Octopus Energy have launched a new feature called Greener Days, to help show when there’s more renewable energy in the electricity mix in order to help the UK cut carbon emissions.

Greener Days are days when there’s a higher share of renewables powering the nation. You can use the Greener Days forecast to plan the best time in the coming week to hoover, do laundry, or charge your EV to help cut UK carbon dioxide emissions.

How do Octopus determine which are Greener Days?

The Octopus boffins check the forecasted wind generation for every night (23:00 – 06:00 the following morning) and calculate the Greener Days score. A score of 100 implies an especially windy night and an unusually high share of wind energy on the grid. This only happens a few times a year. Weather is hard to predict so they’re most confident about the forecast for the upcoming days.

Who can sign up to Greener Days?

Anyone can switch to Octopus Energy (and save £50 straight away!) and anyone who’s interested in their Greener Days forecast can use the forecast tool to plan ahead. You can sign up to receive a Greener Days forecast in your inbox once a week. The forecasts let you know when renewable energy generation is especially high so you can schedule your home appliances, or your EV charging if you’ve got one.

If Octopus supplies green energy how can some days be greener than others?

When you sign up with a renewable energy supplier like Octopus, they don’t pump green energy through a separate ‘green grid’ straight to your home. Instead, all energy sources – whether “green” or “dirty” – get mixed together when they’re fed through the wires that lead to your home. The reason Octopus can claim to be a ‘green’ supplier is that they buy green energy from renewable energy generators to replace the energy their customers use (making the ‘energy mix’ greener in the process) over the years. So day to day, you can still be using energy at ‘greener’ or ‘dirtier’ times. On a greener day, the share of renewable energy is especially high.

What is the benefit of Greener Days for me?

The Greener Days forecast shows you the daily energy mix of the grid. This gives you the power to decide if you’d like to use more energy on Greener Days and less on others, to help you cut your carbon emissions.

I have an EV – how can Greener Days benefit me?

If you have an EV, you can earn what Octopus Energy calls Octopoints when you charge your EV on a Greener Day. The more often you charge on Greener Days, the more Octopoints you can earn . If you’d like to go even further, tariffs like Agile Octopus and Tracker actually financially reward you for planning your energy use around the UK’s power mix. Octopus even reward streaks of Greener Days charging, with one charge a week that must be done on a Greener Day (weeks run from Monday to Sunday). You can earn up to 80 Octopoints per week.

If you’ve got an EV you might want to use our Smart Tariff Savings Calculator to check you are on the right tariff – some people have seen significant savings (up to £600) from switching.

What are Octopoints?

Octopoints are a way of rewarding Octopus Energy customers. You can earn them in different initiatives like Saving Sessions. There are 8 Octopoints to a penny. They can be redeemed for account credit (in GBP) and in the future, other stuff too.

Is there a relationship between Agile Octopus price drops and Greener Days?

Agile’s pricing is often cheaper when the energy in the grid is greener, and more expensive when energy is dirtier. Usually, when the UK’s fossil fuel generating stations have been turned on to meet high demand. But Octopus Agile is tied to wholesale prices which are impacted by a range of other factors. Read more about Octopus Agile.

Is there a relationship between Intelligent Octopus Go and Greener Days?

Intelligent Octopus Go already optimises your charges to the cheapest and greenest times every day. But because of weather changes, some days are still greener than others. Put simply, the stronger the wind, the greener the grid – and the more green electrons to fuel your EV.

Can I still charge my EV if I am away on the Greener days?

Yes. Intelligent Octopus Go will always try to schedule your charge to the greenest times of the night. 

Find out more and sign up to Octopus Energy now to save £50, get 800 Octopoints and access the Greener days forecast as well their super smart balance forecaster. Octopus customers even get to take the wheel of fortune for a spin every time they submit a meter reading!

The post Octopus Greener Days explained appeared first on Smart Home Energy.

What is the UK Energy Price Cap?

The energy price cap is a limit set by Ofgem (the energy regulator) on the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge per unit of gas and electricity. It also caps daily standing charges (the fixed amount you pay to have access to energy). It is NOT a cap on your total bill—what you pay depends on how much energy you use.

Why Does the UK Energy Price Cap Exist?

It was introduced to stop energy companies from overcharging customers on default (standard variable) tariffs. Instead of letting prices skyrocket unchecked, Ofgem reviews the cap every three months to reflect market conditions.

Why Is the UK Energy Price Cap Confusing?

A common misconception is that the price cap limits your total bill. In reality, it only sets maximum rates for unit prices (per kWh) and standing charges. The “total bill” figures you often see in headlines assume a typical household’s usage, but your actual bill depends entirely on how much energy you consume.

Ofgem often makes annoucements like this, which are entirely unhelpful to 99.9% of people:

From today, 1 October 2024, the energy price cap for a typical household that uses gas and electricity and pays by Direct Debit will go up from £1,568 to £1,717 per year. This is an increase of around 10% which adds around £12 a month to an average bill.

