Struggling to achieve Power Move target!

Hi we achieved our target since we started power move we are at home most days so use most of our appliances outside the peak time ie Monday am washer runs about 2 loads into tumble dryer if required cook late lunch either oven ,halogen cooker gas hob ,microwave dishwasher also run in this time period .During peak time 4-7pm use only background power tv,fridge/freezer etc .If weather forecast good for next day may put the washing machine on after 7 pm to hang the washing out first thing 

we aim to follow this plan Monday -Friday and it works for us 

Also stopped using electric kettle using gas hob with old fashioned whistling kettle !
Trying to do our bit for the environment.

The same with me we don’t use washer dishwasher we don’t have a tumble dryer the only item we use to heat is the kettle and may be once a week the toaster.I 

don’t think I will never hit the target.Nice option but unachievable.

People tend to focus on what they can turn off between 4 and 7pm but there is another tactic. It may not be what Ovo want (and could be seen as gaming the system) but, if you can shift heavy usage (e.g. washing machine, oven, dishwasher, tumble dryer, ironing) from the weekend to a weekday (obviously not between 4 and 7pm) then your %age will be lower and you may hit your target.

I charge an EV so make sure to charge midnight to 4pm and 7pm to midnight on weekdays. That works a treat!

That last line is precisely the strategy you need to use! Well put.

If you don’t have a really heavy load you can put on outside the peak during a weekday then it is going to be a struggle to meet the target. My EV has used 64% of my total electric load so far this year so owning one is a massive advantage once you have cracked the strategy.

You may think this is unfair but the rules are not set by Ovo, they are set by the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS - link below) and in very simple terms it is saying - Whatever loads you have don’t put these on the grid during peak hours on a weekday. Choose another time to do this and we can generally avoid having to ask operators of high carbon / high cost power stations (e.g. coal) from either generating on line or having them on standby and we will compensate you.

https://www.nationalgrideso.com/industry-information/balancing-services/demand-flexibility-service-dfs

Peter

I find it impossible to achieve the targets now it is winter. As a single person household where I am really frugal with the power anyway - i do my washing early to use economy 7 rate and every non-residential appliance is off when not in use - so my normal usage is low. 4pm is when it is necessary to have lighting on, but only the room I'm in and I can't cope with having my main meal till well after 7pm as it is too late and I need something hot in the this weather. So short of sitting in the cold by candle light for 3 hours and eating cold food, I can't cut down any more. How do I exit this system?

We too have moved heavy usage from the weekend to weekdays during the day. Laundry and dishwashing is done on weekdays now and I try not to vaccum or use hairdryer unless it is a week day. I think our biggest ‘saving’ is by not watching the television or cooking between 4-7pm. We only use a room with low energy light bulbs rather than the kitchen which has halogen lights. If I need to use the kitchen in those hours I use a previously charged torch that lights the whole room. We boil the kettle and fill a flask just prior to 4pm so we can have drinks. We eat either before 4pm or after 7pm having prepared as much as we can before hand. For November we managed 6.74% so we are really pleased and has inspired us to continue. I will often go out for a walk at 4pm which gives me exercise and stops me using appliances. When I get back I have a hot drink and either read a book or watch TV episodes on my previously charged laptop … it’s actually improving my quality of life by making me take some ‘me time’.

One of the things I do as a single person is to cook something with 3 or 4 portions for my evening meals outside of peak hours on Monday and Thursday. Then all I have to do at 5 o’clock is microwave something for a few minutes to have a hot evening meal. 
 

I also make sure my laptop and phone are fully charged before 4 o’clock (so I can turn the TV etc off at the wall), and I boil the kettle just before 4, so then I just spend a few hours watching YouTube or reading, with my only electricity draw being an energy saving lightbulb, a plate in the microwave, and the background fridge freezer/router. 
 

Combined with using the washing machine and dishwasher on weekday mornings, I’ve averaged under 10% every challenge so far. 

Hit it every month, this month's we used 7.47% during peak times. We have an EV and the wife does lots of miles a week it's never charged at peak time and it's by far our biggest consumer of electric. That said we don't generally do too much at peak time as I'm not home from work to nearly 6 and all washing and drying is done at the weekend and dishwasher run outside of peak

I don’t understand how I failed to meet the required target through November, I would like detailed ½ hourly usage readings because

1 between 4-7pm every day i switched off EVERYTHING with the exception of fridge/freezer, and a tv on standby. All washing, drying, dishwasher and heating have been outside these times.

2 my in home monitor was showing that it was the lowest usage during these times also.

i feel that either its being fudged by ovo so as not to pay out and/or there’s something wrong or inconsistent with the way they take the readings.