Ovo Energy is rewarding its customers for using less power during peak hours. In a new initiative known as ‘Power Move,’ households are being incentivised to shift their electricity usage away from peak times, thereby contributing to a greener grid.
Ovo Energy is compensating customers with a monthly payment of £10 when they cut down their electricity consumption to only 12.5% of their daily usage between 4pm and 7pm.
Ovo successfully piloted the ‘Power Move’ initiative during the winter months.
They paid out almost £150,000 to customers who collectively shifted 164,179 kWh of electricity away from peak demand periods.
According to data from Ovo, the highest demand on the power grid occurs between 4pm and 7pm daily. This accounts for 19% of households’ total daily energy consumption.
Unfortunately, this demand often outpaces the available renewable energy supply. Which leads to the activation of carbon-intensive power sources to meet the deficit.
How to reduce energy consumption
To achieve the targeted 12.5% reduction in electricity consumption during peak hours, you can shift specific activities to off-peak periods. For example:
- Cooking a single oven-cooked meal for an hour per week
- Running only three dishwasher loads weekly
- Washing only four rounds of laundry per week
Mat Moakes, Ovo’s Chief Commercial Officer, emphasised the significance of seemingly small actions in driving substantial change. Furthermore, he highlighted the impact of adjusting energy usage patterns, particularly during hours when solar and wind energy generation are at their peak.
I’m an Ovo customer – how do I take part?
Participation in the ‘Power Move’ challenge is open to Ovo customers who have smart meters transmitting half-hourly readings. Those who haven’t yet upgraded to this reading frequency can easily make the switch through their online accounts.
Joining the challenge is straightforward: customers can log into their Ovo online accounts, locate the ‘Power Move’ within the ‘Path to Zero’ section, and follow the provided steps to enrol.
More information can be found on their website.
What other ways are there to reduce energy bills?
As an energy efficiency company in the UK, we are always looking for ways to help people save money and reduce their carbon footprint. One of the easiest ways to do this is by turning off appliances when they’re not in use.
It may come as no surprise, that reducing energy consumption, reduces your monthly bills. However, many people don’t realise that leaving appliances on standby can still consume energy, sometimes even up to 75% of the energy they would use when fully switched on. Did you know that the average household pays an average £146 a year on wasted energy, just by leaving devices on standby?
We wrote a great guide on the worst appliances to leave on standby. You may be surprised by how much money you can save per year, simply by unplugging certain devices.