Who is this “typical household”? And how much energy do they consume? What type of house do they live in? And how is it heated and powered and insulated? Without knowing any of this it is impossible to tell how the yearly payment figures relate to our own situations.

Building on Ofgems unhelpful annoucements the media often picks up these figures and presents them as if they apply to everyone, which leads to even more confusion. But the truth is your bill will always be based on your own energy usage, not a fixed total.

UK Energy Price Cap Rates

The UK energy price cap changes based on wholesale energy costs and should really have been communicated using pence per kilowatt hour figures from the outset, as in the table below, which shows how the rate have changed over time:

The rates represent the maximum you can be charged, so your bill depends on your actual energy consumption, but your supplier cannot charge more than the capped rates.

How to Save Money on Your Electricity Bill

Now that we know how the price cap works, how can households actually cut costs?

1. Consider Fixed Energy Deals – Are They Worth It?

• Fixed tariffs lock in a unit price for a set period, shielding you from price hikes.
• They can be cheaper than the price cap, but only if wholesale prices are stable or falling.
• Right now, many fixed deals are hovering around the cap level, so always compare before committing.
• Check what you could save via Switchcraft, one of the simplest comparison tools.

2. Is Octopus Agile a Smart Choice?

• Octopus Agile is a dynamic tariff where electricity prices change hourly based on wholesale costs.
• If you can shift your energy use to off-peak times (e.g., charging an EV or running appliances at night), it can save you a lot of money.
• However, if prices spike and you use energy during periods of high demand, your bill could rise, so it’s best for people who can be flexible with their energy use.
• Read more about how smart tarrifs can save you money and explore Octopus Agile.

3. Simple Ways to Cut Energy Costs

We’ve published our Top 10 energy saving tips, which provide full details of ways to cut costs, but some key steps to take include:

• Improving home efficiency: Smart thermostats, LED bulbs, and proper insulation can make a big difference.
• Using appliances wisely: Wash clothes at lower temperatures, avoid standby mode, and air-dry instead of using a tumble dryer.
• Monitoring your usage: A smart meter helps track what you’re spending in real time.

Bottom Line

The energy price cap offers some protection, but it won’t always mean the cheapest bills. If you’re looking to save, compare fixed deals, consider smart tariffs like Octopus Agile, and be mindful of your energy use. Small changes can lead to big savings!

The post UK Energy Price Cap Explained (Properly) appeared first on Smart Home Energy.

But with the UK’s often cloudy weather and the upfront costs of installation, many wonder: are solar panels truly worth it in the UK? Let’s break down the costs, benefits, savings, and practical considerations to help you decide. 

Are solar panels worth it in the UK: Costs and Savings

The initial cost of installing solar panels in the UK typically ranges from £5,000 to £12,000, depending on system size (e.g., a 4kW system for a three-bedroom home averages £6,500) – although plug in solar kits are much cheaper.

This includes panels, an inverter, and installation fees. While this might seem steep, several factors make the investment worthwhile over time.

• Energy Bill Savings: A 4kW system can generate around 3,400 kWh annually in the UK, covering roughly 50-70% of a typical household’s electricity needs (based on Ofgem’s average usage of 2,700 kWh for electricity). With electricity prices at 26p per kWh, this translates to savings of £816 per year. Over 20 years, that’s £16,320—far exceeding the initial cost.
• Smart Export Guarantee (SEG): Since the Feed-in Tariff ended in 2019, the SEG allows you to sell excess electricity back to the grid. Rates vary (e.g., Octopus Energy offers 15p per kWh), but a 4kW system might export 1,000 kWh annually, earning £150 per year, or £3,000 over 20 years.
• Rising Energy Costs: With volatile energy prices solar panels offer a hedge against future increases, locking in lower energy costs.

Environmental Benefits

Solar panels significantly reduce your carbon footprint. A 4kW system offsets around 1.5 tonnes of CO2 annually, equivalent to planting 70 trees each year. For eco-conscious homeowners, this aligns with the UK’s net-zero goals by 2050, making solar a meaningful step towards sustainability.

Practical Considerations in the UK

• Weather and Efficiency: The UK’s climate isn’t as sunny as Spain, but solar panels still work effectively. They generate electricity from daylight, not direct sunlight, and modern panels perform well even on cloudy days. Southern England (e.g., London) gets around 1,500 hours of sunshine annually, while Scotland averages 1,200 hours—still enough for decent output.
• Roof Suitability: Your roof needs to be south-facing (or near-south), with a 20-40° pitch and minimal shading for optimal performance. If your roof isn’t suitable, ground-mounted systems are an option, though they’re costlier.
• Lifespan and Maintenance: Solar panels typically last 25-30 years, with a 10-20 year warranty on most models. Maintenance is minimal—clean them annually to remove dirt, and budget £100-£200 every 5-10 years for inverter checks.

