I didn't hit it, didn't really stand a chance as work from home, all that is on 4-5 is the lap.top, a desk light a 2nd screen and an Alexa.

I can't wait until 7pm to eat, I use a very small airfryer and then the TV and my lava lamps go on.  ( I could leave lava lamps off as the bulbs do use a lot!)

I'm in a 1 bed flat.  Resigned up for Oct as I'm on holiday abroad for 1 week so may hit it!

Not as good as last years challenges for me.

We didn't hit it but that was because I forgot that we had signed up until I got the reminder email. 

By that time wee on 38% so had no chance. Since then, we have scheduled ev charging and kiln use (my other half is a potter), avoided running the dish washer and washing machine in peak hours and only do roasts at the weekend. This has us well on track so I am quite optimistic for October onwards. 

Hi Simon 1402,

we did all of what you are doing, never got anywhere near the target.

we do continue to think about our usage a lot more, so that is one positive thing. Our costs never really increased, even through the energy crisis, so I suppose we did in effect save or not get the huge increases like others experienced. Good luck one and all.

Hi Gildean, sorry for the slight hijack but I'd love your monthly bill. We are a 2 bed, 2 adult house , with tons of insulation, triple glazing etc & pay £180 a month! I just had the old cavity insulation replaced with latest tech so hope that will make a difference!

I signed up and did what was asked for just one day - turned everything off other than fridge and a couple of (energy saving) lights. But I’ve just resigned, as turning off the dehumidifiers in my old stone-walled house sent the humidity up and they then ran for ages after the 7pm cut-off to bring the humidity down again. Usually they only run every so often to maintain it. So I don’t think this will work for me - at least not enough to make up for the inconvenience of a three-hour energy curfew.

We hit it by moving everything we could out of the 4 - 7 time period, so no tv, cooked food earlier where possible - I don’t use my oven any more if I can possibly help it - kept lights to the minimum, charged appliances out of the time zone, etc. Any programmes I might’ve wanted to watch we used iplayer or such on my charged up laptop or watched DVDs on it. 

It’s actually quite hard for us to hit these targets as we have solar panels so don’t use much energy at all when the sun shines or our battery is full. Using less than 12.5% of a usage of about 0.8kWh a day is really hard to achieve when you’re already stripped down but we got there. And yes I know we’re ‘lucky’ we’ve got solar panels but we saved really hard & long to get them to help save the planet. They cost a fortune & this is a nice hey thanks from the planet to us for helping it. 
Shift & Save was really hard for us & we got pennies for that so this is a nice bonus this time. 

Let’s see what this next challenge brings…
 

August = 2.09% and hit all three. 

Its relatively easy for me as I’m often not home until 7pm, and if I get home at 6pm I just hold off cooking until 7pm. 

Changes made - kasa smart plug on the fish tank heater to prevent it coming on between 4&7, although this is a minor factor during the summer. 

The main thing which helps are the solar panels which catch the afternoon sun, so I’ve often been exporting power during this afternoon period. They do reduce my day/overall use, so they do make it harder to hit the target in one respect. 

Agreed we were exactly  the same and freezing whilst we turned everything off but still 18%

Yes, it’s really disheartening if you try hard and can’t quite make that crucial 4-7 segment count. I did do it in September and am looking forward to the October challenge! There’ve been some great suggestions on this forum re the precise measures people take.

My wife and I have rather an old PV system (10 years) but it’s still going strong, but it’s not big (nominally 3.2, but more like 2.6 kW): here in Sunderland we’re lucky at this time of year to generate a total of 4 or 5 kWh daily, maybe 700 Watts an hour if it’s really sunny, and that daily total will decrease to around 1 to 2 in December/January. But even so we’re really rigorous about trying to use heavy stuff during daylight hours; we’re both pensioners, so it’s easier for us than most folk, I know.

What I did do was get a small (24volt 100AH) LiFePo4 battery a year or so ago, and, boy, what a difference that makes! Yes it’s expensive to buy, but by charging the battery with a relatively simple variable amp charger (it can be manually set at anything up to 11 Amps) during daylight, even if the grid has to provide any shortfall, I run the house completely off the battery, between 1600 and 0800 hrs. In the summer it’s a much shorter night, only working between 2200 and 0500. That’s one small chest freezer, a medium ‘fridge/freezer combination, and all the other usual modern paraphernalia that are always on. To anybody who’s got solar panels, I would heartily recommend a battery…obviously not just for the relatively insignificant (for many people, certainly when contemplating a capital outlay of hundreds of pounds) financial returns of this particular incentive, but over the years you will notice the difference. And in fine weather we’re exporting a lot of our surplus rooftop generation anyway, which always annoyed me!

