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Power Move - new challenge information and changes to Power Move

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
January 28, 2025
238 replies
7839 views

Updated on 14/07/26 by Abby_OVO

Hi everyone,

In 2024, OVO customers saved over £1.6 million by shifting their energy and making greener choices with Power Move.

Ahead of the challenge starting 1 February 2025, we introduced a few changes.

Power Move prize draw

Whilst Power Move will always be about helping you save money on your energy bills and reducing demand on the energy grid, the way it works has changed.

Each month, if you use 15% or less of your total electricity during peak times you’ll now earn entries into a monthly prize draw. The number of entries depends on how much electricity you use during peak times. The lower your home’s peak time energy use, the more entries you’ll earn.

How we calculate your number of entries

If you have a peak time electricity usage of 15% or less at the end of the month, you’ll earn entries for the prize draw.

The amount of entries earned will correspond with your end-of-month peak time electricity use percentage as follows:

0 to 1% = 15 entries
1.01 to 2% = 14 entries
2.01 to 3% = 13 entries
3.01 to 4% = 12 entries
4.01 to 5% = 11 entries
5.01 to 6% = 10 entries
6.01 to 7% = 9 entries
7.01 to 8% = 8 entries
8.01 to 9% = 7 entries
9.01 to 10% = 6 entries
10.01 to 11% = 5 entries
11.01 to 12% = 4 entries
12.01 to 13% = 3 entries
13.01 to 14% = 2 entries
14.01% to 15% = 1 entry
15.01% or above = 0 entries

After each month ends, the number of entries you’ve earned will be automatically entered into a prize draw, along with all the entries of other customers who’ve earned entries in that month.

The prizes

A minimum of 5 customers each month will win up to a year’s worth of free energy*, with a range of other bill credit prizes also available to win. There’ll be a minimum of 10,000 prizes available every month.

You can see what prizes are being offered in the Power Move section of your OVO app and on ovoenergy.com/power-move at the beginning of each new month.

If you’re a winner you’ll be notified in the Power Move section of the app. Customers can win one prize per month.

Changes to peak times

We've heard your feedback that it can feel difficult to shift your home’s energy use during the current window of 4-7pm. From 1 February 2025, peak times changed to 5pm-7pm, Monday - Friday.

Weekend usage is still counted as off-peak.

Updates via the OVO app

You'll be able to see your progress through the app. When the new challenge is live, sign in to your account and select 'Power Move' on the home screen.

Here, you’ll have a progress dashboard to track how you’re getting on, and see if you’ve won a prize at the end of the month.

For more information, visit ovoenergy.com/power-move, our Power Move FAQs and Power Move terms and conditions.

*A year’s free energy is set at a maximum bill credit of £2,000. A year’s free energy is calculated in line with Ofgem’s average Energy Price Cap for January-March 2025 for customers paying by Direct Debit, which is worked out based on a 2-3 bedroom house, with 2 to 3 occupants using the average domestic usage in electricity per year. Credit may not equal one year’s free energy if you are a higher than average user or if the price cap were to increase beyond current forecasts. We’ll pay it as energy bill credit in 12 monthly instalments. For example, if you win a year's free energy in January, the credit would be applied to your bill in February and each following month up to the last payment in January the following year.

Show previous replies

C

costeek

Rank 2

...this year [OVO is] not the only of the Big Six energy suppliers who doesn’t participate in DFS. DFS was introduced when we had an energy crisis. On that time the possibility of blackouts was hight. It’s not like that these days.

OVO’s Power Move Flex is very active, part of the CrowdFlex trial under NESO’s DFS.

If you look at my reply to @GrumpyTrucker yesterday, you’ll see a NESO warning from a couple of weeks ago about a predicted excess of demand over supply starting at 16:30 that day. It’s certainly still ‘like that these days’.

Ok. I’m losing the point in our conversation. As per 4th December 2024, according to NESO, OVO is not taking part in DFS this year [link here]. According the same source we can see that another three Big Six’s energy suppliers are not in too. At least two of them continue their energy shifting initiative as apparently it was. One year and two years ago more of the Big Six’s suppliers were involved.
Also, if we would have the same demand as in 2022, we would have energy price the same high, wouldn’t we? I understand, we still have some demands, but they are not that bad as we experienced some years ago.

I feel we went far away from the main topic.

Blastoise186

Super User

People don’t want a lottery, that’s the main message. People are not interested in playing games. They want to collaborate in achieving an actual goal. An abstract idea doesn’t work for that.

Also, it’s all sounds like it’s hard for OVO to carry on, so let’s understand and support them. From the information I can find online, OVO’s revenues are growing. In other words, they do a successful business. Also, this year it’s not the only of the Big Six energy suppliers who doesn’t participate in DFS. Do the other ones makes the same changes? It’s if we want to compare, but I would focus on this company as we are this company’s customers.