Government Incentives and Support

While the Feed-in Tariff is gone, the SEG provides export payments, and some local councils offer grants (e.g., the Home Upgrade Grant for low-income households). Additionally, solar installations are VAT-free for residential properties (0% VAT as of 2025), saving you £1,000-£2,000 upfront. If paired with a battery (e.g., AlphaESS G3, costing £3,000-£5,000), you can store excess energy for evening use, maximising savings.

Are solar panels worth it – Potential Drawbacks

• Upfront Cost: The initial investment can be a barrier, though financing options (e.g., 0% interest loans from installers like Heatable) make it more accessible.
• Break-Even Period: It takes 8-12 years to recoup your investment, depending on energy prices and SEG rates. If you plan to move house sooner, this might not suit you.
• Aesthetic Impact: Some find panels less attractive on traditional UK homes, though sleek, all-black designs are now available.

Are Solar Panels Worth It in the UK?

For most UK homeowners, solar panels are worth the investment. Financially, they pay for themselves within 8-12 years and deliver £15,000-£20,000 in savings over their lifespan, while also increasing property value (by 4% on average, per Rightmove). 

Environmentally, they’re a win, cutting your carbon footprint significantly. However, they’re not ideal for everyone—if your roof isn’t suitable, you’re moving soon, or you can’t afford the upfront cost, you might want to explore alternatives like community solar schemes.

Final Thoughts

Solar panels in the UK offer a compelling mix of financial savings, environmental benefits, and energy independence. With government support, rising energy costs, and improving technology, now is a great time to go solar.

If you’re considering solar, get an instant free quote from a trusted installer like Heatable to see how much you could save.

You may also be interested in our posts on solar power diverters and the best batteries for solar power storage.

The post Are Solar Panels Worth It in the UK? appeared first on Smart Home Energy.

What are smart radiator valves?

Smart radiator valves connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network and allow you to control the temperature of each radiator via an app or other remote control. The valves work by regulating the amount of hot water that is allowed to flow through each radiator, which allows you to easily adjust the temperature of each room in your home.

Smart radiator valves also have other features and capabilities, such as being able to detect when a window is open and automatically shut off the heating in that room. You can set schedules for the radiator valves to control when each radiator is on or off so you don’t have to worry about manually adjusting your radiators every day.

Thermostatic Radiator Valves, or TRVs are similar products which control individual radiators but are not ‘smart’, meaning you cannot control them from your phone or other devices.

Advantages of smart radiator valves

There are many benefits to using smart radiator valves, such as more accurate room-by-room heating control, energy savings, and convenience.

Smart radiator valves can help you save on energy costs by automatically adjusting the temperature to specific levels and even switching off a radiator when a room is unoccupied. You can also set schedules for the radiator valves to specify when each radiator will be on or off – and have different schedules for different days or months, or occupation patterns for example a ‘work day schedule’ and ‘weekend schedule’ so you don’t have to worry about manually adjusting the radiators.

Smart radiator valves also provide a very convenient way to control the temperature of each radiator from your smartphone or other remote control so you don’t have to work your way around the house to manually adjust the temperature of each radiator.

Are smart radiator valves worth it?

If you are looking for a simplified way to control the temperature of each room in your home independently, then smart radiator valves are a great option. But whether they’re truly worth the investment depends on why you want them and how you use them.

If you already have Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) which allow you to control the temperature of individual radiators manually, and you use them regularly then it’s unlikely you’ll make additional financial savings from smart radiator valves.

Some brands of smart radiator valves claim that up to 30% savings on your heating bills are possible, which is way higher than the 10-12% savings that Nest claim you’ll achieve with their Learning Thermostat.

If you think about it this makes sense. A smart thermostat will control your whole house’s heating, turning the heating up or down for all rooms at the same time. But, if used well, smart radiator valves should enable you to avoid heating some rooms completely some of the time, hence the larger savings.

However, the 30% saving would be in an ideal case and the reality is likely to be lower. So, whether smart radiator valves are worth it depends on their usage and how you program them. The vast proportion of the savings will come from not heating unused rooms, which you could achieve with regular TRVs anyway, if you’re happy to adjust them manually.

Environmentally, if your heating system runs on oil or gas there will definitely be come carbon savings but it takes energy to produce smart valves and you will create waste with the old valves you remove.

Do I need smart radiator valves on every radiator?

No, you don’t need to have smart radiator valves on every radiator. You can choose which radiators you want to have smart radiator valves installed on, depending on your individual requirements.

Which smart radiator valve is best?

There are many different smart radiator valves available on the market, so it can be difficult to choose the best one for your home. To help you make the best choice, we’ve complied the smart radiator valve reviews below detailing some of the best smart radiator valves that are currently available.

