How does Intelligent Octopus Go work with Ohme?

The 6-hour smart charging update is rolling out now.

Ohme and Octopus Energy are rolling out the new 6-hour smart charging update together. Everyone who has the 6-hour smart charging limit in place will have the new ‘Prioritise’ setting available on the Charging screen of the Ohme app — if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s on its way. Make sure you’re on the latest version of the Ohme app (2.18.0 or later) so you’re ready when it’s enabled for you.

Your existing setup will continue to work as normal in the meantime.

Getting set up

Intelligent Octopus Go (IOG) is a smart tariff from Octopus Energy. It gives you cheap electricity for the whole house between 11:30pm and 5:30am, plus up to 6 hours of super cheap smart charging for your EV every 24 hours, issued from midday to midday the next day. Unlike a standard dual-rate tariff with one fixed off-peak window, those 6 hours can be scheduled flexibly across the day, whether inside the 11:30pm–5:30am window, outside it, or a mix of both, whichever suits your charging pattern.

You can connect your Ohme account to Intelligent Octopus Go in the Octopus Energy app. This lets you keep controlling your charging from the Ohme app.

Check out our handy setup guide:

Charging with the Ohme app

Once setup is complete, your Ohme account will show the tariff update automatically, with dynamic charging enabled and the Price cap feature removed. Set your charge target, a “Ready by” time between 4:00am and 11:00am, and your Prioritise preference, then check your charger is online before plugging in. Octopus and Ohme will then build a smart charging schedule aimed at your goal within your chosen priority.

Steps for a successful charge:

1. Set charge target
2. Set “Ready by” time
3. Choose Prioritise savings or Prioritise charge target
4. Check charger is online
5. Plug in
6. Check the session has begun in the Ohme app — the 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.

Max charging

Max charge is a manual override that charges your EV to full as soon as possible, useful for last-minute trips or emergencies. Ohme will also trigger a Max charge automatically if your charger is offline at the time of plugin, so your car still charges even without a connection to the app. All Max charging is billed at peak rates, including between 11:30pm and 5:30am.

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

Estimated costs and Billing

To give you an idea of your charging costs, the Ohme app shows an estimated cost while your charging session is in progress. This estimate is based on the scheduled charging times shown in your smart charging schedule.

For cost estimates, the first six hours of scheduled charging within a 24-hour period are calculated using your off-peak rate. Any additional scheduled charging is estimated using your peak rate. All Max charging is estimated at your peak rate, regardless of when you charge.

The costs shown in the Ohme app are estimates only and may differ from the amount you are actually charged by your energy supplier.

Ohme does not bill you for your electricity. Your electricity bill is issued directly by Octopus Energy. If you have any questions about your bill or the amount you have been charged, please contact Octopus Energy directly.

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 (3A) of excess solar power is detected. Most cars need 1.44 kW (6A) 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.