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Power Move - New challenge information and changes to Power Move

Power Move - New challenge information and changes to Power Move
Chris_OVO
Community Moderator
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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 next challenge starting 1 February 2025, we have a few changes we wanted to let you know about. 

 

Power Move prize draw

While 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 is changing.

 

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.

The first prize draw will take place in March. There is no end date to the Power Move prize draw.

 

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 are 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, peak times will change to 5pm-7pm, Monday - Friday

 

Weekend usage will still be 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 new and updated progress dashboard to track how you’re getting on, and see if you’ve won a prize at the end of the month.

 

Your end of January results will be via email and you'll no longer be able to see January progress in the app

 

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

 

Thanks,

The OVO team
 

*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 11,500 kWh gas and 2,700 kWh 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.

233 replies

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  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 56 replies
  • January 28, 2025

hang on is this in addition too the bill discount or instead of!?  If instead off lots of people won’t bother!


Jasmin10
Carbon Cutter*****
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  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 24 replies
  • January 28, 2025

Ooooh, I feel a few moans and complaints coming on 😣


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  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 24 replies
  • January 28, 2025

I really dislike this change. I liked saving energy at peak time for a guaranteed return. I do not like games of chance such as prize draws. Please go back to the old way as soon as you can. I think this will r dice my motivation for moving power. And will definitely stop me from further investing in technology, such as battery storage, to increase my power move capabilities.

Sorry


Jasmin10
Carbon Cutter*****
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  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 24 replies
  • January 28, 2025

@fancyabrew My interpretation of the email is that it’s instead of, but I may be wrong.


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  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 56 replies
  • January 28, 2025

 😡 utter waste of time of that’s the case!  We meet the highest case every single month and have always one so. 


Firedog
Plan Zero Hero
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  • Plan Zero Hero
  • 2002 replies
  • January 28, 2025

Thanks, ​@Chris_OVO . An interesting twist!

There is one eligibility criterion that’s unclear:
  

To be eligible to join Power Move, you need to:

  • ...
  • have a single rate tariff only (e.g. not Economy 7 or Economy 10)

 

This is my tariff:

There is no mention of Economy 7 or 10, and a single rate. This conforms to the criterion as published. Does this render me eligible? If not, why not?
 


Forum|alt.badge.img
  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 56 replies
  • January 28, 2025
Jasmin10 wrote:

Ooooh, I feel a few moans and complaints coming on 😣

and who can blame us!


  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 95 replies
  • January 28, 2025

Not a good change. Looking at the scale, I'd probably get 3-5 entries. Probably just not going to bother even trying to reduce usage if there's no benefit like money off the bill, and the number of entries will be so low anyway.

I believe OVO get money from somewhere to fund these schemes and they're supposed to benefit as many users as possible? This way the big winners are going to be people who already have things like solar and use very little grid energy and get a lot more entries into the draws than everyone else.

Horrible change, not going to bother I think.


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 10 replies
  • January 28, 2025
fancyabrew wrote:

hang on is this in addition too the bill discount or instead of!?  If instead off lots of people won’t bother!

If you make it to 2% then you will get £10 in addition to the entries.

But I only made it to 3.3% after switching off power to the fridge so it’s tough


Forum|alt.badge.img
  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 56 replies
  • January 28, 2025

where does it say this? 

 

If you make it to 2% then you will get £10 in addition to the entries.


Forum|alt.badge.img
  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 24 replies
  • January 28, 2025
lampuiho wrote:
fancyabrew wrote:

hang on is this in addition too the bill discount or instead of!?  If instead off lots of people won’t bother!

If you make it to 2% then you will get £10 in addition to the entries.

But I only made it to 3.3% after switching off power to the fridge so it’s tough

If that's the case it's more attractive than just a prize draw.


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 10 replies
  • January 28, 2025
fancyabrew wrote:

where does it say this? 

 

If you make it to 2% then you will get £10 in addition to the entries.

https://www.ovoenergy.com/power-move-terms

Unhide 4.
Search “£10 Energy Credit”


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  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 56 replies
  • January 28, 2025
lampuiho wrote:
fancyabrew wrote:

where does it say this? 

 

If you make it to 2% then you will get £10 in addition to the entries.

https://www.ovoenergy.com/power-move-terms

Unhide 4.
Search “£10 Energy Credit”

2% is a VERY high bar!


Forum|alt.badge.img
  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 24 replies
  • January 28, 2025
brichard wrote:

I really dislike this change. I liked saving energy at peak time for a guaranteed return. I do not like games of chance such as prize draws. Please go back to the old way as soon as you can. I think this will r dice my motivation for moving power. And will definitely stop me from further investing in technology, such as battery storage, to increase my power move capabilities.

Sorry

Now I've got my head around this, seen the £10 bill credit for 2% or less peek use and only 2 hours peak time. I think for me it's a reasonable change and the prize draw aspect adds a little spice. But can see a lot of people that could never hit 2% being turned off by this.


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 14 replies
  • January 28, 2025

Wondered why I’d been asked to sign up again on the App - a timely email notification would have been nice rather than needing to search the forum.

Here’s my feedback for what it’s worth -

I’m sure the 5 monthly winners will be delighted- personally along with thousands of others no doubt I’d rather have a pretty certain £12 a month off my bill (which I can control) especially when it’s likely to go up significantly when my fixed rate is up in June… zero thought for those struggling here and simply profiteering in my opinion…. Will likely have a shop around in June.  thanks a lot OVO!!! 