Only a handful of smart radiator valves work independently of a smart thermostat, home hub or other bridge, so if you don’t have and don’t want a smart thermostat one of the first 5 options below will be best. The TP-Link Kasa Smart Valve is currently the best value at just £44 on Amazon although it does not work with Apple HomeKit. If you want a smart valve that does work with HomeKit then the meross Smart Valves are the best option at £53 on Amazon.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive solution, with a bridge which will work with a smart thermostat, then the tado° Starter Kit (currently just £135 at Amazon) is one of the best options which works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, And Google Assistant.

Smart radiator valves reviews

meross Smart Valves – £53 on Amazon – Works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant and SmartThings

The meross smart radiator valves are probably the best option on the market for price, functionality and compatibility. This starter kit includes a radiator thermostat and meross hub and will work with 98% of TRVs. Control the system alongside you other smart home devices via your preferred app or with voice commands. In the meross app, you can see the daily room temperature and set schedules for different rooms. The smart hub can support up to 16 smart thermostats and the system also supports open-window detection and will send a notification on phone while the room thermostat will stop heating for 30 minutes to avoid wasted energy. The meross package contains 1 Smart Radiator Thermostat + 1 Hub + connection adapters for Danfoss RA / Danfoss RAV / Danfoss RAVL / Giacomini / Caleffi / M28 radiators. Additional valves are just £39 making meross one of the most cost effective options.

Buy now – £53 on Amazon

TP-Link Kasa Smart Valve – £44 on Amazon – Works with Alexa and Google Assistant

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Radiator Thermostat Starter KIT is another good option if you don’t have or want a smart thermostat, as it allows you to control all your radiators in each room from your phone from anywhere without the need for an additional hub or bridge. The usual retail price for the starter kit is £90 but there’s a deal on Amazon (at the time of publishing) which makes this the cheapest quality option on the market. Additional valves at £40. The Kasa valves allow you to set heating schedules, work with voice Control via Alexa or Google Assistant and have a frost protection setting to keep your house safe in winter. Just replace your old radiator valve with Kasa and follow the step-by-step in-app guide but check your existing radiator valve carefully to ensure compatibility.

Buy now – £44 on Amazon

Hive 7004240 – £45 on Amazon – Works with Hive app

The Hive 7004240 radiator valves also work without a smart thermostat, so you don’t need the Hive active heating to use them. Whatever system you have, you can manage these valves via the Hive app. They are also easy to install, simply unscrew your existing TRV head and replace it with the Hive radiator valve. If you already have a Hive thermostat for heating and/or hot water (£135 or £440 respectively) adding some Hive smart radiator valves makes a lot of sense to add greater control to your system, plus then you’ll be able to control the radiator valves via Alexa, Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant.

Buy now – £45 on Amazon

Eve Thermo – £70 on Amazon – Works with Bluetooth, Thread and Apple HomeKit

The Eve Thermo is another great option if you don’t have or want a smart thermostat or other bridge. You can use these valves directly via Bluetooth, Thread or Apple HomeKit. Use schedules to heat individual rooms or your entire home automatically to suit your routine – independently of your iPhone and internet connection. They even offer ‘open window detection’, have a simple to use ‘vacation mode’, valve protection, and a whole lot more.

Buy now – £70 on Amazon

Eqiva 142461A0 – £50 on Amazon – Works with Bluetooth

The Eqiva 142461A0 smart radiator valves work directly without a hub or bridge via bluetooth and can be controlled via the free Apple (from iOS 8.3) or Android (from version 4.4) app. They can also be operated directly without a smartphone. Up to 7 switching intervals can be defined and the boost function heats up radiators quickly. Up to 5 Radiator thermostats per room can be combined and controlled via app.

Buy now – £50 on Amazon

tado° Starter Kit – £135 at Amazon – Works With Alexa, Apple HomeKit, And Google Assistant

The tado° Starter Kit is a great option for those looking for a reliable and easy to use smart heating setup. This kit comes with 2 tado° Smart Radiator Thermostats, tado° Internet Bridge, 2 AA batteries, Set of adapters, USB power supply, UK power adapter / EU power adapter, USB cable, Ethernet cable, and detailed welcome and setup guides. Once you have the starter kit you can buy extra smart valves at £50 each.

Buy now – £135 at Amazon

Netatmo NAV-UK – £192 at Amazon – Works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant

The Netatmo NAV-UK Smart Thermostat + Smart Radiator Valve is another great option for those looking for a reliable and easy to use smart heating system. The kit only includes one smart valve but you can buy additional valves for £72.50 each.

