I get that the idea is to lower usage overall, which is fine.
But I already struggle to pay my bills, and so I’ve already cut down anything and everything I can:
I use the washing machine once every two weeks, after 11pm
I shower once a week, as fast as possible, after 11pm
I’ve turned off the boiler completely
I use the oven once every 2 weeks
I have a single small light I use when it gets dark
I have a single small electric heater, which I use as little as possible
I keep myself warm at night with a warm water bottle and extra sheets, which is much better than heating or even a heated blanket
I don’t have a tumble dryer
Everything is turned off at the socket at all times, except for the fridge, the smart meter, and the doorbell
To make it worse, I work from home, so I’m home a lot. But also, where I live, shops close at 3pm, so if I do go out, it’s before that time - almost ascertaining I’ll be home between 4 & 7. Not always, but usually.
I’d love a £15 discount. I managed to get to 13.9% (out of 13.5%) somehow. But it truly seems impossible, I can’t think of anything else to cut down.
The only other thing I thought of, was to try and use -more- electricity outside of peak hours on purpose, but that seems counter-productive to the whole point? And it’s also risky, because if I then -don’t- meet the challenge, I just wasted money.
Best answer by Abby_OVO
Updated on 06/03/25 by Ben_OVO
Our Power Move peak times have changed to 5pm - 7pm weekdays. If you hit the saving targets you’ll be entered into a prize draw with a chance of winning some great prizes (the top prize is a year’s free energy!). You can learn more and sign up here, and visit our FAQ’s page here.
I hope everyone’s comments have been helpful, there’s a lot to go through - so thank you to everyone for chipping in!
Like many have said, restricting yourself that much is not the aim of Power Move, and you should continue to make use outside of the Power Move timeframe, and simply restrict what you use during that 4-7pm.
I’ve taken this quote directly from the Power Move homepage, “Power Move is about rewarding you for using energy in a way that’s better for the planet. That doesn’t mean using any less energy. Instead, we challenge you to use energy at greener times of the day – in return for credit on your energy bill”.
There’s also some really helpful topics with hints and tips on ways to help meet the target, or the impact of having no other usage can have on ability to meet the target:
This winter, OVO is offering customers even more chances to save - it’s called Power Move Plus. We’re taking part in the Electricity Systems Operator (ESO)’s Demand Flexibility Service to help customers reduce their bills this winter and reduce demand on the grid at peak times.
You can also find out more on our FAQs topic below:
For more energy saving advice, i’d recommend a Google search: ‘[name of local/council area] energy saving advice’. You’ll find that many local councils offer free energy saving tips, links to grants and help with green tech / energy saving kit installation. There are also many organisations and charities that offer this sort of assistance.
Sneaky Firedog. I treat Power Move like a game so I like your thinking. My average has gone up a bit. This month I have been a bit more relaxed so my numbers have raised but remain at 7.94%. This still gives me the ability to play with the numbers as you suggest, I give it a go.
I work weekends generally so I have to do my washing and cleaning during the week. Doesn’t really help me save money. So, count me out of your little experiment. When you come up with a challenge that relates to people living in the real world then email me. Okay?
Sorry you feel the challenges haven’t been worthy so far.
I know others have struggled with all of the different challenge times so far on Power Move, while others have been successful, there are some who it just doesn’t fit with for a number of reasons such as already being low users. We do have lots of topics on similar themes of not hitting target and hints & tips:
If you have further feedback on timings for future challenges this is something we could pass directly to the Power Move team who are always looking at what might work for more customers and what challenges you’d like to see possible.
I managed to get maximum credit each month unitl July and I am barely reaching the lowest rate. Have I changed my habits no, have I bought a higher rating electrical device yes but I don’t use between 6 AND 9, have my bills gone up, yes cos I pay far more for SC than power. Hope the share holders are happy
@Sally123 Yeah same. Had the full £15 or whatever every time. Now July I could see things drifting and I’m currently at 14.2%. No way I’m hitting that £10 target and it’s freeing being out of the game for a month or however long. Sometimes denying yourself fun for £2.50 a week just isn’t gonna fly.
Although I don’t have a fancy graph my own figures show a similar trend to the ones there.
I also thought I might struggle with July's lower targets, and in the first week I was at between 7.5%-8% each day.
A bit of extra effort, extra restraint during peak hours, has brought that down below 7% daily now, and the weekends being included as all off-peak then brings it down below the 6.5%
TBH it hasn’t taken that much extra effort for me, just really making sure that I don’t boil the odd kettle or microwave/air-fry anything at all between 6-9. Which I admit I would occasionally do before and is probably why I was at 8% in that first week.
I've now had the half-way email from OVO saying that I was at 4.83%. It doesn't say what date they calculate that for but I'm assuming it's done for midnight at the end of the 14th. My own spreadsheet says 4.94% for midnight on the 14th, (I’m using 2DP figures not 3DP, so that explains why mine is slightly higher). Currently my spreadsheet is showing 5.36% at midnight of the 18th.
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