Power Move Flex FAQs - Utilisation

OVO is taking part in CrowdFlex, a trial designed to shape the future of the electricity grid. We’ve teamed up with industry experts including the Electricity Systems Operator (ESO), Centre for Net Zero, Centre for Sustainable Energy, ERM (Environmental Resources Management), Octopus Energy, Ohme Technology, National Grid Electricity Distribution, Scottish and Southern Energy Networks, and Smiths Institute.

CrowdFlex is a series of trials running from 1 May 2024 until December 2025 aimed at understanding how households can contribute to a greener electricity grid. Trial 1 ended in July 2024. Trial 2 ran from September 2024 to March 2025. Trial 3 will take place from July 2025 to October 2025.

You can take part in CrowdFlex through taking part in Power Move Flex.

OVO is rewarding customers for shifting non-essential electricity use out of times when demand is higher, or into times when demand is lower. 

When you sign up to Power Move Flex events, we’ll let you know what action to take and how you’ll be rewarded. 

You’ll be taking part in both Power Up events (when there’s low demand on the grid) and Power Down events (when there’s high demand on the grid).

Our electricity grid is becoming greener, with more renewable electricity like wind and solar being used to power the UK. But renewable generation can be intermittent, and with everyone using electricity at similar times, there’ll be times of high demand. We need energy flexibility to make sure our electricity system is running as green as possible - reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. 

Energy flexibility aims to balance the energy supply and demand for the whole of the UK. It also allows customers to save on their bills and help the UK transition to net zero carbon emissions. 

Power Move Flex helps match the demand to the power being generated, supporting the grid and making the most of the UK’s renewable energy.

Events in the trial period may not always be based on live grid constraints, we will be testing event times that will help us understand and manage potential future grid scenarios or demand in different seasons.

By shifting your non-essential electricity use away from peak times or shifting use into specified times, you’re reducing the demand on the grid, and our dependence on fossil fuels. You’ll be using electricity at times where the grid is likely to be greener.

Generating electricity from renewable sources releases less carbon into the atmosphere than burning fossil fuels. But did you know that even if you’re on a greener energy plan, you can still help to cut carbon emissions depending on the the that time you use your energy?

Here’s why: When it’s windy or sunny, renewable power is pumped into the energy grid and used in homes across the UK. But if we need more energy than the wind or sun can give us, we have to top up with dirty, fossil fuel power.

There are times when many of us are using energy at the same time, like at 7pm when we’re home from work, cooking dinner or playing video games. At those peak times, we’ll likely need to top-up the system with fossil fuel energy. It’s better for the planet to shift our non-essential energy use away from peak times, even if we’re on a green plan. This is when we Power Down - helping the country avoid having to top up with fossil fuels.

Equally, if there are times of extra renewable energy on the grid, it’s good for the country to use electricity at these times. This is when we’d Power Up - shifting our day to day activities into these times.

Power Move Flex will be running from May 2024 until December 2025, made up of a series of trials. Trial 1 ended in July 2024. Trial 2 ran from September 2024 to March 2025. Trial 3 will take place from May 2025 to October 2025.

Yes, Power Move Flex is free to join.

We’ll be inviting eligible customers to sign up to Trial 2 from May 2025. You can also sign up if you are a customer with the OVO app and OVO Beyond, in the offers section of the app.

Please note that places are limited as part of the trial. By signing up to this trial your place won’t be guaranteed. We’ll let you know if you successfully make it onto the trial.

When you sign up to Power Move Flex, and its Power Up and Power Down events, you’ll receive notifications letting you know if there’s either low or high demand on the grid and the action we need you to take.

For a Power Up event, you’ll need to shift your typical day to day energy use  into the time window specified. You’ll be rewarded for anything you use above your normal usage within that time.

For a Power Down event you’ll need to reduce the amount of non-essential electricity you use to below your normal usage by shifting it to another time, when the grid is greener. If you do this you’ll get a reward for that event. 

We want you to move your non-essential electricity use to a time that’s convenient and safe, so please don’t leave washing machines, tumble dryers or dishwashers running overnight, or when you’re out. You can find out more about electrical safety here.

Power Up and Power Down events are in addition to other energy flexibility schemes at OVO, like Power Move. They allow you to earn more energy credit by shifting your electricity use either into low demand times or out of high demand times.

You can sign up to Power Move Flex alongside Power Move.. Any credit earned from Power Move Flex will be in addition to any monthly credit earned for a specific Power Move challenge.

Power Move and Power Move Flex are separate offerings. Any energy bill credit earned through the trial will appear as a separate line item on your bill.

We’ll let you know for each event whether you need to shift your electricity usage into or out of the time window.

For every event that you want to take part in, you will need to opt in. You do this by tapping the “opt in” button on your event notification email.

You must opt in by no later than 60 seconds before the event start time. If you opt in after the event has started, you won’t be eligible to earn rewards for that event.