Buy now – £192 at Amazon

Honeywell evohome – £380 at Amazon – Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT

The Honeywell evohome is another option to get smart heating. The evohome allows you to create and individually control up to 12 heating zones with remote access via the Total Connect Comfort (TCC) app or the full-colour touchscreen. Users can quickly gain control of exactly where and when the property is heated and remote access via a tablet or smartphone keeps you in-the-know. You can buy extra valves for £65 each. They are battery powered with a two-year battery life and a battery low reminder visible on both the radiator controller screen and the evohome controller screen. The flip-up screen is backlit and can be positioned so that it can be easily viewed or folded away flat.

Buy now – £380 at Amazon

Drayton Wiser – £396 at Amazon – Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT

The Drayton Wiser starter kit allows you to take full control of your heating system via your phone on a room-by-room basis. The Wiser App allows you to easily control your home’s temperature room-by-room whilst also viewing your system’s heat report from anywhere in the world. Additional smart valves are £49. The kit comes in different versions for combi or conventional boilers and the radiator valves are also available in black or white. The kit comes with 1 x Smart Room Thermostat, 1 x Heat Hub and 5 x smart radiator valves.

Buy now – £396 at Amazon

Conclusion

Smart radiator valves are a great way to keep rooms at the perfect temperature and avoid wasting energy on heating unoccupied rooms. They are very convenient, as you can control the temperature of each radiator from your smartphone or other remote control.

Nearly every brand offers professional installation for around £120 so if you’re not confident installing radiator valves yourself you will need to factor this into the price. Ask your local smart home installation company for a quote.

If you’re only looking for one or two valves and don’t want a smart thermostat the TP-Link Kasa Smart Valve is currently the best value at just £44 on Amazon although it does not work with Apple HomeKit.

If you want a smart valve that works on its own with HomeKit then the meross Smart Valves are the best option at £53 on Amazon.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive solution, with a bridge which will work with a smart thermostat, then the tado° Starter Kit (£135 at Amazon) is one of the best options which works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, And Google Assistant.

Read our other reviews about the best smart plugs and the best home energy monitors and check out our list of 60 smart tech gift ideas.

The post The Best Smart Radiator Valves for Your Home appeared first on Smart Home Energy.

Not every home is suitable for solar – and people that live in flats without roof space are not able to install solar panels. But now, thanks to Ripple Energy, anyone can invest in wind or solar projects to reduce their electricity bills.

How does Ripple Energy work?

1. Visit Ripple Energy to get a quote for your home
2. Decide how much of your electricity you want to buy from Ripple, which will determine how much of the solar park you own, the cost of your investment and your predicted savings
3. Create your Ripple account, choose whether to pay all at once or via monthly installments and make your initial payment to become a co-owner of the solar park
4. Ripple build the solar farm and sell the electricity which is generated to your supplier via a Power Purchase Agreement – i.e. at a fixed, low price (in comparison to the standard wholesale price of electricity)
5. Your energy company passes on the savings to you as a discount on your bill
6. The savings continue for the 40 year life of the solar park and you can track how much energy your share of the solar park has generated through the Ripple Members’ dashboard

You will need to be with, or switch to, one of Ripple’s supply partners, which are E-on and Octopus, but since Octopus currently offer some of the cheapest smart tariffs – and a £50 credit for switching – that’s not a problem.

How much can you save via Ripple Energy?

It’s hard to say exactly how much you will save over the lifetime of your investment because savings are dependent on wholesale electricity prices, which vary over time. Your savings will be the difference between the price Ripple sells the energy to your supplier and the market price.

Ripple’s savings calculator assumes an average member saving of just 6.1p/kWh. But this rate will vary each year according to the price Ripple secures for the PPAs they negotiate with the energy suppliers and the market price of electricity.

Their standard quote, for a home consuming 2,900kWhs of electricity per year, for which they recommend you buy 2,958 Watts of the solar park, is £3,044 which should produce roughly 100% of the electricity you consume, saving you a £288 in the first year (once the solar park is completed in 2025) and £6,816 over the 40 year lifespan of the project. This equates to a 17 year payback. These figures are based on the assumptions of the “extended high” pathway from the latest BEIS figures which are fairly conservative in our opinion. 

Ripple has already built 2 wind farms which are co-owned in the same way and the savings have far exceeded their estimates – mainly because electricity prices shot up last year, so the savings rose too. For example, someone who invested £323.37 in the Graig Fartha in 2021 to cover just 10% of their bill would have saved £60 in the first year and £180 in 2022, implying total payback in year 3 and 22 more years of savings (the wind farm contracts only run for 25 years). So that’s an amazing payback period – and very significant savings.

However, as mentioned above, whilst savings will be high in years when the wholesale price of electricity is high, in years when the electricity price is lower the level of savings would be lower too. If you select the ‘low’ estimate for future energy prices on Ripple’s payback calculator the estimated payback period extends to 29 years, which still implies 11 years of savings at ~1.7% pa which is still worthwhile, especially if you also want to help reduce carbon emissions.

