There are no degrees awarded for faffing around just to save pennies but in my household £15 a month is not pennies. Certainly, the Power Move Plus scheme awards pennies for the very small amount that can be shifted given that we are not using a lot to begin with in the 4-7 slot.
Yes, you are right, ‘Power Move’ is Ovo’s brand name for the DFS and ‘Power Shift’ is E.On’s brand name for the same scheme and other power companies will have their own name for it. It’s the same scheme from the ESO with similar contract conditions. If you like, it is a tame, entry level into the wholesale market where the price per kWh varies per 30 minute slot.
Compare this with the offering from some operators (you can research this) where your contract is for wholesale prices and you can get very low prices off peak and even negative prices (yes, really) at the expense of paying eye-wateringly high prices during the peak. You can get negative prices where you have high winds across the country overnight or weekends when there is lower demand and if you consume power at those times the operator doesn’t have to pay a curtailment charge (because they have a supply contract with penalties for not taking it) to a wind farm which would be even more expensive than what they are offering to pay you to consume it. You could consider this to be effectively playing the stock market. You don’t know when the prices are going to be low but if they and you can take advantage of it then you can end up well in profit. But, there may be long periods when the price is constantly high and you will either have to not use power or bite the bullet and pay the very high charges.
They definitely award degrees (in the form of beer tokens) if you make it work on the wholesale market otherwise Power Move is a relatively low-reward but safe option with no penalties if you want to try and make DFS work. Last year it was predicted that there could be rolling blackouts due to a very tight supply situation but, In the end, there wasn’t any deliberate load shedding (rolling blackouts) as far as I know. The DFS succeeded in shifting 3,300 MWh (worth £10m) out of the peak (October - March) which would have helped.
Peter
Peter E wrote:
‘Power Move’ is Ovo’s brand name for the DFS
Just a correction/clarification:
Power Move PLUS is Ovo’s brand name for the DFS which is a scheme from ESO (National Grid).
It targets specific hours on specific ‘announced’ days.
The announcements are made at short notice and the time periods can differ in both time and length.
https://www.nationalgrideso.com/industry-information/balancing-services/demand-flexibility-service-dfs
Power Move on the other hand is a totally different scheme that runs for a whole month at a time and not just on specific ‘announced’ days.
The time period for the current Power Move scheme is always 16:00 to 19:00, that does not vary.
The similarity in the two names is causing some confusion here on the forum.
As has already been mentioned earlier, Power Move is not part of the DFS scheme and is run by OVO.
Power Move Plus is the DFS scheme which OVO is running alongside Power Move.
On reflection, I would suggest that the reward relates to reducing carbon emissions and therefore helping to save the planet!
Peter E wrote:
Yes, you are right, ‘Power Move’ is Ovo’s brand name for the DFS … It’s the same scheme from the ESO with similar contract conditions.
Please look again, Peter. Power Move and Power Move Plus are two entirely separate and different schemes:
- Power Move is OVO’s own initiative to reward customers who limit their consumption, during this quarter between 4 PM and 7 PM, primarily with a view to minimizing the need to burn fossil fuels to meet demand.
- Power Move Plus is the name OVO uses for its participation in the DFS, whose aim is (ultimately) to limit consumption when demand would otherwise reach dangerous levels.
OVO might have chosen less confusing names, but since we’re lumbered with them now, we should be careful not to mix them up.
I stand corrected on that.
I already try to keep my power usage to a minimum. This actually counts against me in the Power Move scheme because it’s almost impossible to get my percentage of power down 10% between the appointed hours. I reckon the only way to meet the target would be for me to switch off my fridge, TV and Sky box between 6 and 9pm or to raise the amount I use during the day by switching on the oven for an hour thus making my evening use fall to under 10% of my total. 
EasyLiving wrote:
In my opinion the whole ‘power move’ idea is a method to make more profit for OVO energy - nothing else. They encourage people to restrict their energy use when it costs OVO more to supply it. They may have to pay out a minimal amount to encourage many users to do wh.at is most profitable for OVO. Its all about profits for OVO, very little to do with climate concerns, green environment, etc.
Errrrm it really isnt, maybe try to live life without the tinfoil hat.
In actual fact, OVO makes no extra profit from those who fail a challenge and technically make less profit if you win because OVO pays you out of its own pocket.
The whole idea of Flat Rate tariffs is that it ultimately balances out in the end.
LesleyBD wrote:
I reckon the only way to meet the target would be for me to switch off my fridge, TV and Sky box between 6 and 9pm
If your IHD is working properly, you should be able to work out just how much power those things are using - you may be surprised. Set the IHD to show the current power draw in kW, then unplug the TV and Sky box. Make a note of the kW figure. Then plug them in again and switch on, wait half a minute and check the kW figure again. The difference between the two figures will give you an idea of how much power they’re using.
You could do the same with the fridge, but that would be a bit more complicated because it only consumes power for a short time every so often. If you can hear the fridge’s motor running from time to time, just make a note of the kW figure on your IHD at the time and compare it with the figure after the motor stops running.
My own fridge, freezer and TV can easily gobble up 150W if they’re all going at once.
Your Insights page may give you an idea of what’s consuming most energy in your house. Just be sure to complete the profile so the algorithm knows what to look out for.
I still try to keep usage down during the hours but half way through June I was forecast £2 but at the end of the month, despite being extra careful, I ended up with nothing. So now I've stopped trying so hard over the summer, I'll seriously join in again during autumn and winter.
PLUM44 wrote:
Updated on 03/03/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO:
Check out our website for the latest challenge information:
https://www.ovoenergy.com/power-move,
Join Power Move today
Log in to Beyond to get started. Don’t have the app? Download it on iOS or Android to unlock exclusive rewards for free.
The Power Move prize draw starts from 1 February 2025, and the first draw is in March. Afterwards, all entries will be drawn the following month. To join, you need to pay for your energy by Direct Debit and have a smart meter set up.
Check our FAQs to find out more. Power Move terms also apply.
As a single pensioner I have never used appliances during peak time, apart from the electric oven a few days a week to cook a meal. The only way I could reduce usage is to eat before 4pm, too early, or after 7 pm, too late! Some meals I can cook on gas hob or in microwave but that doesn’t reduce usage enough. Any suggestions anyone?
I am also finding it impossible, I work Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, unless I wait until 7pm for food, heating or hot drinks I don't know how I am supposed to achieve this. In winter I can not wait nearly 2 hours to heat my home and I do not want to be eating at 7.30 - 8pm. I already batch cook so heating in the microwave is quick and cheap. Basically I might as well forget it. I am an extremely low user so it is a bit disappointing that I seem to miss out on anything like this, unless I increase my usage first thing in the morning and late at night. This would sort of defeat the object I think
While I do sympathise with you a bit, the very idea of Power Move is to break the habits of peak usage and encourage folks to shift usage around so the overall load on the grid is more balanced throughout the day.
Winter Power Move tends to have a different schedule based on previous runs so I would encourage you not to give up. Even shifting anything AT ALL will give you entries into the draw and ALL weekend usage is off-peak!