In our relatively small mid-terrace, for two oldies like us our average daily (24hr) electricity usage is very low, only around 3kWh, with average daily purchase from the grid of 0.15 kW in summer rising to  1.5 kW per 24 hours in mid-winter, so for us it’s doable with the battery to use very little grid at night. But we each have iPads, the house has 5 interlinked mains alarms, the usual boiler and room stats and router all the background stuff and lighting (LED) etc, but we rarely use our electric oven or air fryer or microwave or dishwasher or washing machine (never for those last two items!) or our electric chainsaw, (and we never use a tumble dryer, and can’t afford changing to an EV just yet) or outside bright sunny weather.  We’ve been able to afford this small battery only in the last year or so, but for anybody who can find the pennies (or who actually has a battery now and can time it to run the house between 4-7) it’s worth asking the advice of a specialist installer or doing a bit of research yourself.

For small users like me this OVO incentive is a real boon, and I’m grateful for it: never thought I’d see the day when I admitted being grateful to an energy company!! But I am, actually, as it’s the first time ever that we have ever had a little bit of control and a concrete financial incentive for attempting to shift usage out of peak hours. 
 

good luck this month everyone!…

Folks with Solar panels seem to hit the % target. I wonder what the cost v savings v target figures would look like. Is the £15 saving worth it? I am just going to carry on as normal in the new regime we have, not using the oven or tumble dryer too much and probably over the period of the last 12 months have saved more than OVO would have paid me anyway!
 

Hi @GilDean yes, very satisfying to be making those savings in usage; it is extraordinary how things mount up.  We were amazed at the annual cost of a mains alarm clock when we worked it out! We too have been trying hard over the last few years, but especially since the increase in prices means we’re talking quite large sums of money each month. 

I’m not so sure, you know, about folk with solar panels necessarily feeling comfortable about meeting the challenge, there’ve been some recent posts on here saying how difficult they’ve been finding it precisely because they feel solar panels make it more difficult for them (as their grid purchase during daylight is usually lowered by the panels).

Whether with panels or without, the key thing I guess is to move as much heavy usage out of the 4-7 slot as we can, and not worry too much about normal background household levels, like heating pumps, routers, ‘fridges and freezers, moderate levels of lighting etc., as, after all, most but not all of those types of background drains will be intermittently running in most of the other 3 hour slots in any 24 hour day: it would be a risky endeavour over a whole month to aim to make the 4-7 slot more economical than the other 3-hour slots just by cutting the minor stuff, which probably automatically happens a lot anyway over the 24 hours when we’re out, asleep, or on holiday. 
 

Good luck with it all!

Hi waltyboy,

just had my September usage sent through this afternoon. We were away for part of September, not used tumble drier, no heating and no oven, washing machine used a bit when we got back but outside the hours. Still only achieved 18.42%. It is pointless me even trying to achieve the new 13+%. September was my lowest ever month and I was away!!
I give up, as I did the first time around. I would love OVO to say how many people achieved the target. I see it as a pointless exercise for me to increase my usage at all times of the day, so as to try and achieve something that does not pay much recompense. I will carry on in my own environmental way. D

This challenge is not about reducing overall usage but peak time usage. So not using the oven / dryer doesn't help. Using them out of peak time does . 

We hit every month we have take part. Found it easier in the winter as we use the dryer more especially seeing that it is a condenser dryer and gives out quite alot of heat, so saves on the gas bill a little. 

We now wash and bulk cook using the oven weekdays after 7 which means it frees up our weekends to do other things. We aren't using any more electricity just changing when we use it.

Hi @GilDean , that is dispiriting for you right enough. 

While you’re away, of course, your house unfortunately was doing absolutely nothing to reduce your 4-7 usage *relative to* to the rest of your weekday usage.

Only by you physically removing heavy usage (don’t bother about the small stuff that’s going on 24/7, or small stuff like TV and limited lighting) from the  4-7 segment to other weekday slots will you lower the 4-7 segment usage *relative to* and as a percentage of the total for the rest of your weekday hours.

What happens during the weekends or on Bank Holidays is of course invisible for the purposes of this incentive. Some folk have suggested moving one or two big weekend activities like a bake or a washload from the weekend to a weekday slot (not 4-7, obvs!) in order to increase the difference between the crucial 4-7 weekday segment and the rest of the weekday slots.

Best of luck with it, try a few changes in and around the 4-7 slot with the big stuff like oven and microwave etc., and monitor how it goes for you; work out your running percentages every few days. But don’t sit in the cold and dark during 4-7, it won’t do much for your overall averages and will be miserable for you.

All the best…

Well said. We use a few lights and have our heating on when needed (gas heating so only a little electricity used) between 4 and 7 and we have met the target every time. 

Thank you both. I am only with OVO for electricity not gas.

I have tried all the things you suggest and it still doesn’t help I am afraid. I believed that it was an average over the month, therefore surely me being away would have an effect on the %.  Initially we cut down use of all electricity during those hours, lights off and only one TV on.

it bemuses me how people can achieve the target. I was away for the whole of July. Only 2 fridges and internet on, everything else had the plugs out of the wall, my bill for the month was £44. When we are here full time, say August, it was only £77. So how do I achieve the target?! Thank you both for taking the time to comment on my post. I think we will continue as we are. I pay much less than before the price hikes as it made us think of energy in a different way. We mainly use gas for cooking, so not affected as that is through a different company. Thank you, kind regards Dean

Being away from home does nothing to meet the 12.5% target.
(PS. it’s increased to 13.5% for the Autunm Challenge, so you may stand a slightly better chance).

