Power Move Autumn Challenge

I’m not sure if you’ll get one if you did Power Move previously. However, if you did get lucky, you’ll get an email letting you know.

I got the two plugs last week. (I had had an email that they were on their way).
I hadn’t previously been on Power Move and was a new starter for the Autumn challenge, from the offer terms it’s only the first 20K new starters who qualify for the free plugs.

TBH though, and although it’s always nice to get a freebie, I doubt that I’ll ever use them myself.
OK possibly just as a timer plug - if I ever get an appliance that I want to control the timing of from the plug.
But when would I ever want to switch a plug on/off remotely via the internet when out of the house? I can’t think of a single time when I might want to do that.

They may have some use if you link Alexa to them so that you can turn things on and off by shouting at her, (‘Lexa put the kettle on?), but is it just me or is that simply being lazy for most people who can just get up an flick a switch?

Mine will probably end up in the charity shop or on Freecycle.

I got them in the post a couple of weeks ago as well. I probably won’t use them for their intended purpose either if I’m brutally honest. The only kind of system I’d be prepared to trust for this would be one that runs locally on a self-hosted basis like UniFi Connect.

However… I already have a potential use case for them - I can use them during my talks with the fire service when discussing electrical safety. They’ll never be powered up at all, so it’d be completely safe.

Well I did think of one possible use that might help with Power Move:

Use them as a timer to ‘lock out’ a plug so that it’s always off between 4 and 7.

For instance a kitchen plug so that you don’t forget and put a kettle/microwave/air fryer/washing machine/etc. on during the Power Move peak hours without thinking about it first.

You could also use them to power up appliances out of peak .. 

This is a pointless challenge! As I never use my washing machine, dryer, dishwasher during these hours it is impossible to meet the target! It may have been possible if for the last few months I deliberately used these machines at this time.

However, I am enjoying the use of the 2 Tapo sockets provided as an early member of the challenge group, so I do have a reward for having previously switched my energy use.

Hi @NoelS Good that those sockets will come in handy.

But remember to meet these November and December PowerMove challenges, you don’t necessarily have to switch more and ever more usage from the peak weekday slot of 4-7. It sounds from what you say that you’ve already managed low usage in that peak period?  As this particular challenge is all about working out the 4-7 usage or consumption as a fraction of the consumption in the remaining 21 hours of each weekday, with the aim of hopefully achieving a fraction which works out to 13.5% or less, you may already be more or less there? If you’ve already in previous months switched usage from the crucial peak time, your fraction might already be there or thereabouts without having to take many further measures, if any?

it would be interesting for you to look at your half hourly figures for, say, 1st - 3rd November in your online OVO account usage page and work out the percentage?

Let us know what you think…

Hi @NoelS 

I am a low electricity user myself so wondered how I could possibly meet the target.

I have done it quite simply by Moving when I cook by electricity. (And being careful about using a kettle between 4-7).

If you don't cook with electricity but with gas then I agree that it's going to almost impossible to meet the Power Move target - simply because you have no large electricity use to MOVE.

If you do cook with electricity then I have already shared my best tips to meet the target, (and still have a hot meal between 4-7) and am quite happy to collect them all together again if you would like.

Try clicking here to start with for my tip about hot meals between 4-7:

I too am a low user, we cook mostly on gas hob and on woodburner, there is nothing for us to move out of the 4-7 slot, as we refuse to sit in the dark without TV, lights, router, devices and ‘phones etc, but we manage to comfortably meet the PowerMove target.

Provided the fraction of weekday 4-7 usage over the remaining weekday 21 hours  usage equates to 13.5% or less, you’re home and dry.

But if we’re doing all we can to move heavy consumption out of the peak period, and still cannot quite achieve the desired percentage, then as @Nukecad says, it’s not worth worrying too much about it. It’s a goal is all, very difficult in the dark months, but any step we can take along that route has got to be a good thing. It’s definitely made me keep a sharper eye on my IHD! 

Actually, of course, I’m incorrect, and  clumsy in what I’m saying: the key fraction is comparing the weekday 4-7 usage with the total 24 hour weekday usage…apologies.