Ovo is set to pay customers for using less power during peak hours of 4pm and 7pm through its new Power Move scheme.
Ovo chief commercial officer Mat Moakes said the scheme is part of its commitment to help make its customers homes and the energy system “greener.”
“Changing what time of day you put the washing machine on might seem small, but our Power Move trials showed these small acts can make a massive impact,” he added.
Subscribe to Sustainability Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest sustainability news sent straight to your inbox everyday
Ovo trialled the scheme over the winter period and paid customers almost £150,000 for shifting 164,179 kWh out of peak time. The trial also delivered carbon savings of 22.3 tonnes by moving energy usage to times of day when the grid is greener.
Data from Ovo shows that demand on the energy grid is highest between 4 and 7pm each day, when households use a fifth of their daily total usage. At these times of peak demand, there’s often not enough renewable energy to go around, meaning fossil fuels fires up to fill the gap.
More than 1.5 million customers could collectively earn £15 million per month by completing the summer challenge. Customers will be rewarded £10 per month for reducing electricity consumption to 12.5% of their daily usage, between peak hours.
The launch makes Ovo the first and only provider to launch an all-year scheme. At the start of summer, British Gas unveiled its initiative where customers will be rewarded 50% of its electricity between 11am and 4pm every Sunday from 25 June to 24 September.
