Power Move FAQs

We want to reward our customers for taking positive actions to reduce their carbon footprint. Power Move offers you the opportunity to be rewarded for shifting your electricity usage either out of peak times of the day, or shifting it to greener times. 

Power Move is a series of quarterly challenges that will be set by OVO based on what time of year it is, how the seasons affect energy usage and the knock on environmental impact. The target and reward value will change for each challenge. 

You can decide which Power Move Challenges you’d like to participate in. In order to take part, you’ll need to opt in to each Power Move Challenge. You can do this via your online account or via an invitation email.

Each Power Move Challenge will have its own:

• Challenge type
• Monthly Target 
• Timeslot
• Reward
• Individual Power Move Challenge Rules

We’ll email you the details of the Power Move Challenge, and if you’d like to take part, you’ll need to opt into that individual Power Move Challenge.

There are two types of Power Move challenges:

Peak move - we’ll ask you to shift your non-essential electricity use out of peak times (typically between 4-7pm, but we will let you know before the Power Move Challenge starts) 

Green move - we’ll ask you to shift your non-essential electricity use to a specified time period during the day. This will be when the grid is experiencing lower demand, and your electricity is likely to be greener.

Each month there will be a target set, outlined by the Individual Power Move Challenge. This is called the Monthly Target. 

For Peak move challenges, this target will be a percentage that you need to reduce your peak time (4pm -7pm) electricity use by. For example, you might be challenged to use 10% or less of your daily energy between 4pm and 7pm.

For Green move challenges, this target will be a target percentage of your daily energy use that you’ll need to shift to a greener time of day. For example, you might be challenged to shift 20% of your daily electricity use to between 5.30am and 7.30am.

We’ll let you know if you hit the target based on your smart meter data. We’ll credit your energy account with the value that relates to the reward value set for that Power Move Challenge. The energy credit isn’t fixed and may be different for each Power Move Challenge.

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. 

Peak move - This is calculated using your half hourly readings (measured by your smart meter) each weekday, during each month. To work out the percentage, we look at how much electricity you use during the peak hours (specific to that Power Move Challenge) and compare this to your total consumption for that day.

For example:

Challenge Type: Peak Move - shift your non-essential electricity usage out of the peak (4-7pm each weekday). Your peak electricity usage must be 12.5% or less of your daily use to be rewarded £10 per month.

You may use 10kWh of electricity on a given weekday (e.g. Monday). If, between 4-7pm, you then use 2kWh of electricity then your peak electricity consumption for Monday would be 20%. 

A customer needs to average out to 12.5% or less of their peak electricity usage per month to be successful.

Green move - This is calculated using your half hourly readings (measured by your smart meter) each weekday, during each month. To work out the percentage, we look at how much electricity you use during the specified time period (specific to that Power Move Challenge) and compare this to your total consumption for that day. 

For example:

Challenge Type: Green Move - shift your non-essential electricity into a greener time (5-7am each weekday). Your electricity usage during this time period must be 20% or more of your daily use to be rewarded £10 per month.

You may use 10kWh of electricity on a given weekday (e.g. Monday). If, between 5-7am, you use 4kWh of electricity your Green move electricity consumption for Monday would be 40%.

If you successfully hit the Monthly Target, and if you have followed the Power Move Terms and Conditions, and any Individual Power Move Challenge Rules, then we’ll credit your account with the reward for that month. 

If you don’t meet the Monthly Target, you won’t receive the energy credit for that month. But you’ll be able to try again to get your credit for the following month, so there may be some months you get a credit and some that you don’t.

When everyone’s using power, and demand on the UK’s energy grid is high, there’s less renewable power (such as solar or wind) to go around. This means dirty fossil fuel generators need to be switched on to fill the gap to keep the lights on in the UK. 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 green energy releases less carbon into the atmosphere than burning fossil fuels. But did you know that even if you’re on a greener energy plan, more or less carbon is released, depending on what time you use the 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, it's more likely we'll 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 helps the country avoid having to top-up with fossil fuels.

