This Power Move Plus is getting a joke now the first one I had to get under 0.5 than it was 0.3 now it's 0.2 i see a pattern emerging here next it will be 0.0 if I wasn't able to achieve it at 0.3 why do there think i can at 0.2. It's like it's been set up to fail.
OVO seems to be the only energy company that is going for low % most other companies have just asked customers to try to reduce there energy to lower than they would usually use for the time allocated.
Best answer by Nukecad
Had an email today saying I had missed my February Power Move target……for 22 of the 29 days of February the house was empty and the heating off🤷🏼
The clue is in the name.
Power MOVE is about MOVING your usage out of peak hours into off-peak hours.
It is NOT about reducing your overall usage.
If the house was empty then you reduced the overall useage - but you didn't, you couldn't, MOVE anything from peak to off-peak.
To put it in other words you have to have a peak usage to MOVE, if there is no (peak) usage then there is nothing to be moved.
Could it be because they are using the last fortnights figures, to set our targets, including the previous events in that period, which is clearly pretty silly!!! They should clearly exclude them to be fair!!!!
Also, I note that for one of the events I was paid only £1 a unit, where the National Grid is paying between £3 and £6 for these periods??? So OVO made a “profit” of at least 200% on my efforts!!!!
Rgds,
Steve
The Demand Flexibility Scheme (AKA Power Move Plus) is not about rewarding customers.
It is all about protecting the distribution network by people reducing their energy use when there is a predicted possible excessive load, or even overload, about to happen.
That is why the events are always at short notice, they are a quick reaction needed to try and mitigate what might be about to happen.
If you like then it’s a “Be a good citizen” scheme rather than a reward scheme.
If you are a low electricity user anyway then what you would be able to do to reduce your usage further and help towards that aim of protecting the grid is a drop in the ocean.
(But lots of drops can add up to a full ocean).
If you are a low electricity user then feel free not to participate in the Demand Flexibility Scheme (AKA Power Move Plus) ‘Events’.
I personally have no qualms about not participating in them, the tiny reduction that I could make is not going to make any noticable difference to demand on the grid.
If you are already doing Power Move then it’s very unlikely that you will have anything other than a low target for a Power Move Plus event.
Because of the very nature of the DFS events they are always more likely to happen during the Power Move hours.
It’s unfortunate that someone chose to use such similar names for them, they are different things with different aims.
I seem to have kicked a hornet’s nest here!!!
From the National Grid site it actually says “The Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) allows you to earn rewards for shifting electricity usage outside of peak demand hours. This allows the Electricity System Operator (ESO) to manage supply through periods when margins are tight. “ - so I really do think that OVO ought to be passing (the majority of) the rebate they get on to us.
What do other users (and not obviously OVO employees!!!) think???
Rgds,
Steve
This evenings Power Move Plus / Demand Flexibility event tonight is a test event.
The reason the National Grid ESO have given for the late notice is to see how quickly domestic and business customers can respond.
There is no expected tight supply of electricity expected tonight, unlike the last live event
The more people that take part the better, however small their contribution. I encourage everyone to take part if they can.
This will help the National Grid ESO prepare for the future.
The more the National Grid ESO can see we can reduce the peak demand, the less infrastructure will be needed longer term, the less standby gas power stations, the less mass storage, the cheaper the unit rate and standing charges will be. The people that benefit long term are us with smaller bills.
Everybody’s electricity use is different; but there seem to be quite a few people like me who are already quite light electricity users, and are finding it difficult to achieve the Power Move targets.
But, I can benefit from Power Move Plus, but I need to run up my central heating, and my fridge & freezer down beforehand, as well as using my laptop rather than the TV during the period (and turning the lights out and using candles). This is realistic to do (and quite fun) to do occasionally, but doing it every day would be a pain.
Rgds,
Steve
switch everything off during reduction periods and go to the pub! Mmmmm........?
Is there a Standing (at-the-bar) charge? 😄
For one of the demand flexibility events last year I went round to a neighbours for tea and cake as they weren't taking part.....
Absolutely right
Still prefer the pub option! As well as saving the planet, I'd be contributing to my local economy and, they've got a big tele !! All the best.
Has anybody else tried turning up their CH thermostat, for an hour or so, before the events, (and then back to normal for the event itself)??? It seems to work fine for me - I can see the effect on the Smart Meter - without the CH and fridge/freezer running I can get down to about 30W, from the usual 300W, but only for an hour or so.
Rgds,
Steve
I achieved my target for the hour and half for the event the other evening. but not for the month. so try and do something different. it’s a bit harder sometimes to use less electrical appliances when needed. but give it ago.
+2
I have been getting push events from the Hugo app.
Octopus aren't offering much for this event I see
Interesting looking at how some companies are compensating users with low energy savings in each session.
British Gas for example pay a minimum of £1 per event if you manage to save anything.
This would help some low users take part I assume.
What do other posters think about that as an idea? Would it make a difference for some of you struggling with Power Move Plus? Is a guaranteed £1 if you save anything enough? That would be at least £1 for 12 events and then at least £1 for any live events.
I don't know if anyone else does that.
Has anyone spotted any other differences across suppliers? There are differences in £ per kWh as suppliers have to bid for some events and some suppliers keep a proportion of the money from the National Grid ESO to cover their costs.
I will try tonight to get below 0.2kwh but I think it's going to be impossible.
I will try tonight to get below 0.2kwh but I think it's going to be impossible.
The minimum may not help in the extreme cases given you are already amazing if you can't realistically save anything more.
Some sort of reward for customers who take part and save even a little in every Demand Flexibility event this winter might have been interesting.
Anything has to be affordable as the money has to come from somewhere (although some savings should hopefully come from less peak time power).
In the future we may see very different tariff where the amount you pay per kWh in peak times depends on how much electricity you use during peak times. It is hard to predict the future... I doubt even that would help you. Even if the first 0.5kWh was half price in that peak period you would still only save a very small amount as you use so little.
British gas have Peak Save Sunday with half price electricity on a Sunday. You would have to work out whether Peak Save and Peak Save Sunday would work out bigger savings than Power Move and Power Move Plus. Also if you were happy with British Gas generally...
https://www.britishgas.co.uk/energy/peak-save/sunday.html
This Power Move Plus is getting a joke now the first one I had to get under 0.5 than it was 0.3 now it's 0.2 i see a pattern emerging here next it will be 0.0 if I wasn't able to achieve it at 0.3 why do there think i can at 0.2. It's like it's been set up to fail.
OVO seems to be the only energy company that is going for low % most other companies have just asked customers to try to reduce there energy to lower than they would usually use for the time allocated.
My terget is 0.3 kW 🤣
My target is 0.1 kWh. It has been for each of the hour or so long power move events. I don't belive the system measures anything less.
Interesting looking at how some companies are compensating users with low energy savings in each session.
British Gas for example pay a minimum of £1 per event if you manage to save anything.
This would help some low users take part I assume.
What do other posters think about that as an idea? Would it make a difference for some of you struggling with Power Move Plus? Is a guaranteed £1 if you save anything enough? That would be at least £1 for 12 events and then at least £1 for any live events.
I think that’s a great idea from BG.
As you say it gives low energy users a (financial) motivation to join in each DFS event.
Even if each low user can only reduce their use during a DFS event by a tiny amount, all those tiny amounts will add up.
It isn’t particularly cost effective for BG to do that, (it probably even costs them money to do), but cost saving isn’t the point of these DFS (Power Move Plus) events.
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