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Struggling to achieve Power Move target!


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  • 0 replies
  • December 3, 2023
Tasa wrote:

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’.

Well done @Tasa

You are doing great but it seems unlikely that using lights or the tv makes much difference but 6.74% is very impressive! 


TonyC
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  • December 3, 2023

I’m not even bothering with Power Move any more. Last year, as an experiment, I sat in the dark not wathing TV on those days when I was set a target and managed to save about £20 in total. This year I’m told if I hit my target I’ll get £15 off my £150 a month electric bill (gas was £120 last month, November). Not worth the bother.

I live in a 3 bed semi and am home all day. My background electricity usage (day and night) according to my smart meter display, is about 10p an hour. That’s for my CCTV (11 cameras) and other stuff like routers, PC, laptop a server and switches etc. As I type this on a cold winters evening (gas heating) with lights and TV and Christmas lights on, my electricity is about 24p an hour. How does that compare to other people?

BTW, I use the Bright Ap  on my phone from Hildebrand Technology to see my smartmeter information. Far superior to the little display unit they give you with smartmeter and its free, no adverts.

Tony


Firedog
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  • December 3, 2023
Tricia wrote:

I  first noticed the half hourly overnight usage from fridge and fridge/ freezer being lower when everything else was switched off. 

 

One good guide to ‘essential usage’ is what you’re using in the darkest hours of the night. Assuming that you’re routinely switching everything off at the wall before bed, usage between, say, 02:00 and 05:00 should be your benchmark for what to aim for in the afternoon peak period. If you’re using a lot more in the afternoon period, you might want to find out what it is that’s gobbling your electricity. 


  • Carbon Cutter****
  • 24 replies
  • December 4, 2023

For those of you who said you need to sit in the dark, you might misunderstand the concept of a power move. All you have to do is reduce high power usage within that 3-hour time slot. You can still enjoy your TV, turn on the lights, and operate your gas heater, etc. You can even use high-power devices like the hair dryer (for a few minutes, it's perfectly fine) or the washing machine (not the tumble dryer). 


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  • Carbon Cutter*
  • 3 replies
  • December 4, 2023

This power move is so easy to achieve. We have hardly ever had lights on in the house anyway other than switching on to go in a room for something and switching off again after we've left..We turned the TV off when not in the room watching and always do the cleaning, cooking and washing etc out of the peak periods  it's so easy, and we also have completed our power move every month since its inception. 


  • Carbon Cutter****
  • 24 replies
  • December 4, 2023

Lights (assuming they are all LED; if not, you should swap them out for replacements) and TVs (not plasma TVs) have very low power consumption, so you can turn them on as usual even within the 3-hour slot.


TonyC
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  • December 4, 2023

I use one of these to check the power use of various items, really useful.

 


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If you're cooking, washing and using power hungry devices during the weekdays but  outside of those hours it should not be a problem. There should be no need to switch off lights or TV unless they're all particularly power hungry. 

As for saving 10% off the bill that sounds good to me. 


Peter E
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  • December 4, 2023

To be honest all of the answers have been posted before on similar questions. I'm not sure what @Sleepysusie is trying to achieve by posting again although the answers get another airing which is not a bad thing. You can't please all of the people all of the time.


Nukecad
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  • December 4, 2023
Mike K wrote:

 Although I've seen it claimed that the frequency of meter readings can be adjusted online, I've never been able to locate any such facility via my desktop PC. Maybe it's only available via the smartphone app. It would seem sensible for such a facility to be available on all platforms.

This is a bit of a mystery which is currently being investigated at OVO.

I changed it to half-hourly on my account (Firefox browser on my laptop, not the app) when I first joined Power Move at the end of October, others report that they have changed it online too.

But it seems that the option isn’t always there, or isn’t always visible for some people.
(I can’t find it anymore now in my account).
Nobody appears to know just why it’s behaving like that.

EDIT- Click this for one explanation of what can cause it and how to fix it:
 

 


  • Carbon Cutter*
  • 3 replies
  • December 4, 2023

Just had another email saying unfortunately you didn’t meet your target between 4:30pm to 6 pm on Friday 1st December how could I us less energy I was out all day till 7 pm come on OVO just cut your prices and stop giving customers unreachable targets 


waltyboy
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  • December 4, 2023

It does seem to be a bit of a moveable jobby, this updating to half-hourly button.
 