The point is that the 3 hours target slot is exactly 12.5% of the day, - so if you are away and the ‘background’ usage is constant then that’s exactly 12.5% of electricity used in those 3 hours.
In other words target wise the percentage is standing still and bang on 12.5%.

Note that having your central heating timer coming on/off is not constant background usage. You tend to have it off overnight - that’s not on  constantly throughout the 24 hrs like say a fridge/freezer is. (You don’t have a timer to turn your fridge/frezer off overnight).

You have to understand that the challenge is not about reducing your usage overall (such as by being away) but reducing your usage during the 3 target hours.

You do that by using ‘non-background’ electricity, cooking, washing, etc. outside of those 3 hours and not using it inside those 3 hours.

Hi Nukecad, 

Thank  you for your explanation, I did realise how it was supposed to work.

Please could you explain how I will achieve the target of 13.5% with the following way we currently use our electricity as I am definitely not sure on this.

Morning, Toaster, Fridge Freezer, TV for an hour, wi-fi, washing machine every other day, 2 x showers, charging phone/iPad.

Afternoon, Fridge, Freezer, TV, wi-fi

4pm -7pm, Fridge, Freezer, TV wi-fi

Evening after 7pm, Fridge Freezer TV, 2 lights, 1 x shower.

Our cooking is gas / heating is not on.

The closest I have ever got is 18+%.

Where can I change to get to 13+%?

Thank you

kind regards

Dean

How do you heat water? Even if it is gas, remember that still uses electricity. Is it on demand or on a clock?

I got down to 10.93% and the only things I changed to achieve that was ensure that I don’t cook, use the kettle of have my laptop and mobile phone on charge between 4pm and 7pm, but then I am a VERY low user of energy and Power Move payments effectively covered almost 30% of my total monthly OVO bill over the last three months. 

Hi MCH59,

Thank you for reminding me, I had forgotten this. 
Hot water is through a Combi boiler, so on demand. Plus the dishwasher at 9pm usually.

So, most of my electricity usage you can see is outside the 4-7pm hours!
 

Baffles me!

Well, if that was me I’d be hiding the kettle and switching the boiler off for three hours ;)

… I notice you don’t mention a kettle, but they use a surprising amount of energy even if you only boil a single cup of water (in fact I worked out that the kettle accounts for almost 25% of my total electricity consumption at this time of year).. .

With the above the downside of gas hob/oven is that you’re not using electricity to cook. Those who have electric hobs/ovens consume a fair amount of power outside the 4-7 slot, so this helps with the figures. I myself cook on electric and that’s the main use I try and shift and what helps me hit the target. 

For days when I’m not cooking at home, or just use the microwave, the use pattern is flatter and I run closer/over the target. 

Solar comments - It helps, but doesn’t help. I think part of it is being more aware of wattage and what uses what.  

Hi MCH59

fortunately we don’t drink warm drinks so only use the kettle when we have visitors.!

D

 hi, we have always cooked with Gas, nature of the houses we have purchased. My electricity bills dropped considerably when I stopped baking home made bread! Cheaper to buy from S/market. D

Hi Dean @GilDean With that usage you describe during your weekday, you’re absolutely right, you should definitely be hitting the 4-7 target handsomely…you’ve shifted all the heavy stuff out of the critical slot completely it looks like. The  showers are electric or off the Combi?  If they’re Combi they won’t make a huge impact, but if they’re electric, they alone would more than compensate for one TV and some lighting in the 4-7 slot. Even if they’re not electric showers, your other heavy machinery outside the 4-7 slot looks more than enough to me to compensate for the relatively small 4-7 usage.

Is there some weird consumption during the 4-7 slot that is sneaking under the radar? It would have to be something reasonably big, though. Someone mentioned a kettle (electric). Same for a microwave: a cup of water from cold will take the same amount of kWh to boil no matter what device or method you choose. Is your telly (like our big old Sony in our living room) a big older jobby, with maybe surround sound and various boxes plugged into it? Or is there something you’re doing to relax of an evening that’s so much force of habit that you don’t notice it? Maybe a waffle or toasted sandwich maker or something?!

Were I you, I’d be keen to examine each of the six half-hourly slots in your 4-7 segment (i.e. 4.00 to 4.30, 4.30 to 5.00 etc, up to and including 6.30 to 7.00) for Mon and Tue 2nd and 3rd Oct in your usage stats in your OVO account, and render them as a percentage of your overall usage for those two days. Keep doing this every few days (or even every day) for all the weekdays in October. After all, the stats won’t lie! Or they shouldn’t!  And we’re still early enough in the month to catch any strange anomalies. 
 

Bit of detective work required, right enough! It’s possible if you’re using absolutely zilch between say 2200 and 1000 hours you’d be struggling, but with your fridge, freezer and other stuff going on that’s not likely.

Let us know how you go on, it’s of great interest to anyone seeking to get to the bottom of this magic 13.5% target!

Best of luck…