper suppliers can introduce dynamic pricing from around Sept/Oct this year so you might get a bolter...but they HAVE to them in place by next year think again April next year.

If they don't have to do it then they won't...is my experience unfortunately 😒

AvalonEnaid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123723808#Comment_123723808

Well done!

I'm going to rewrite the whole thing in Go because Rust is too damn difficult (but has undeniable promise).

My plan for the optimization model is to identify a "always on" load by using the 10th percentile of your historical data for the same time slot. Anything above that amount is considered "flexible" and could move if appliances are run at different times.

Then it will use a greedy algorithm. Basically it moves stuff from the expensive time slots into the cheaper time slots but never allowing it to move past a realistic cap. It just keeps doing this till it has moved the required percentage (10%, 30% etc…)

It's not a "perfect" mathematical solution, but it's fast, simple, and easy to explain.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123732100#Comment_123732100

Go? Rust?

What is wrong with just using Home Assistant and let ChatGPT write the code to automate import and export? That is what I have done

AvalonEnaid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123732501#Comment_123732501

The frontend has been vibe coded by ChatGPT, but the backend I did myself for the challenge :)

JayBee66

A page on the Energia website mentions that to avail of dynamic pricing you need a CTF score of 4 with regards to your smart meter's mobile signal. What does that entail, a constant mobile signal?

I have many deemed readings on my SSE smart meter account because of dropped signals. I wouldn't want to enter into a dynamic contact and then have SSE (or whomever) deem that I used electricity during peak hours (when I never do), having to pay out on my bill for the first time in years and then having to wait many months for them to decide that I didn't.

That happens now with my current smart meter tariff, with many revisions to my bills. It is hard to go back through the months, work it all out and not be sure if you're being diddled or not.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942992#Comment_123942992

I thought that the CTF was published on the ESBn portal, but I can't see it - maybe I'm wrong. Maybe check the Energia site and see, or look at a bill online?

Here's the spec for the CTF:

https://cdn.rmdservice.com/media/docs/default-source/briefing-documents/comms-technically-feasible-%28ctf%29-briefing-document-v2-2.pdf?sfvrsn=adce8537_1

JayBee66

Are there any commercial or DIY/Open Source projects that are going to integrate and make use of dynamic pricing?

e.g. charging EVs, batteries, heat storage etc.

My house retro-fit is complete, save for heating. I'm waiting to see how I can integrate dynamic electricity pricing into a future heat source.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123947809#Comment_123947809

Let ChatGPT program it for your Home Assistant. That is what I have now. It will be no different when dynamic pricing comes. The automation will just be a little bit more complex, and will have to pull next day's pricing from an API

Use an old laptop as your HA server, the software is open source. None of this costs a cent 😁

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123947809#Comment_123947809

No, as there's nothing to work from yet/integrate with , There is ones in the UK but thats tied to octopus mainly.

JayBee66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123947994#Comment_123947994

As a retired AI programmer, I was hoping someone human would do it for me. I've spent a lifetime sitting in front of a screen so I'll wait and see what happens when dynamic pricing happens. Somebody, out there, might do it all for us.

I stopped using HA, last year. Things are chugging along in their separate apps but I might return to HA in the future.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123948249#Comment_123948249

You are very lucky you are retired! A lot of programmers are being fired as we speak and many will never find work in that field again.

JayBee66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123948641#Comment_123948641

People through all walks of life are going to be made redundant. I am certainly very fortunate.