Is Amber Electricity a Good Choice?
Amber Electricity advertises that they supply Electricity at Wholesale Prices.
They also say they can PAY YOU very high rates for your excess solar production.
But…
It’s not uncommon for the wholesale price of electricity to go negative during peak solar exporting hours – meaning if you were to export solar to the grid at that time you would be charged per kWh for your exports.
During the dark hours, between sunset and sunrise, you get the Highest Feed in Tariff, much higher than other suppliers.
During peak sun times, you could get charged for sending your excess solar to the grid, while other providers still pay you.
If you are out all day, working etc., and use electrical items in the evening, then Amber is probably not for you.
Amber works best if you use all your solar power during the day, while the sun is generating your power, but have very little usage after the sun begins to set.
At 1pm a 3.5kWh system might only be producing 2.5kWh, bringing the total created for the day to 12kWh by 1pm.
If you haven’t used this solar energy, then instead of being paid for that 12kWh, you might be being charged by Amber for them to take it.
If you have a battery, you can save it for use in the evening.
When I received a quote from Amber, they were honest enough to tell me that I would not be a suitable customer for their plans.
This is what they said:
Amber is probably not a great fit for you. You’ll likely be exporting a lot of solar at the same time as everyone else when there’s already high supply and low demand. It’s at these times that the market value of solar exports is low. In most cases, people with this kind of set-up will be better off under a fixed-rate model.