topic Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power in Meters & Connections

BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

tellmenolies — Sat, 23 Feb 2019 01:26:12 GMT

I have a Atlas MK7A meter. If I use the boost button, does it use available solar power first before using electricity from the grid. Also, when a boost button is pressed, how long is it active for. Surely someone must know, you have meters in more than a million households.

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

jayden_AGL — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 21:42:30 GMT

Hi tellmenolies,

Great question!

The answer to your question varies depending on your meter configuration and location. You can find out more information here: Green 'Boost' button on my EDMI Mk7A Smart Meter

Cheers,

Jayden

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

tellmenolies — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 21:50:59 GMT

You did not answer my question. I asked a very simple one. It needs no reference to what the green boost button does. I asked, 'does it use available solar power before using peak power'.

Now kindly answer that simple question.

I am in South Australia. I have normal load and controlled load. They have nothing to do with the meter configuration. I have lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman as you refuse to answer the question.

Read the question and answer it

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

tellmenolies — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 21:55:29 GMT

It has nothing to do with my location or meter configuration. Why am I being charged for electricity when I use the boost button during the day when I am generating enough solar power to heat my hot water when the boost button is pressed. I have contacted the relevant TV stations, the Energy Minister and the Ombudsman. I am being charged for electricity when my solar system is generating it. I use 3,600 watt to heat my hot water system. My solar system supplies 5,000 watt. When I turn off every other thing in the house, and I now my solar system is generating enough to power my hot water system, I am being charged for the supply of power, at off peak at 11am in the morning. Why am I being charged off peak at 11am when I press the boost button. I should not be charged at all. I am generating enough power through solar. AGL is actually charging me for supply that is not being provided

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

tellmenolies — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 23:46:25 GMT

It is not a great question. It is a simple question to answer. You did not answer it. You simply tried to patronise me. Now answer the simple question.

When the boost button is pressed, does it use available solar power before power from the grid. It is a simple question. The answer has nothing to do with which State I am in. I am in SA. So answer the question.

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

tellmenolies — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 21:20:42 GMT

You have not answered the simple question. You sent me an email asking if I am happy with the answer you gave. The problem is, you never answered the question. Answer the question. I am in SA and have Controlled Load. Stop trying to lie. Just answer the simple question. It is a simple one, it is a relevant one and AGL know the answer, they do the billing. They just refuse to answer it. I am currently being billed by AGL if I use the boost button during the day when I am producing 5,000watt of energy. They bill me even when I am using my own solar.

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

tellmenolies — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 04:56:22 GMT

AGL lie. They refuse to answer the question. They rang me and said they would have an answer within 48 hours and would ring me back. That was 9 days ago. AGL just lie.They have set their meters to refuse to allow you to use off grid solar power to charge hot water. They will only allow you to always have to pay for heating hot water. They have set the system to always charge you even if you had 100 panels on your roof. AGL have manipulated the program to always charge you. Acct 82055518

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

tellmenolies — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 05:00:42 GMT

AGL presented an answer in the forum to my question. Their answer was an outright deceitful like. Answer with relevance to SA. Go on AGL, answer with that in mind. You outright lied. In SA you have programmed the meters to not allow off grid power from 100 solar panels to heat my HWS. It is my solar power, my Hot water system and you have put in a program that makes a customer always have to pay for hot water to be heated even if they have 100 solar panels to heat it. I can be exporting 5,000watt but you will always charge me for hot water. You have set the program to not allow me to use my own solar power. Acct 82055518

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

tellmenolies — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 05:16:39 GMT

I have lodged a complaint with the ACCC. What AGL is doing is actually highly illegal. They have programmed the meters to even charge you for your own solar power if you try to use it for heating your own hot water. Market manipulation. Collusion. Forced purchasing. It actually breaks many Laws. ACCC can issue massive fines. AGL have written the software to charge you for your own solar power when you use it to heat your hot water system, in SA. Huge million dollar fines and possible jail sentences. What AGL are doing is highly illegal under Federal Competition Laws.

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

eGeorge — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 12:18:11 GMT

How did you go with the ACCC and Ombudsman on this issue? Are you now using your own solar power to boost your HWS or is it still drawing on off peak tariff? Interested and potentially facing similar issue with AGL.

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

NeilC — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 05:16:14 GMT

@tellmenolies

I suppose you did find out that it is your electricity supply company that controls your meter settings not your retailer.

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

NeilC — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 21:53:59 GMT

@tellmenolies, @eGeorge , @jayden_AGL

The answer to this question is very simple.

On the MK7A/MK7C meter:
Export refers to energy consumed by the customer.
Import refers to energy generated by the customer.