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  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 56 replies
  • January 28, 2025

we have ALWAYS met the highest saving every month of every challenge but I don’t think we’ve ever got to 2%!


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  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 24 replies
  • January 28, 2025
fancyabrew wrote:

we have ALWAYS met the highest saving every month of every challenge but I don’t think we’ve ever got to 2%!

Remember it's only a w hour window not 3.


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  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 24 replies
  • January 28, 2025
brichard wrote:
fancyabrew wrote:

we have ALWAYS met the highest saving every month of every challenge but I don’t think we’ve ever got to 2%!

Remember it's only a w hour window not 3.

2 hour


  • Carbon Cutter****
  • 9 replies
  • January 28, 2025
brichard wrote:
brichard wrote:

I really dislike this change. I liked saving energy at peak time for a guaranteed return. I do not like games of chance such as prize draws. Please go back to the old way as soon as you can. I think this will r dice my motivation for moving power. And will definitely stop me from further investing in technology, such as battery storage, to increase my power move capabilities.

Sorry

Now I've got my head around this, seen the £10 bill credit for 2% or less peek use and only 2 hours peak time. I think for me it's a reasonable change and the prize draw aspect adds a little spice. But can see a lot of people that could never hit 2% being turned off by this.

Very true.  I always meet one of the targets, but nowhere near 2%.  A single person just doesn’t use that much energy, so there’s not much to move about.  I’ve completely lost motivation.


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 96 replies
  • January 28, 2025
fancyabrew wrote:

2% is a VERY high bar!

I agree! Especially if you are not much consuming in general. I don’t think I’m ready to turn off my fridge for two hours each day… And switching off all stand-by devices – it’s too much hassle putting back all settings afterwards. I’m curious, how much of PM participants meet the 2% target?


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 10 replies
  • January 28, 2025
Coldspur Andy wrote:

Wondered why I’d been asked to sign up again on the App - a timely email notification would have been nice rather than needing to search the forum.

I got the email but there is no where for me to sign up on the app. How do I sign up for the next season?


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 13 replies
  • January 28, 2025

Thank you for bringing the change to the Power Move terms to our attention. I see the changes were introduced on 22 January 2025. I for one had not noticed the change. It would be much more customer oriented if we had an official email from OVO to notify us of the change to the T&Cs whenever they change.

Even after reading the terms, I’m still not clear whether we have to “opt in” to the new scheme and if so when can I do that. I lost several days of eligibility in October by not realising I had to “join” PM again!

Whether I’ll bother anyway is a big question - just have to try it and see I suppose - there is no indication whatsoever of what the odds are! They could be nearly zero to “win” anything.


I think heavy users outwith the 4 - 7 hours might manage 2% but hardly anyone else will. When your winter bill (with heating and standing charges) is £85 I am already a low user but did make the effort to shift electricity to later for the incentive of getting money off my bill. I think this actually disincentives people as a game of chance doesn’t give you any control over the outcome. Poor move I think. So if you already do your bit and lower energy use you are being penalised which I also felt with the power move flex. I literally turned off everything and went to bed and got …… 2p. Needless to say I didn’t bother after that and can see this going the same way


fancyabrew wrote:
lampuiho wrote:
fancyabrew wrote:

where does it say this? 

 

If you make it to 2% then you will get £10 in addition to the entries.

https://www.ovoenergy.com/power-move-terms

Unhide 4.
Search “£10 Energy Credit”

2% is a VERY high bar. Yes it is high bar but extremely low if you use a lot of energy out of the 4-7 timeslot and then reduce your consumption. Difficult for most of us who are already energy conscious so turning off the people who already do their bit. Guess who will just consume at peak times now - me. No sitting waiting til later to prepare dinner


  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 18 replies
  • January 28, 2025

I did my sums and its clear that I won’t bothering with the new version of PowerMove. 

I can regularly hit 5-6% use 4-7 pm, but I’m not going to get as far down as 2% use 5-7 pm, so I won’t get the £10 “energy bill credit”, I’ll just be in the draw. But you only have to do a few simple calculations to show that it’s just not worth bothering. Anyone who owns Premium Bonds and understands those prize draws will also understand how the odds work.

Ovo probably has in the region of 2,000,000 electricity customers. If anyone knows the actual number, it would be good to know.

You can only win one prize per month.

Lets say you I the effort and hit 4% usage in peak hours 5-7 pm. I get 12 entries.

Suppose half the OVO customers sign up (1,000,000) and they each get 5 entries on average, so there would be 5,000,000 entries in total.

There are about 18000 prizes available in total (£2000, £50, £2), so my chances of winning a prize in each month are about 12 * (18000/5000000) = 4.3% each month.

 

Years free energy. £2000. 5 prizes available out of 18000. My chances of winning are 0.043 * 5/18000 = 0.000012. My average monthly win value =  0.000012 * £2000 = £0.024

 

£50 prize. 125 prizes available out of 18000. My chances of winning are 0.043 * 125/18000 = 0.0003. My average monthly win value =  0.00025 * £125 = £0.038

 

£2 prize. 17,900 prizes available out of 18000. My chances of winning are 0.043 * 17900/18000 = 0.043. My average monthly win value =  0.043 * £2 = £0.086

 

So instead of me getting a reliable credit of £10-£12 a month for my efforts, I’ll get, on average between 2p and 9p per month reward.

 

Who would bother?


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