Is Power Move worth the effort - time to look elsewhere for a deal?

I’m totally on the same wavelength as yourself. The target is nigh on impossible to achieve for a medium or low user.  I was keeping my loyalty with Ovo but now with others offering 3% below cap fixes and a rather nice “agile” tariff from a company with eight legs, todays news I have failed on this target (despite shifting everything) has led me onto a journe of discovering other tariffs.  

I’m wondering if you don’t understand the scheme? 
 

if you went away for a month and only had the freezer running, then every hour, you would be using (about) the same amount of energy… so during the three hour power move period (4-7pm) you would be using 3/24th of your energy for the day. That’s 12.5% so over the target. 

what you need to do to be under the target is to use power before and after the period so your use during the period is below the target. 
 

I have consistently achieved the target every month since they started the scheme - I work from home, but honestly it’s not much different from when I was commuting. I just don’t use plug in timers anymore.
 

On a ‘typical’ day I cook something in the morning that can be reheated for dinner (in winter that’s often something in the slow cooker or a slow roast, in summer I made things like quiche or pasta salad that were good cold) , and I have all of my electronics plugged into charge in the morning.

At just before 4 pm, I boil the kettle for an hot drink, unplug my laptops and finish up my workday using the battery. After work, I watch a film or two on my personal laptop using the battery. I can either have an early dinner with what’s already hot in the slow cooker at 4, or microwave it for a couple of minutes later. 
 

after dinner, I might fill the dishwasher and sort a load of laundry (depending on the forecast). at 7 pm I turn them both on so they’re done before I go to bed. Then I plug my phone laptop etc back in to charge if they’re low. 
 

This means during the period the only power I’m using is light in the room I’m in, occasionally boiling the kettle, and a couple of minutes of the microwave. I average between 8-10% 

I guess the clue is in the name. 

"Power Move"

If you don't shift move your usage from a peak period to a non peak period, you won't get a reward.

My electric usage runs at about £160 a month and my gas, about the same in the winter months.

I decided that as my usage was pretty constant, if not higher,  during the day, than the peak periods, then it wasn't worth the effort to save £15 or £20. So now I don't bother.

At least OVO still pay interest on credit balances. Not a fortune these days, but better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick, as they say.

Have to respectfully disagree. I am also retired and also a low user. I achieved the target quite comfortably three months in a row simply by switching my cooking habits to before or after peak time. For me personally, not a hardship. Many on the forum have pointed out that this is not a one size fits all scheme and for some the targets won't be achievable. 

Please don't think about "spending more in the day" simply to hit the target. This defeats the object of Power Move.

If your peak time and off peak time usage is very low to start with, it simply may be you don't use enough energy during peak time to move it around.

But this is not a cause for despair - ultimately you're not losing anything and there are many great suggestions on this and other forums on energy saving.

I’m what’s classed as a low user - I use about half the national ‘average’. My total bill for gas and electric last month was £120 and about £50 of that was electricity - so it’s worth it for me as £15 is a fairly high portion of my bill (and it’s not something I find inconvenient). 

Thank you minithedog.

Ariarnia, totally understand how it works. The month away was in isolation and I wanted to make it linked to not much use, but failed. I dud all the things you suggested and a grest deal more but never achieved target.  Got fed up of sitting in the cold! You were fortunate to be at home. I had to travel to work. You would think that retiring and using more electricity, I would get nearer !?! 

The December just gone was my best with 18%! 

Been around the block with using more power before the deadline and after and still never achieving the target. Lived as we wanted for most of the period but feel we are helping the environment by what we have done. Just think it's time to look around for better deals. We'll done you though. Kind regards

From whst I have seen, low users have benefitted.  

I haven't but steel feel I have given benefit to the environment with cut in usage overall. With all the increases in costs, my payments never changed, so in reality a decrease! Politicians way of saying it anyway. Sad I just see it as a big marketing exercise.  I wrote to OVO but never got an response , that's loyalty and care of customers for you!!

Personally, I would be very happy to see all the "it's a con" and "it's impossible" posters leave. Then we could focus on those who need a little extra help to hit the target - especially those who are struggling with the cost of living crisis. 

I agree, it’s not great to have my email inbox flooded with these threads - it jams up the pending questions and makes the other stuff harder to find...

I agree Simon. But it is not like that, wish it was. 

As a couple we do voluntary work at the local Food Bank, help at the local Jab centre. Raise money for national and local charities, plus on top of that have reduced our energy consumption and increased our recycling commitment.

If it was all positive comments on the forum, it wouldn't really be a forum! I just felt it was time to personally get something off my mind and see if others were having the same issues as me about achieving the target after trying our hardest to so.