The typical household uses around 18%* of their daily usage during the hours of 4-7pm. For specific ways to shift your electricity consumption out of peak times we recommend you:

• Cook after 7pm
• Cook in batches at the weekend and re-heat during the week
• Turn off all your plug sockets at the wall if a device isn’t being used
• Move your washing machine loads to another time of day, or to the weekend
• Put your dishwasher on after 7pm or early the next morning
• Only switch on the lights that you need
• Turn off the TV at the wall if it’s not being used
• Charge any devices before 4pm
• Use energy-saving light bulbs

*We have analysed customer data to determine that between 4pm - 7pm is when demand on the energy grid is highest.

• Move your washing machine loads to the specified time
• Put your dishwasher on during the specified time
• Charge any devices you may need at different times of the day
• Use any electric showers during the specified time

We receive readings in bulk at the end of each day, and each reading is timestamped.

No, we only measure your electricity usage in half hourly slots, from the beginning of the Power Move time slot until 30 minutes before the end of the time slot. For example, if the challenge time slot was 4-7pm then we’d count your usage using the 4pm-6.30pm half hourly slots. Any electricity used in the 7pm half hourly slot would not be counted towards your 'peak' electricity consumption.

Power Move is available to all OVO Energy customers who meet the following criteria:

• be a new or existing OVO Energy customer
• have a communicating electricity smart meter 
• have a credit meter
• have a single rate meter (meaning you only pay a single, flat rate for your electricity) or economy-7 meter
• opt in to half-hourly meter readings (you can opt in to half-hourly readings via your online account)
• have an active email address
• have OVO Energy as your energy provider

Unfortunately not all meter types are compatible with Power Move. You won’t be able to sign up to Power Move if your meter type is incompatible.

Your usage won’t count on bank holidays – so any electricity you use during the specified challenge time slot won’t count towards your monthly consumption.

You must meet all the eligibility criteria for Power Move at any point.  If at any time you fail to meet the Eligibility Criteria, for example by not opting in to half hourly meter reads or each individual Power Move challenge, then we reserve the right to end your participation in the promotion and you won’t receive the monthly energy credit.

You’ll need to opt into each quarterly challenge and you’ll be given the details of each challenge at the point of sign up. 

In order to get rewarded each month, you must meet the challenge target. This will be determined by looking at your electricity usage over the course of the month. 

For example, if the challenge is to reduce your peak non-essential electricity use to 12.5% or less of your daily total, and your average peak percentage is 12.3%, you’ll receive a credit. 

This credit will be specified by the Individual Power Move Challenge rules and applied onto your next month’s electricity bill. So you’ll see June’s credit on your July bill.

You’ll only be credited for each month that you hit the specified challenge target. If you fail to meet the target, you won’t be rewarded. 

Each month your target resets and you’ll have another opportunity to hit the target and be rewarded.

We’ll send you all updates via email. These will be: 

a) A mid-month email - outlining whether you’re on track to hit the target. You’ll not receive this email if you sign up to Power Move part way through a month

b) An end-of month email - outlining whether you were successful or not in hitting the Power Move target for the previous month

To take part in the trial, you need to have a working smart meter that’s connected to the internet and communicating.

We understand that sometimes technical issues can happen that are beyond your control. If we aren’t receiving 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 the trial.

As long as you stay with OVO Energy, you’ll be able to opt back in to Power Move with your new account details. You can do this at any point during the challenge. Your reward for the first month will be pro rata to the date you opted in.

If you switch away at any point while you’re in a Power Move challenge, you won’t be eligible to receive the energy credit each month. You’ll find further information about switching away from OVO in our Core Terms.

Power Move is only measuring your electricity usage.

You can opt out of Power Move at any time by pressing the opt out button on any Power Move email you’ve received, or via your online account. You can rejoin Power Move at any time via your online account

If you have any questions about Power Move, please visit Power Move or contact us.