is it worth doing Power move flex

I guess the large number of people receiving even small rebates adds up to quite a sum for OVO, but I would say that, personally, it isn’t worth the effort. Firstly, the performance of my Smart Meter is hopeless and, secondly, the amount of notice given for power-ups is way too little.

I receive power move emails the day before. That's enough time to schedule a usage plan I think.

I don't make a big deal of it but plan a washing machine or dishwasher cycle around the times for a power up.

Personally I don't bother with power downs but opt in anyway. 

Looking at my last two power move emails (Aug 29th & 30th), I was given less than 3 hours notice in both cases.

With Power Move its a case of save a little and it all adds up. My personal experience is on each ocassion you do not earn a lot particularly at this time of year when overall there is less power usage to shift. However, over time Power Move does give you some advantage and as the cooler months come along the savings for many are likely to be greater. Keep preserving!

You’re only rewarded for “every unit shifted above or below your usual.” It looks like your baseline for the first hour was (1.47 - 0.93 =) 0.54kWh and for the second (1.65 - 0.96 =)  0.69kWh. You’re probably still making a profit unless you’re on a particularly unfavourable tariff.

Just happened again today, under three hours notice….and at 09:07 when I was already at work.

Hey ​@norstar711,

The short notice for the Power Move Flex trial is intentional, as we’re testing different reward methods to understand how short or long participants need to successfully participate in the trial by shifting their electricity usage to off-peak times. Your feedback is really helpful 😊

Check out this similar topic:
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I asked a few days ago why my smart meter says I have used almost 2kw of electriciy on power up days, yet I am only being paid for less than 1kw!  in fact I am spending more money than receiving!

One reply stated they got notification e-mails the day before for power up times,, but I believe most of us have a maximum of 2 hours, which does not give us enough notice to change our possible washing machine times, etc.  The day before would be really helpful.  Does anyone else get theirs the day before, and if so, why?

I get exactly 5 hours for each event.  Different groups get different notice periods - it is all part of the trial.

I get a few minutes under three hours notice….completely useless.

I get 2 hours notice for power up/down events which is very inconvenient 

I get emails like tonight for tomorrow event. but l be working so no good to me so l miss out the only time l opt in is if l am not working. can do the event then. as they say it is only a trial.

I usually get about 2 hours notice of each event. Yes, sometimes this is not enough to move energy usage but as already mentioned this is part of the trial. For me sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. There is however nothing to lose and only gains to be made by the small savings earnt.

I always receive a txt and email asking me to “opt in” the day before. Never had an advice on the actual day.

Be better to be advised for the whole week at least and no no need to “opt in” every time.

Hey ​@Nash98,

I’ve combined your new thread with the previous one since it continues the same conversation, making it easier to follow in one place!​

I’d love to share my thoughts on this! Personally, I find myself more inclined to jump on last-minute events rather than those planned out a week in advance. When I get a notification about a free period, I like to take advantage of it by loading up the dishwasher and washing machine to make the most of the free power. It’s great that many modern appliances come with built-in timers, so I can easily set them to start when the event kicks off!

I totally understand that some folks prefer a longer planning window, and I just wanted to add my two pence. 

Thanks to everyone who is joining the trial and sharing your feedback!

Really valuable feedback everyone, I just wanted to add that the team are able to see all of this & it will help to inform decisions made in future 😊

Here I am again, completely baffled!  Last week  I did power up on 2 occasions. The first I recorded  0.628 kw but I was only credited for 0.11kw.  on the second day I recorded 1.16kw but was only credited with .56kw.. I presume OVO just pick a number and give it to you regardless of what you used!  With a small addition of power down, which is not that easy, I got the grand sum of 24p!  Is it really worth all the hassle? I think not!

Hi ​@Nash98  - i get why you are questioning it.  I question it too sometimes  - because in my experience it does take effort, sometimes quite a lot, to take part for a small amount of reward.   

As much as I am taking part in the hope of reducing my energy bill by ANY amount, I also like being part of a trial, part of a data set that is going to hopefully teach energy companies something useful that ultimately may benefit us all. I also like to think (rightly or wrongly) that I could be helping to make a difference.  

Think it’s really worth you asking OVO about the differences you see in your figures - if somethings not working right, they need to know - and if your figures are right you need get some more pennies! :) 

You’re only rewarded for “every unit shifted above or below your usual.” It looks like your baseline for the first hour was (0.628 - 0.110 =) 0.518kWh and for the second (1.160 - 0.560 =)  0.600kWh. You’re probably still making a profit unless you’re on a particularly unfavourable tariff. 

Hey ​all, 

The Power Move Flex trial is part of Crowdflex. The main objectives are to increase demand when there is excess energy on the grid and to reduce demand during times when energy reserves need to be increased. To encourage participation, a financial reward was introduced as an incentive for individuals to get involved. The ultimate goal is to create a more balanced energy grid that can adjust and respond to the needs of the population. Additionally, there is a very informative mid-project update video that provides further details on the progress being made and how customers like you are supporting this initiative.

The feedback the team receive from our users on the Forum goes directly to identifying what works and what doesn’t, and is fed back into the wider project.