One more thing. DFS was introduced when we had an energy crisis. On that time the possibility of blackouts was hight. It’s not like that these days.

Actually, I’ve had messages from some folks who say they do want a lottery and are cool with the changes - they just didn’t want to say so publicly and wish to remain anonymous for fear of getting blasted over it. I offered to post on their behalf to shield their names in this thread.

Additionally… Is it really appropriate to go blowing tons of money on paying out £15 a month to every Power Move player when the same money could instead be spent on helping those who are vulnerable? It’s not as easy a balance as you might assume.

Bad idea. Much prefer real account credits rather than fantasy “prizes”. Disappointed in Ovo.

This really isn’t a fantasy thing - to do so would be highly illegal. OVO is bound by UK Law to deliver on any prizes that are won in full compliance with the prize draw rules. That’s the biggest difference from Power Move V1 to Power Move V2 - it becomes even more legally binding to have OVO cough up if you win.

You have to consider it from both angles! Either way, if these changes didn’t happen then eventually someone high up at OVO would have pulled the plug and killed the scheme.

What would you rather have? A small chance to get something or a 100% chance of getting nothing?

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!

C

costeek

Rank 2

Let’s do not involve vulnerable people. Nobody said OVO shouldn’t support them. It’s completely different topic. And why “instead”? It’s the false dilemma.
Also, I don’t remember saying that nobody wants the changes. The point is that we, some commenters in this forum, don’t like these changes, and explaining why. And it’s ok that some people disagree with our points. There is no need to fear.
Something or nothing? Again, the false dilemma. I’m sure there are more than two possible outcomes. For me personally this “something” equals to nothing. I can see, I’m not alone in this.

Blastoise186

Super User

I referenced vulnerable customers as an example because I am one myself due to Autism. Supporting those who are vulnerable takes priority over stuff like Power Move so my point is that if PM is gobbling up all the cash, it puts other more critical stuff at risk of being starved. I raise this purely for context, nothing more.

You’re welcome to say that you don’t like the changes - we have no problem with that - but it’s worth bearing in mind that a LOT of those who like these changes might not post here to say so. To that effect, I act as their voice to help balance things out a bit and make for a more balanced discussion.

Monitoring of OVO’s other public/social channels suggests very few (if any) complaints have been shared on social media about these changes.

As for the outcomes? I’m afraid there are/were only two outcomes. Either leave PM V1 running and get it killed for being too much of an unscalable financial drain, or make changes to balance it out and make it more scalable as well as financially viable. Naturally, the PM team chose the latter.

I know what I’d rather pick...

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!

J

john23

Newcomer

Let’s do not involve vulnerable people. Nobody said OVO shouldn’t support them. It’s completely different topic. And why “instead”? It’s the false dilemma.
Also, I don’t remember saying that nobody wants the changes. The point is that we, some commenters in this forum, don’t like these changes, and explaining why. And it’s ok that some people disagree with our points. There is no need to fear.
Something or nothing? Again, the false dilemma. I’m sure there are more than two possible outcomes. For me personally this “something” equals to nothing. I can see, I’m not alone in this.

I agree the previous system provided a concrete reward. I would much prefer the previous system.

There is a real reward for ovo if demand is moved to away from peak demand. eg today at

15:30 settlement period 32 £84 MwH

17:30 settlement period 36 £154 MwH

Power move is not a loss leader

Blastoise186

Super User

Live Market Rate != What OVO Paid. It’s far more complicated than that.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!

J

john23

Newcomer

The price I have quoted are today prices.

source Elexon System Buy / Sell Prices

Blastoise186

Super User

True… But that doesn’t mean OVO paid them because they might have private deals with different rates. And a supplier would be incredibly foolish to rely purely on the live market without at least some level of hedging in place.

But that’s neither here nor there for this discussion...

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!

A

ajr

Rank 4

Actually, I’ve had messages from some folks who say they do want a lottery and are cool with the changes - they just didn’t want to say so publicly and wish to remain anonymous for fear of getting blasted over it

The people who “prefer a lottery” clearly haven’t actually worked out what the odds are and don’t realise that their average probable reward for power moving will drop from £10-15 a month to less than 10p on average. They’re being conned by the apparent illusion that they stand a fair chance of winning £2000 or £125, which they don’t. Do the sums. (See the bottom of page 1 of this thread).

OVO make money out of us power moving, a huge amount of money, due to the differences of the cost of wholesale electricity at different times of the day. They’re just deciding that they’re no longer going to allow us to get any reward for helping them save money. Fine, if that is OVO’s new way, then I don’t power move any more, I have my oven on at peak time and get my dinner at a normal time again.

J

john23

Newcomer

The Electricity market operates on 48 buy and sell periods over 24 Hours. I

for the purposes of trading and settlement electricity is considered to be generated, transported, delivered and used in half hour chunks called Settlement Periods.

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