At the moment it is visible after a bit of a search (via Safari browser, I haven’t checked on the OVO app): my online OVO account has the half-hourly button visible via the “path to zero” link from the home page, then by clicking on the “discover Power Move” and then finally the “Update to half-hourly” button. I didn’t try clicking it, though.


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 9 replies
  • December 4, 2023

@Nukecad & @waltyboy

Thanks both for your replies trying to elucidate the mystery of the seemingly moveable "update to half-hourly meter reading" button. This just gets curiouser and curiouser!

Routinely I use Firefox browser on a desktop PC for all of my online stuff with MS Edge as a reserve option. I do not have the app. I've just checked my Ovo account using  both Firefox and MS Edge. On the homepage menu in neither browser do I find a "Path to Zero" link though I do recall it being there previously. It's weird that it's available to some but not to others.

I'm not going to concern myself any further with the issue.


waltyboy
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  • December 4, 2023

Thank you @Mike K …and as @Nukecad mentioned earlier, it is a mystery that is getting investigated by OVO.  Clarity will come soon, I’m sure!!

 

Best of luck to you…


  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 15 replies
  • December 4, 2023

I’m not trying to achieve anything, I just don’t agree with this stupid way of cutting off my appliances, I’m 65 and I am Not Retired, unable to. My home has Dimplex Quantum storage heating fitted by my local council and far too expensive to run. No gas as they ripped it out. I have two  electric panel heaters which are more controllable, and a fan heater. Still £12 to £14 per day now the weather is colder. I’m ok, just… but I really feel for those on a very limited income. Saving pennies with this farcical scheme is an insult.


  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 15 replies
  • December 4, 2023

Also, though I actually got an email telling me I’d been credited £15 in September and sitting in the dark for an hour the other week credited £2.00, nowhere on my OVO account do I see these credits. 


juliamc
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  • December 4, 2023

It’s not a scheme to save money, it’s a scheme to help lower the carbon emission of electricity generation.


Emmanuelle_OVO
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  • 2562 replies
  • December 5, 2023

Hey @Amanda Jones,

 

If you’re referring to Power Move Plus, the following information should help explain:

 

Amanda Jones wrote:

I was out of the country for two weeks so all that was on was fridge freezer didn’t achieve my target! *edited by moderator*

 

How do you calculate my personal target?

 

We calculate your personal target using ESO’s methodology. For more information see DFS Participation Guidance Document

For working days – Your personal target is calculated using the half hourly electricity usage data taken from your smart meter over the last 10 working days (Mon - Fri excluding bank holidays) before an event. Days where there’s been a Power Move Plus event will not count towards the target. You must have at least 5 working days worth of data for a target to be calculated.

For non-working days (Saturday, Sunday & bank holidays) – Your personal target is calculated using the half hourly electricity usage data taken from your smart meter over the last 4 non-working days. Days where there’s been a Power Move Plus event will not count towards the target. You must have at least 4 non-working days worth of data for a target to be calculated.

This means, as your usage changes over the course of winter, so does your personal target.

 

Hey @Syd,

 

You can find out more by heading over to our FAQ page this will explain in detail, what the scheme is and how it benefits the environment,

 

Is Power Move Plus part of the ESO's Demand Flexibility Service (DFS)?

 

The Electricity Systems Operator (ESO) is currently running a Demand Flexibility Service (DFS). This is in collaboration with energy suppliers to help customers reduce their bills this winter and reduce demand on the grid at peak times.

Power Move Plus encompasses the ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service with notifications you’ll receive being triggered by ESO. 

For more information on the ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service and how it links with Power Move Plus please see here.

 

Why is it better for the environment to not use electricity during peak times?

 

Generating renewable energy releases less carbon into the atmosphere than burning fossil fuels. But did you know that, even though you’re on a greener energy plan, more or less carbon is released depending on what time you use the energy?

