Struggling to achieve Power Move target!

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. 

Hi @Linds ,

It may well be that your constraints do make it impractical for you to do Power Move. However, the other thing you could try is moving any heavy usage tasks from the weekend to weekdays - avoiding, of course, the 4-7 pm slot. 

We use a lot of electricity running a kiln and charging an electric vehicle so can schedule those accordingly. Other high usage tasks include using the washing machine, dryer and dishwasher. If you can move some of them from weekends to weekdays befits 4 pm or after 7 pm you might just hit the target.

Kind regards, 

Simon

Hi @MrsM16  and @Trudi 2463 ,

It is not worth messing up your life for £15 a month. Also, sitting in the dark shivering won't help if you have gas or oil heating. Try to keep roasts and casseroles to weekends but do washing, drying, ironing and dishwashing on weekdays before 4 pm or after 7 pm NOT at the weekend.

Good luck, 

Simon

Solar and Batteries (Lithium Iron Phosphate) and a timer

I definitely think it’s the whole eating before 7pm thing that makes or breaks. I am so lucky that I have a flexible and supportive husband who can be very flexible. He is retired and I work very little so we can be exceedingly flexible. Sometimes we eat before 4pm and sometimes after 7pm and sometimes I prepare the things that need electricity during the day and then use the gas hob.  In all other respects I have been extreme and we don’t watch TV or listen to the radio. We only have one light on and sometimes I even use a powerful free standing torch to light the room and it is charged through the day. I don’t know how achievable it is for a family who have time constraints with children and having to eat between 4-7pm. We use about 9% but we have nothing other than the fridge/freezer and one light running. Good Luck

Hi @Glib How frustrating to miss out by such a tiny percentage, but at least it looks like you'll have it cracked for November and December with whatever excellent strategies you’ve now got in place. 
 

I’d make sure you now check your weekday half-hourly usage stats once a week or so as you go through November to make sure the system doesn’t spring this one on you again! Also, there is a slight difference between working to two places of decimals and to three places, as your automated email demonstrates, so make sure you factor that in…

My own smart meter decided to suddenly cease submitting half-hourly electricity readings between 2nd and 31st October (it kept up with gas readings OK), and to recommence them again on the 2nd November, it must have a whimsical sense of humour is all I can surmise!

Best of luck…

Hi @Johnoutthere, that’s the route I take as well, but it’s a huge capital outlay (my PV panels and main inverter are ten years old now), even for the relatively small 24 volt 100AH LiFePo4 battery I’ve got. 

Of course, to shift power from the 4-7 slot you wouldn’t even need to have solar panels, just the battery and inverter, a regular car-type charger, and a timer, given that an average moderate household consumption (without using any heavy items, of course) of LED lights, TV, ‘fridge/freezer, central heating pump, router, tablets/laptop, mains smoke alarms, PIR outside LED lighting, etc. etc. is probably around 300 Watts an hour, say 1kWh for the entire 4-7 slot. Provided nothing heavy is switched on during that time, of course.

I find it hard to re-charge the battery up here in sunny Sunderland during the six darkest months, as some days my panels generate a daily total  0.5 kWh or even less! Split East/West roof can be a pain!

when your using  far less the the average gas or electricity than the average house  of your size how can you cut your consumption by the amount OVO want this is just a gimmick to give the company green credentials 

I didn’t hit my target for the month either. but l achieved  it for the hour and half for the end of November . it seems easier l don’t know why.