Whichever way you look at it you will save money over the duration of the project – and you don’t need to worry about moving house because you can transfer your savings to your new home, or dying because in the event of your death your shares can be inherited by someone else.

If energy prices continue to rise, which seems highly likely as we transition to net zero and the UK needs double, or even triple the amount of electricity we currently consume by 2050 the return on investment from investing in Ripple would be significant.

If wholesale prices remained high and the Ripple Energy savings rate was ~15p you could be looking at a 12% return per annum.

Why else should you invest?

Aside from the financial savings, which we think will exceed Ripple’s estimates, investing in solar and wind parks is an obvious way to do more to reduce UK carbon emissions. Investing your money will help brings these renewable energy sources online quicker, will create green jobs and will also help prove that this groundbreaking model works. Perhaps then the government might start to take notice and approve the Local Electricity Bill to make it easier for other community energy projects to sell the energy they generate to local consumers at a fair price.

Is Ripple Energy a good investment:

Ripple Energy is trailblazing a new model for the public ownership of renewable energy assets which offers significant savings over the long term, as well as supporting carbon reduction. Just a few hundred pounds will cover ~10% of your consumption and will help stabilise your electricity bill over the long term making it a good investment.

Further details:

There is a lot of innovation behind the scenes to make Ripple’s projects viable. They have an extensive FAQ section which answers a lot of questions but as part of our Ripple Energy review Smart Home Energy contacted Ripple directly to dig into some of the details which aren’t covered in the FAQ, which our more analytical readers might be wondering about:

To start with we wanted to know how their model accommodates the reduction in energy production as the PV degrades over time because in year 25 the panels will be producing much less than in year 1. Ripple replied:

“Yes the figures provided take into account a small amount of degradation and reflect the yield we expect to see over the lifespan of the project.”

We also asked, why are they aiming to pay back part of the share capital each year? And why does this happen at different rates for wind and solar farms? (For wind farms, this will tend to be 5% per year, and 3% for solar parks) Ripple replied:

“The share capital is gradually repaid to ensure the value of share capital broadly reflects the actual value of the solar park (which gradually reduces over its lifetime). The value of the share withdrawals forms part of member savings. Solar and wind are different because the lifespans of the projects are different.”

This makes a lot of sense, because presumably it will then be easier to wind down the co-ops at the end of the projects.

We also asked if any other supply partners are likely to come on board other than E-On and Octopus? Ripple replied:

“Yes we are looking to bring on other suppliers.”

Not great detail there! But promising…

What are the project’s predicted operating costs? Ripple replied:

“2p/kWh”

This is good to hear because it is a reasonable amount for running a solar farm so we can assume the operating costs are easily covered in their model and there should not be any nasty surprises for investors.

Does it make any difference if a customer is on a TOU, or dynamic tariff? Ripple replied:

“No, they can be on any tariff with our supply partners – their savings are simply based on how much their share of the project generates.”

Good news here too!

Are there more Ripple projects (wind or solar) in the pipeline? Ripple replied:

“Yes. We are looking at both wind and solar for future projects and are hoping to launch another one this year.”

This is also good news as well which means more savings for potential investors and more UK carbon reductions.

Ripple Energy review – final thoughts:

Overall, we are very impressed by what Ripple Energy is doing and are confident to recommend them as a safe investment.

You might also be interested in our post Are solar panels worth it in the UK? and our reviews of energy monitors, the best smart radiator valves and how the best smart plugs can help you monitor and reduce energy.

The post Ripple Energy review appeared first on Smart Home Energy.

You may have noticed that, whilst the government’s price cap on energy bills is in place, it does not seem like there’s a way to save money by switching energy suppliers – but there is!

Most energy companies, and energy bills, state “You’re already on the cheapest similar tariff” however, these statements are misleading because dynamic tariffs are not included in the comparisons.

The way energy is priced is evolving and new, smart tariffs are coming online which offer different prices at different times of day.

Smart tariffs come in several different versions:

• Dual rate – the most basic form of smart tariff with a day rate and cheaper night rate
• Time-of-use – tariffs with 2 or more rates per day
• Real-time or dynamic tariffs – where the unit price varies every half hour according to the wholesale price of electricity, often based on day-ahead market prices, so that you have time to plan your energy usage.

Dual rate tariffs include the old Economy 7 and 10 tariffs, which offer cheaper rates for electricity during the night. They offer distinct advantages over a standard tariff if you have electric heating or other energy intensive appliances which you can run during the night.

Time-of-use tariffs are becoming far more popular, especially with the increase in Electric Vehicles.

Real time, or dynamic tariffs are still quite experimental in the UK. Octopus Energy is currently the only supplier offering a dynamic electricity tariff, which they call Octopus Agile.