Here’s how:

When it’s windy or sunny, renewable power is pumped into the energy grid and used in homes across the UK. But if we need more energy than the wind or sun can supply, we have to top up with fossil fuel power.

At times, lots of energy is being used by a lot of people at the same time. During those peak times or days, it's more likely we'll need to top up the system with fossil fuel energy, and it’s expensive to turn on fossil fuel generators. So it’s kinder to the planet to shift our non-essential energy use away from times of high demand, even if we’re on a green energy plan. This helps the country avoid having to top up with fossil fuels.

 


Nukecad
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  • December 5, 2023
Mike K wrote:

 

 I've just checked my Ovo account using  both Firefox and MS Edge. On the homepage menu in neither browser do I find a "Path to Zero" link though I do recall it being there previously. It's weird that it's available to some but not to others.

I’ve done a bit of testing and believe I’ve found why that’s happening.

It gets technical but that is to do with how those particular sections of the website are coded.
Modern browsers such as Edge Chromium and Firefox see that type of coding as a privacy/security risk and so block it.

Firefox does now usually block “Path to Zero” by default. (they tightened the protections a couple of versions ago)
To stop Firefox doing that you can go into Firefox Settings>Privacy & Security>Manage exceptions and make the OVO account Homepage an Exception to the blocking.
You may/will also have to do similar in any adblocking and anti-tracking extensions you may be running and make it an exception in those too.

Edge doesn’t usually block “Path to Zero” by default. (Yet).
If you are not seeing “Path to Zero” in Edge then it wil probably be because you have Tracking Protection set to ‘Strict’ - that will then block it just as Firefox does.
If you want to leave it at ‘Strict’ then go into the Edge Settings>Privacy etc.> Exceptions and make the OVO account Homepage an Exception to the blocking.
Alternatively just change the Tracking Protection from ‘Strict’ to’ Balanced’.
Again you may/will also have to do similar in any adblocking and anti-tracking extensions you may be running and make the OVO account Home page an exception in those too.

PS. I’m not sure about the settings in Google Chrome itself, but suspect that they will be the same as with Edge.
(I don’t have Chrome on my machines so can’t test it).


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 9 replies
  • December 5, 2023

@Nukecad

Thank you for your comprehensive explanation. In my view you've gone way above and beyond what I could have reasonably anticipated.

I have had the Ghostery extension installed for some years now for ad blocking and tracking protection. I think that I've understood how to implement your proposed remedy but will not be doing so simply because the original problem is not one that I have. I only joined this thread in an attempt to assist another poster. Nonetheless, you have my gratitude.


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 10 replies
  • December 13, 2023
2versus1 wrote:
pauly113 wrote:
Sleepysusie wrote:

I find this Power Move Challenge laughable and I’m no longer bothering with it. Look at what’s going on around the world, China and USA burning coal like there’s no tomorrow. Wars raging….polluting everything, yet I’m expected to sit in the dark, not cook during the 3 hours or use heating etc to save pennies? I find it hilarious that people are watching their smart meters like hawks, drawing up graphs and spreadsheets. I’m 65 and I’m certainly not depriving myself for what amounts to nothing. 

Yes its laughable. 24p for sitting in the dark for an hour. You are so right

The monthly target is also so low, as to be unattainable unless you close down the house and go on holiday for a month. Should be a realistic 20pc

Closing down your house and going on holiday won't help you achieve the target as you need to use more electricity out of the 3hr slot to reach the target. The challenge is not about reducing your usage but moving it away from peak times.

What would incentivise me to try and hit the target would be if they raised the target to a realistic 20pc. What's the point of a target that's unachievable?

The whole scheme needs reassessment 


Peter E
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  • December 13, 2023

This is not an independent scheme run by Ovo whereby they can change the target to whatever they like. It is defined by the ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service. They set the target and they set the reward. All Ovo does is sign up to the DFS so that their customers can benefit from the rewards if they meet the DFS’s criteria.

 

Plenty of good examples and tips have been given here on how to do this if you have a pattern of useage that is flexible in the way that the DFS requires. Perhaps re-reading some of the success stories on here will help you adapt your usage. If not you have lost nothing. If you don't think it’s worth the effort then you don't have to change anything.


