How does Intelligent Octopus Go work with Ohme?

Getting started

Intelligent Octopus Go (IOG) is a smart tariff from Octopus energy, which offers cheap electricity for the whole house between 11:30pm – 5:30am.

When it’s connected to your Ohme charger, you’ll get off-peak rates for dynamic charging during additional cheaper slots available outside the 11:30pm – 5:30am window. This means you get even more time to charge at super cheap rates, compared to a standard dual-rate tariff.

You can connect your Ohme account with Intelligent Octopus Go in the Octopus Energy app. Check out our handy set up guide:

Charging with the Ohme app

Once you’ve completed the setup and your Ohme account is connected to the tariff, you’ll see the tariff update automatically in the Ohme app. Dynamic charging will be enabled and the Price cap feature removed. All you need to do is set your charge target and a ‘Ready by time’ between 4:00am – 11:00am, and check your Ohme charger is online before plugging in. Then, when you plug your Ohme charger in to your EV, Octopus and Ohme will create a smart charging schedule. We’ll aim to make use of any cheap time slots available to achieve your charging goal.

If you need to charge immediately, you can start a Max charge. This will override the Smart charging schedule to charge your EV to full as soon as possible. This is helpful for last-minute trips and emergencies, but be aware, Max charging during peak hours (5:30am – 11:30pm) will be billed at the higher peak rate.

Steps for a successful charge:

1. Set charge target
2. Set “Ready by” time
3. Check charger is online
4. Plug in
5. Check session has begun in the Ohme app. Status banner should read ‘Scheduled’ or ‘Smart charging’.

Preconditioning

To use Ohme’s preconditioning setting with the Intelligent Octopus Go integration, first set your Target and Ready By time and enable preconditioning on the Charging screen in the Ohme app. Ohme will schedule to charge in the final 5 to 60 minutes before your Ready By time, based on the preconditioning duration you choose. You also need to turn on preconditioning in your car for the same period. Most preconditioning windows land in peak times, so you’ll usually pay peak rates unless Octopus happens to assign a cheap slot that overlaps your preconditioning. This can change from session to session.

For more information and guidance on how to charge, see the following article:

Estimate costs and Billing

Octopus Energy will issue your bill directly. To help give you an idea of your charging costs, you’ll see an estimated cost for the session while it’s in progress in the Ohme app. This estimate is based on your standard tariff rate. Once the session ends, the estimate cost on the Usage screen will update to reflect any smart charging during the cheaper slots or overnight off-peak window (11:30pm – 5:30am).

Please be advised, Ohme will never bill you for your electricity, and our charging costs are estimates only. If you have any questions about billing, we recommend contacting Octopus Energy directly for support.

Are there other ways to integrate with IOG?

Yes. Intelligent Octopus Go can also be integrated with other devices, such as your EV, allowing you to control charging through the Octopus app. However, problems can occur if more than one device is trying to control charging at the same time.

If your Ohme charger is connected to the Ohme app, we’ll create charging schedules based on the information available. However, if you also link your EV directly to the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff, Octopus Energy will generate its own charging schedule through your EV. This means both systems will try to manage charging at the same time, which can lead to conflicting schedules. This can result in a failed session where your EV only charges a little or not at all.

If you choose to keep the integration with your EV, you will need to disconnect your Ohme charger from your Ohme app account. This will allow Octopus to manage the schedule independently via your EV, without conflicting with Ohme. However, this will mean you lose access to the Ohme app and its features, such as the security settings and your charging history.

Connected to your EV?

If you are currently connected with your EV and would prefer to use your Ohme charger as the connected device, we recommend disconnecting the integration with the EV and starting again using your charger.

Charging with Solar on IOG

With Solar Boost, your Ohme charger can use your solar energy to top up your car whenever there’s enough spare power being generated. When your charger runs a smart charging schedule, all the energy used is billed at your off-peak rate because it’s linked to your Intelligent Octopus Go tariff.

Solar Boost works a bit differently. It starts charging when at least 0.72 kW of excess solar power is detected. Most cars need 1.44 kW to begin charging, so your charger automatically draws 0.72 kW from the grid to reach that level.

Because Solar Boost can start charging at any time, including during the day, any grid energy used outside of scheduled hours will be billed at your standard daytime rate. So, if Solar Boost kicks in during the day, outside of scheduled times, you’ll still make the most of your solar energy, but you’ll pay the normal daytime rate for the small amount that comes from the grid.

Short interruptions

If your solar output suddenly drops (for example, when a cloud passes), it can take up to 15 seconds for your charger to pause. During that brief moment, power will come from the grid and be billed at your normal rate.

Tips for getting the most out of the tariff

• Make sure your charger is online before plugging in
• Set your charge amount and a “Ready by” time (4:00am to 11:00am) in the Ohme app
• Look out for a blue “Smart charging” banner within your Ohme app during charging to confirm a smart charge is taking place.
• Upon unplugging your Ohme charger, check the Usage screen in the Ohme app to confirm the session has been recorded successfully and see an estimated cost for the session.