In theory, dynamic tariffs place a lot more risk on the consumer because energy prices can spike dramatically between 4 and 8 pm when people are using the most power, meaning your price per kWh could reach up to £1! That’s a huge leap, which would make a big impact on your bill, if you consider that other tariffs offer a fixed price of 33p/kWh.

However, while the price cap is in place there is a cap on how much suppliers can charge for peak rate power and since the price often drops under 10p/kWh in the night (sometimes even going negative, so you get paid for consuming electricity!), this means that the average price per unit is usually less than every other tariff on the market. As a crude example, the average half-hourly price on Octopus Agile between Jan 16 and April 16 2026 was just under 20p/Kwh (in the London region).

By our calculations, the majority of UK households could save more than 15% on their electricity bill by switching to Octopus Agile, without even changing their behaviour.

However, when the price cap is lifted these savings could soon disappear and would be replaced with additional costs if consumers do not avoid usage at time of peak demand. But Octopus will warn you before this happens and make it very easy to switch to a fixed or dual-rate tariff, so switching now still makes a lot of sense and will save you money. Plus, Octopus will give you £50 off your bill just for switching making the savings even more attractive. Visit the Octopus Energy website, enter your postcode and follow the steps to get a quote and start saving.

If you’re looking to save money on your energy bills switching to Octopus is very easy and takes less than 5 minutes. They can’t switch you directly onto Octopus Agile so you’ll need to switch to their fixed tariff and then transfer to Agile once you’re a customer, but that’s very easy – all you need to do is email hello@octopus.energy and tell them to switch you to Agile as soon as your account is transferred.

Smart tariffs are the future of electricity pricing. Traditional energy companies in other European countries that have not yet managed to deliver dynamic tariffs are losing customers in droves to new market entrants, because consumers like smart tariffs – and it’s not hard to see why.

As supply and demand vary in the grid, variable pricing is not only a powerful tool to help the National grid keep things balanced, but a practical motivator to encourage consumers to change behaviour which enables them to save money.

As the success of the Demand Flexibility Service experiment demonstrates, people like controlling their energy use and are more than willing to get involved in helping balance the grid, especially when there are financial incentives. During the DFS trials 1.6 million households saved over 3,300MWh of electricity during peak times.

Use our Smart Tariff Savings Calculator to see if you could save from switching to a smarter tariff.

The post Smart tariffs can save you money appeared first on Smart Home Energy.

Horizontal trenches are cheaper than drilling a borehole for a vertical system, but are usually only suitable for properties in rural areas because of the large amount of outdoor space required. A vertical system can cost more than £30,000 for installation alone, because it will require specialist machinery to drill the borehole. A horizontal ground source heat pump system needs a minimum of 700 square metres, while a vertical system needs at least two separate 25cm wide boreholes spaced at least six metres apart.

How do Ground Source Heat Pumps work?

Ground source heat pumps work in a similar way to air source heat pumps, but gather energy from the latent heat in the ground rather than the air. A mixture of water and antifreeze is pumped around a loop of pipe buried under the ground to absorb naturally occurring heat. The water mixture is compressed and goes through a heat exchanger, which extracts the heat and transfers it to the heat pump. The heat is then transferred to your home heating system. Reversible heat pumps can provide heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.

Ground Source Heat Pump efficiency

A well-installed ground source heat pump is supposed to deliver four kilowatt hours (kWh) of heat for each kWh of electricity it consumes – making ground source technology more efficient than air source. This ratio is called the coefficient of performance (CoP). The higher the CoP, the more efficient the system is – some guides and manufacturers quote CoP figures as efficiency figures meaning that a gound source heat pump with a CoP of 4 is listed as “400% efficient” but don’t be fooled, they can not make energy out of thin air! The CoP of a ground source heat pump can vary considerably depending on how well it is installed, how well sized it is in comparison to your home, how many radiators you have, how hot you keep them and also with variations in the weather. (Tip: consider installing smart radiator valves to easily shut off the heating in unoccupied rooms.)

A CoP of 4 or above is seen as good because it means that the cost of running the heat pump will be cheaper than a gas boiler, for the equivalent heat output since gas is currently about a third of the price of electricity.

HeatpumpMonitor.org is an open source project via which people share and compare heat pump performance data, so you can see a variety of installations and compare detailed statistics to see how performance can vary – although currently (March 23) there is only one ground source heat pump listed.

Advantages

The main advantage of ground source heat pumps is that they can be zero carbon, when powered by renewable electricity. So, if your electricity is supplied from solar PV, or via a guaranteed renewable energy tariff, replacing your gas boiler with a ground source heat pump can reduce your heating and hot water emissions to zero. You may also be able to reduce the costs of running a ground source heat pump by switching to one of the new smart tariffs.

Ground source heat pumps also qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, via which the UK government offers grants of £6,000.

