WhenToPlugIn

I am disappointed that the app does not appear to include 100% of generation sources. It appears to include Renewables, Nuclear and Hydrocarbons/Gas, but does not attempt to analyse Imported Electricity. The South East of England and London will get much of their power from the six 900MWe PWR units in Gravelines (Dunkerque), France, just across the Channel. Nuclear generated power is transmitted across the Channel in an interconnector. But the total off-peak power sources are a mysterious +/- 60%. So what happened to the other 40%? Like another reviewer, I find it inconvenient to get up in the middle of the night to put on a fast spin, then again to load the tumble drier, when in fact it is likely there is little gas used if any after 10pm and before 6am weekdays. So I just use my common sense, switch on dishwasher and start the washing machine at 10pm and load the tumble drier at 6am.

The concept it solid, and the objectives extremely worthy, but the execution is a little inconvenient. I think the app has lots of cool data, and the developers really wanted us to see it all, but in reality what I really want to know is ‘when should I set the car to charge?’ A widget, showing me when to charge and the current grid status for my area is everything I would need.

I appreciate demand can change unexpectedly but I’m finding planning plug-in problematic. My washing machine has ~2hr cycle and drying the load another 45-60mins after that. I schedule the wash to complete so I can dry within the next advised plug-in window only to find the slot has moved to say 8hrs later while the wash is in progress. It would be helpful if there was a confidence indicator that the slot will remain ‘green’. I’m guessing the late night slots will be more predictable.