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 10 replies
  • December 14, 2023
Peter E wrote:

This is not an independent scheme run by Ovo whereby they can change the target to whatever they like. It is defined by the ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service. They set the target and they set the reward. All Ovo does is sign up to the DFS so that their customers can benefit from the rewards if they meet the DFS’s criteria.

 

Plenty of good examples and tips have been given here on how to do this if you have a pattern of useage that is flexible in the way that the DFS requires. Perhaps re-reading some of the success stories on here will help you adapt your usage. If not you have lost nothing. If you don't think it’s worth the effort then you don't have to change anything.

In which case, feedback needs to be sent to DFS that their parsimonious scheme is not incentivising customers, because its criteria are unachievable.

We have shifted all cooking, washing, ironing etc to outside the 4-7pm and still can't hit target

In short, the 13.5% is too low and the scheme is a con


Jeffus
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  • December 14, 2023
pauly113 wrote:
Peter E wrote:

This is not an independent scheme run by Ovo whereby they can change the target to whatever they like. It is defined by the ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service. They set the target and they set the reward. All Ovo does is sign up to the DFS so that their customers can benefit from the rewards if they meet the DFS’s criteria.

 

Plenty of good examples and tips have been given here on how to do this if you have a pattern of useage that is flexible in the way that the DFS requires. Perhaps re-reading some of the success stories on here will help you adapt your usage. If not you have lost nothing. If you don't think it’s worth the effort then you don't have to change anything.

In which case, feedback needs to be sent to DFS that their parsimonious scheme is not incentivising customers, because its criteria are unachievable.

We have shifted all cooking, washing, ironing etc to outside the 4-7pm and still can't hit target

In short, the 13.5% is too low and the scheme is a con

Power Move is an OVO scheme 

Power Move Plus is a National Grid ESO scheme 

You are talking about Power Move which is an OVO scheme.


  • Carbon Cutter*****
  • 15 replies
  • December 14, 2023
solarrolar wrote:

This is tricky. The whole premise can be really hard - after all, we’re being asked to move usage not actually cut down - but you need to look at every single thing you use that’s electrical & consider if you can stop using them in the 4-7 slot, apart from things like the fridge & freezer, WiFi & other constantly on, background stuff. 
I think one thing that needs to be considered is whether you previously used those high usage things like the tumble dryer in the 4-7pm time slot. If you didn’t before, then you’re not going to change your percentage much. Do you normally use the washing machine & tumble dryer in the 4-7 slot?
We’re talking about 3 hours out of 24, & those 3 hours are when we normally come home, cook dinner, put the tv & heating on, make cups of tea, put dishwasher on, have a shower etc - all high usage activities. Anything that heats stuff up is high usage, so kettle, oven, the shower etc need to be moved out of the 4-7 slot. The heating & hot water also. Some tvs kick out a load of heat & are very thirsty for electricity. 
Looking at the maths, (for simplicity) if I used a steady 1kW for each hour of the day the 3 hour slot would be 12.5%. 3/24x100= 12.5%.
If I reduced my usage to just 1 kW for the whole of the 4-7 slot by moving the other 2kW to another time slot it would be 1/24x100= 4.5%

So in order to succeed in this challenge everything electrical needs to be considered & anything movable should be moved, which means changing the heating & hot water timers so the house is warmed by 4 & put back on again at 7 if needed,  cooking before or after 4-7 (or maybe batch cook at the weekend & freeze it). Watch tv programmes on catch up on a laptop. Charge your phones & laptop after 7pm. Make flasks of hot drinks for the evening so the kettle isn’t used. Have a shower after 7 if you have one in the evening. Put the dishwasher on after 7.
My usage last month for the 4-7 time slot was 7.5%, & that was achieved by doing all the above (& I’m a very low user normally so it’s quite hard to reduce/ move). 
This might all be stuff you’re already doing, in which case I’d go round every room & look at what’s plugged in & pull out anything not needed, then look at what keeps your house ticking over & see if it can be moved to another time slot. But definitely move those high-usage items out of the 4-7 slot. 

 

 

Is there a Degree awarded for all that faffing just to save pennies?


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