If you don’t opt into an event, you’re not eligible to earn rewards, or have results in an event contribute to a reward target.

As part of the trial, we’ll send you multiple notifications each week. This number can vary but keep an eye on your emails!

Some customers may also receive information via SMS and/or push notifications

As Power Move Flex is part of the CrowdFlex trial, we’re testing different ways  a customer can earn rewards and how our customers can help manage demand on the grid.

The amount of the reward you’ll receive will depend on the reward group you’re randomly placed into, how many events you take part in and/or how much you shift into or out of event times.

You can find out more about what rewards you can earn in our terms and conditions. We’ll also tell you what you can earn in your event notification emails when the trial begins.

If you don’t increase your electricity use, or decrease your electricity use, above or below your target (depending on the event type) then you won’t receive a reward for that event.

We’ll let you know at the end of each week how you’ve done, and we’ll tell you at the end of the month with your progress.

The reward is applied as credit directly to your bill. You’ll be credited each month with the total of all rewards earned in the last month. For example, for any rewards earned in July, you’ll receive an energy credit in August.

There’s no cash alternative. The energy credit will show as a separate line item on your bill.

We’ll let you know how you’ve done each week.

For a Power Up event, if you don’t use more electricity than above what you’d usually use then you won’t receive any credit or have that event contribute towards a reward target.

For a Power Down event, if you haven’t reduced your electricity use below what you’d usually use - you won’t receive any credit or have that event contribute towards a reward target.

Remember - there’s no penalty for not meeting the target for each event.

You need to shift your typical day to day usage into this time slot. For example charging your laptop, putting on a load of washing or running your dishwasher. Power Up events are about shifting activities you would have done at another time into this specific time slot - not to use more than you usually would. 

Schedule smart appliances like washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, or electric heating to come on during Power Up or outside Power Down times. You can set schedules through smart home devices like Amazon Alexa.

If you use more electricity than you usually would, you’ll still be charged for how much you use. And the increase in usage will likely be more than your credit earned.

We recommend you:

• Turn off plug sockets at the wall if a device isn’t being used
• Move your washing machine load to another time of day or another day
• Delay when you put your dishwasher on
• Saving the ironing to another time
• Turn off the TV at the wall if it’s not being used

Your Direct Debit won’t be affected by Power Move Flex rewards. We encourage you to not amend your Direct Debit as we can’t guarantee how regularly you’ll be receiving Power Up and Power Down credit and the savings you’ll make.

We understand that sometimes technical issues can happen that are beyond your control.

If your smart meter stops working during an event, you won’t receive any credit as we’re not able to measure how much you’ve used during that time window. If we can’t get meter readings from your smart meter despite making all reasonable efforts to do so and this continues for more than 7 days, we reserve the right to remove you from Power Move Flex and the CrowdFlex trial.

Power Up and Power Down events are only measuring your electricity use, meaning you only need to reduce your electricity use to below your personal target on a nominated day or time period.

You can opt out of Power Up and Power Down events (and the CrowdFlex trial) by pressing the opt out button on any Power Move Flex email we’ve sent you.

This trial has a limited number of places, so not all customers who sign up to the trial will get a place. When you sign up, you'll be put on a waitlist and we’ll randomly customers to join the trial. We’ll let you know if you’ve successfully joined the trial or not.

This project is looking at customer’s ability to take part in energy flexibility. To measure the true impact of the trial, we’ll need to compare customers taking part against a control group.

This’ll make sure our results are more accurate and reliable, and we’ll learn more from the trial than we would without one. You’ll still be contributing to the trial by being part of the control group.

There’s no further action needed from any customers in the control group. We’ll be inviting customers to join future trials as part of the project, but a place on the trial isn’t always guaranteed.

If you move home during the trial, you won’t be able to continue with the CrowdFlex trial.

You won’t be able to continue with the trial and Power Move Flex if you switch suppliers. We need to continuously monitor your electricity use and won’t be able to do this if you switch.

All collected and anonymised data will be stored by ESO which may be shared with third parties in future. For more information please see ESO’s privacy policy.

We may share your contact details (name and email address) with our trusted third-party research agency partners, as mentioned in our Privacy Policy. This is so they can contact you for feedback on your experience of Power Move Flex. This includes third-parties as part of the CrowdFlex project partners. Your data won’t be used for marketing purposes unless you’ve opted in to receive marketing from us.

Customers who completed their pre-trial survey will receive a £5 credit to their OVO energy account.

By opting out of Power Move Flex, you’ll opt out of the CrowdFlex trial. You’ll be given the option to opt out of all CrowdFlex related emails & stop sharing your data, or whether you’re happy to continue sharing your data as part of the project.

If you have any more questions about Power Move Flex please get in touch with us by calling us on 0330 303 5063 to chat with one of our team.