On your Electricity bill:
Export refers to electricity from your solar PV system to the grid.
Import refers to electricity to your property from the grid.

So TellMeNoLies was reading his/her meter incorrectly and hence the reason why no answer was ever posted. I am sure that if he/she was successful in his/her complaint to the Ombudsman then he/she would have been crowing the news in this post.

And, furthermore, TellMeNoLies would not have been been charged Off Peak, (now commonly known as Controlled Load), but would have been charged Peak Prices.

It is also interesting to note, that in a document produced by Origin Energy, that states:

This meter is 2 single phase meters in one body and replaces your gross meter/s and will be remotely switched to net metering on 1 January 2017 to send energy from your solar system to your household first, before sending the excess back to the grid.

Also please note, that in SA, these meters are no longer installed, having been replaced by IntelliHUB meters. (My IntelliHUB meter was installed 30 Jan 2019 in SA).

Cheers Neil

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

Kym59 — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 12:15:05 GMT

I also have this question and notice in 5 years it has never been answered for SA users. Some interested customers, it has 19,500 views to date!

It is a simple question, on an Atlas MK7A meter also system I have a 5000W solar panel system generating excess power giving me a miniscual 4c per kilowatt from AGL. I would like to press the boost button when sun is out - if it works- and save on the Controlled Load hot water night rate of 30 or 40 cents per kilowatt at 1am. Also a big environmental saving using day time sun rather than night time wind/diesel/coal?

Does the green button use solar panel power if availaible or not? It could save alot of people alot of money, and of course the environment, - so is AGL allowing this to be in place?

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

Lester — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 19:54:00 GMT

@Kym59 if you too are on a CL metering for your HWS, you will never have solar affecting that, it goes through the CL TOU tariffs wholly and solely.

So no, using the boost button will put it through the normal meter, at the normal TOU rates, higher in SA.

I am in SA too (like the OP), and can tell you categorically, when I got solar last Nov and was updated from old analogue meters on single tariff with CL, to 2 new digital meters, still have the normal meter circuit (Atlas Mk 10D), which our normal daily usage and solar goes through, and then the CL HWS is still on the 2nd meter (also Atlas Mk 7A), the CL works for me with my HWS on the CL meter and is totally independent of the solar / regular circuit meter.

You might have one meter, depends on how configured, but it should work same way.

I also have a switch in the kitchen marked 'night' and 'day', when on night it uses a tiny bit of power during off peak 1130-0630 (just a couple of short bursts), and shoulder cheapest time of day rate between 1000-1500 with 3 or so short bursts.

If I use it on day setting, it puts the HWS usage through the normal circuit TOU tariffs, AND solar, but I can't control when it comes on, so it will use power during the solar soak hours, but also in peak and off peak, so that switch acts like a boost button, and with tariffs I would lose out there !

In hindsight when I got solar on I should have said remove the CL metering, because to fix this like you, and get my solar working better for me, I either have to get the CL meter removed, and / or HWS on regular circuit, and be able to time it for either / and solar hours or cheapest rate times, but it goes through the regular meter then, and at whatever TOU rate is applicable for regular supply.

So when doing the smart meter upgrade, SAPN just put in what was here already, not what's best for you.

If you want to get your CL HWS on solar, you (and I) will have to either get the HWS off the CL circuit and onto the main circuit (sparky job), dumb timer it for whatever blocks of time you want, mostly solar soak hours, or other cheaper times in Winter if needed, or pay a lot more for a HW diverter that is smart itself and can sense best times to put it on, through solar soak when producing enough solar, and if not enough (eg Winter), through whatever time of day cheapest to suit you, only needs say a half hour twice in that situation to keep water hot for normal use.

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

Kym59 — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 21:21:32 GMT

Thankyou @Lester it sounds like it may be almost just as cheap to get a second $1000 hot water system on the normal meter, (with a day time timer) that feeds hot water into the CL system. Effectively this would mean the CL system is always being topped up with cheaper hot water so less heating to do at 1am. I could also turn it off on cloudy days.

Re: BOOST button, does it use available solar power before using PEAK power

Lester — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 00:02:01 GMT

It should be a lot cheaper to just get the HWS put onto the normal circuit, and put a timer on it.

The hot water 'diverter' type of system is just a fancy name, it just uses 'smart electronics' to put your excess solar into the HWS before it sends anything to the grid, and also picks up if it is too cloudy / shady / low winter sun etc to get an excess of solar, and then it will heat the HW from whatever tariff time you want, ie cheapest.

Some can be $1800 fitted, other smart options are under $1000.

If you wanted to leave your CL meter in the box, you can, it will just no longer send any readings . . . you may choose to do this rather than the electrician arranging the supplier (SAPN) to come out and remove this, they do charge to do that apparently.