Before each Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) event, Loop Optimise runs a few checks to see if it’s worth it for you to participate based on how much money you might save.
What is a DFS Event?
The National Grid's Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) rewards users for lowering their usual electricity use during certain times. To figure out if you’ve reduced your usage, a "baseline" is set based on your typical energy consumption. If you have a battery, you can earn even more by sending stored energy back to the Grid during these events.
How Loop Optimise Works
Loop Optimise helps you make the most of your time-of-use tariff and battery. It stores energy when import prices are low, uses it when import prices are high, or discharges to the grid when export prices are high, all of which maximises your savings..
Peak Times and Baseline
DFS events usually happen during peak (expensive) hours. Depending on your tariff, Loop Optimise may already be prioritising exporting energy during these times to save you money daily. Because of this, your baseline may often be quite low during peak hours, which can make it harder to reduce your usage even further during DFS events.
But that’s actually good news! It means Loop Optimise is already saving you money every day.
Example Scenario with Sally
- Sally has a battery and uses the Octopus Flux tariff, which is cheap from 2am-5am and expensive from 4pm-7pm.
- Every day, Loop Optimise helps Sally export as much energy as possible during the peak period (4pm-7pm) to earn the most money.
- If a DFS event is scheduled from 5pm-6pm, Sally’s baseline is already low because she’s exporting energy at full capacity. In this case, Loop Optimise might decide it’s not worth participating because she can’t reduce her energy use further.
- If a DFS event happens from 7pm-8pm, when Sally isn’t usually exporting, her baseline is higher. Loop Optimise could shift her export to this time, allowing her to earn more, and she would be included in the event.
In short, Loop Optimise is constantly working to get you the best savings, whether during a DFS event or in your daily energy use.