Power Move Flex FAQs - Availability

OVO is participating 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.

If you are a Charge Anytime customer, you can take part in CrowdFlex through taking part in Power Move Flex for Charge Anytime.

In Power Move Flex for Charge Anytime, OVO are rewarding customers for simply plugging in your EV as often, and for as long as you can. 

Longer smart-charging windows give us more opportunity to charge your EV at times when the grid is likely to be greener. As well as helping out at times when we might need to balance the grid.

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

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 zero carbon emissions.

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, you can still help to cut carbon emissions depending on what 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.

Equally, if there are times of extra renewable energy on the grid, it’s better for the country to use electricity at these times. 

Our smart tech aims to charge your EV when demand is low and there’s more renewable electricity on the grid. By plugging in for longer, there’s more time to optimise your charging. Meaning it’s less likely your car will be charged with power from fossil fuels.

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 through the Charge Anytime app, just tap the banner and follow through to the sign up page.

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 for Charge Anytime, you’ll be rewarded for the time your EV is spent connected to your EV charger. The aim is for you to plug in as often and for as long as you can.

We’ll optimise your charging so your car is charged to the amount you set, at the ready-by-time you set. If you plug in your EV to your charger, you may be rewarded with credit to your bill. 

Power Move Flex for Charge Anytime rewards are different from rewards from Power Move Flex events (Power Up and Power Down), you can’t earn rewards in both. By taking part and earning rewards in Power Move Flex for Charge Anytime, you won’t earn rewards for any Power Move Flex events we may optimise your charging around.

You’ll earn credit for the number of sessions your EV is plugged in per week.

The £0.07/kwh Charge Anytime rate is fixed and you will never be charged more per unit of energy that you use when smart charging.

The only way it’ll cost you more for charging is if you drive more miles in your vehicle than you normally drive, meaning you need to charge your EV more.

If you charge using the Boost function, this will charge your EV at your normal electricity rate.

A plug in session is:

• Being plugged in for 6 hours, continually
• Our session counter runs from midday to midday
• Our reward counter runs midday Sunday to midday Sunday and will count sessions within each 7 day period.

You can only record 1 session in the same 24 hour period towards a Power Move Flex for Charge Anytime reward. Multiple sessions in the same cycle won’t  be counted and only the first session will be counted.

You’ll receive a monthly summary of rewards earned for that month. You may receive weekly communications from us letting you know how you’re doing, reminders for you to plug in for the coming week or ask to extend your ready-by-time.

Some customers may be asked to move their ready-by-time to help support the grid even more. This might be because there’s increased demand within your charging period. By extending your ready-by-time, you’re giving OVO more time to optimise the charging of your car and avoid potential higher demand periods.

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.

If, for 3 days after the reward counter resets, we can’t collect plug in data from your charger, we won’t be able to reward you because we won’t have the data we need to calculate your plug in session.

You won’t be eligible to receive any reward for an event if you don’t plug in your EV.

Whilst taking part in Power Move Flex for Charge Anytime, use Charge Anytime as you normally would through the app. We’ll optimise your charging and your car will be charged to the amount you choose, by the ready-by-time you set.

You'll get a reward for plugging your vehicle in and allowing OVO to optimise your charging during Power Up and Power Down events. You won’t be rewarded for participation in these events.

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 be randomly selecting customers to join the trial. We’ll let you know if you’ve joined the trial or not.

Your Direct Debit won’t be affected by Power Move Flex for Charge Anytime rewards. We encourage you to not change 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, for 3 days after the reward counter resets, we can’t collect plug in data from your charger, we won’t be able to reward you because we won’t have the data we need to calculate your plug in session.

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.

We’ll share your data in accordance with the Charge Anytime terms and conditions including but not limited to:

OVO to share your data (your email address, electricity rates, electricity MPAN and OVO ID) with Kaluza to notify them that you are a Charge Anytime customer and to allow them to provide smart charging services;

OVO to share your data (MPAN, name, email address) with Ohme.

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

By opting out of Power Move Flex for Charge Anytime, 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.