When combined with solar PV, ground source heat pumps make a lot of sense because the renewable energy generated by the solar PV in the day can be used by the heat pump making you largely self-sufficient, presuming your PV system is big enough to power the heat pump.

Disadvantages

Ground source heat pumps are not cheap to install. A vertical system can cost more than £30,000 for installation alone. 

Ground source heat pumps require external ground space, making them less suitable in inner-city locations and for flats than air source heat pumps.

Ground source heat pumps must be correctly sized and installed, to ensure they run efficiently and deliver a CoP of 4 and above. A badly installed or sized system which delivers a CoP of less than 4 may well leave you paying more than you would have paid when burning gas.

Installing a ground source heat pump will definitely increase your electricity bill – and since electricity is currently more than 3 times the price of gas in the UK any increase in electricity consumption can have a big impact on bills. It is amazing how many people forget to factor in the extra costs of electricity when considering a heat pump – and forget to monitor how much more electricity they are consuming after having one installed. Always take a baseline before installing a heat pump so you can calculate its true efficiency after it is installed.

Ground source heat pumps require a hot water tank so may not be suitable for flats and smaller homes.

The Installation works for a ground source heat pump can be considerable, depending on how much pipework and plumbing needs replacing.

Ground Source Heat Pump costs

The total cost of a ground source heat pump can vary considerably depending on the size of the house, how well insulated it is, how many radiators and how much pipework needs replacing. We estimate that the installed cost for a 3 bed home, with space for a horizontal system, should be between £14,000 to £19,000 although ground source heat pumps also qualify for a £6,000 grant from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which will help reduce the costs. We have seen quotes for vertical systems exceed £60,000!

Running costs for a ground source heat pump can also vary dramatically, depending on the size of your home and the CoP your system delivers. We estimate that the running costs for a system which is delivering a CoP of 4, for a 3 bed home should be around £845/year, which is a saving of almost £500/year compared to heating your home and hot water with gas.

Is a Ground Source Heat Pump worth it?

If your motivation is to reduce your carbon emissions to zero then yes, a ground source heat pump is definitely worth it, providing you have enough outside space. However, the cost and disturbance of installation mean we do not recommend installing a ground source heat pump unless you’re building a new home, or need to replace an existing boiler.

Check out the other alternatives to gas boilers in our energy guide.

The post Ground Source Heat Pumps appeared first on Smart Home Energy.

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is a UK-based scheme that certifies renewable energy products and installers. 

The aim of MCS is to give people confidence in low-carbon energy technology by defining, maintaining and improving quality.

Products and installers that have been verified use the MCS mark to demonstrate quality, competency and compliance.

Plug in solar is not expected to require an MCS installer but may require you use MCS certified products.

If you are planning to invest in a renewable energy system read our post exploring are solar panels worth it in the UK and check out the MCS website to to find an MCS certified installer that operates in your area and to find MCS certified products.

What is the Microgeneration Certification Scheme mark?

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme mark is designed to provide reassurance that an installer or product is certified. The image on the left shows the new (as of 2022) certification mark, however, while the rollout of the new brand takes place, you might still see the old certification mark (the image on the right).

Which technologies does the Microgeneration Certification Scheme cover?

MCS covers a range of renewable energy technologies that generate heat and/or electricity from sources that are constantly replenished, such as the sun, wind or water.

The MCS covers the following renewable energy technologies – also known as low carbon technologies:

• Solar Photovoltaics (PV)
• Battery Storage
• Wind Turbines
• Biomass
• Solar Heating
• Solar Assisted Heat Pumps
• Ground/Water Source Heat Pumps
• Air Source Heat Pumps
• Micro CHP
• Exhaust Air Heat Pumps

How do I get a solar MCS certificate?

When your installer finishes your renewable energy installation they should issue your MCS certificate within 10-working days of the work being completed. You can check whether an MCS certificate exists by calling the MCS Helpdesk on 0333 103 8130.

Is an MCS certificate the same as building regulations?

No. MCS installations fall under the scope of Building Regulations and as part of completion arrangements evidence must be provided of a work completion certificate issued by a local authority or self-certification of the installation works by a member of a competent person’s scheme – this is a separate process from MCS.

How do I get Microgeneration Certification?

There are four main steps to becoming an MCS certified Installer. To become MCS certified an installer must demonstrate:

1. A commitment to quality workmanship
2. A commitment to customer care
3. Competency
4. A commitment to continual improvement via an effective management system

Installation companies are assessed by a Certification Body to ensure that they meet the MCS standards. The Certification Body assesses companies to determine their company practices and performs an inspection of an installation. Certification Bodies have different prices for becoming certified, and timescales can also differ for the assessment. MCS recommends that you contact a few to decide which is best for your business. See the full list of MCS Certification Bodies.

Check out our Smart Tariff Savings Calculator to see if you can save money from switching to a smarter Time of Use electricity tariff, especially if you have an EV or a heat pump.

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