“Alexa, are you able to do my washing when it’s least expensive?”
Octopus Power’s first Hack Day makes this a actuality
In February this yr, Octopus Power launched Agile Octopus, the primary ever vitality tariff designed to utilise the facility of the sensible meter roll out by monitoring wholesale worth modifications each half an hour, and even paying you to make use of vitality when wholesale costs fall under zero.
We wished to allow different tech innovators within the vitality sector entry to this unbelievable information, and so we not solely cracked open our Agile Octopus API for public growth, but additionally, on twenty fourth Could, hosted over 100 engineers, builders and designers from 22 corporations at London’s iconic Millbank Tower for Octopus Power’s very first Hack Day.
Groups from the likes of Tesla, Toshiba and Nationwide Grid had been let free with Octopus Power’s Agile API, unleashing their innovation and ingenuity to hack services utilizing the subsequent technology of sensible vitality know-how.
Every crew kicked issues off by figuring out an issue within the business — “how can we use current sensible dwelling tech to make vitality payments cheaper?”. The remainder of the day was spent making a tough and prepared software program answer….we noticed unbelievable innovation from electrical automobile charging to heating properties and a number of the groups shared what they did…
Power Methods Catapult / Daikin / PassivSystems
A 3-way dream crew of the government-backed Power Methods Catapult, Daikin, and PassivSystems, designed a gas switching know-how for warmth pumps utilizing the Agile Octopus open API. These of us took dwelling the Hack Day prize for Largest Impression, providing an answer that pioneered probably the most reasonably priced method of heating social housing, with costs to match, and even beat, fuel heating.
Ecopush
Begin-up enterprise, Ecopush, had been named the Most Technically Attention-grabbing of the day, with their Amazon Alexa-based answer. This super-smart hack allowed clients to say “Alexa, activate my tumble dryer when it’s least expensive/greenest/proper now”. Additionally they got here up with a easy robotic button which might flip any dwelling equipment into a wise system for little or no price.
Nationwide Grid Ventures
Nationwide Grid Ventures targeted on an actual world answer, by translating the Agile Octopus API into a simple programming language known as Node-RED, in order that non-coders may simply mess around and profit from this new know-how.
Myenergi
Myenergi created an app that linked its proprietary know-how with Agile Octopus, to permit clients to cost their electrical automobile (or any family equipment, exemplified by a swiftly procured kettle) both from the grid or from microgen, relying on the worth on the time.
Power World’s article will get into the bizarre creations of the day.
(Spoiler: it consists of an vitality savvy Roomba who zoomed round haranguing our CEO concerning the least expensive time to energy up, and a final minute Octopus crew mission to purchase a tumble dryer and transport it throughout London)
We had been even fortunate sufficient to be recognised by Power Minister, Claire Perry, who mentioned:
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“I’m delighted that the Agile Octopus HackDay introduced sensible developer groups collectively to discover and showcase progressive purposes for smarter vitality use.
We’ve spent lots of time speaking concerning the large potential of sensible meters to remodel the best way we use vitality in our properties, saving cash and handing management again to households. The concepts delivered to life on the HackDay, made doable by Octopus’ progressive time of use tariff, carry to life the extraordinary potential of the sensible meter roll out to attach throughout electrical automobiles, sensible home equipment and smarter properties merchandise to ship actual financial savings to clients hand in hand with improved consolation and comfort.”
The Hack Day was successful, and we’re already planning our subsequent one. Watch this area — there’s far more innovation to come back. And you’ll be a part of it, whether or not you’re hacking alongside us or making use of a number of the ensuing sensible tech to chop your vitality payments down and increase renewables on the grid.
