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Households willing to reduce their energy consumption during peak hours can be rewarded with points worth up to £150 per year to spend at retailers such as John Lewis and Amazon.
A free app called equiwatt has launched a new rewards system that allows users to earn points during peak hours every time they turn off or reduce high-consumption devices such as electric car chargers and washing machines.
It follows similar steps taken by energy providers Octopus and Ovo Energy, which are paying customers to curb their energy consumption during peak hours to reduce the chance of power outages due to grid voltage.
Equiwatt users earn points every time they cut your energy consumption during peak hours. These are then converted into credits for use at retailers such as Amazon, John Lewis and The Body Shop
How does it work?
Equiwatt’s app sends users notifications about energy peak times two to three times a week.
At that point, they may decide to turn off devices for about an hour or reduce their usage.
By participating in these ‘equivents’ – as these hours of energy savings are called – points are earned, which can then be converted into vouchers for retailers such as The Body Shop, Amazon and John Lewis.
To earn points, users must connect their home appliances to the app.
The easiest way to use equiwatt is through a smart plug, which allows the user to program the app to automatically turn off devices when alerted.
Note that equiwatt is currently compatible with only one type of smart plug – TP-Link’s HS110 and KP115 models.
Smart plugs, which go into traditional sockets, connect all home appliances in one and allow you to manage them remotely online and via an app.
But for most people, using equiwatt means connecting their smart meter to the app.
They will have to manually disable devices and if the meter was installed before 2018, it may not be compatible.
You can also use the app if you don’t have a smart meter or plug, but instead of earning points you can be rewarded by entering a monthly prize draw where you can win 2,000 points (worth £20) each month. to win.
Equiwatt says its app is helping with the cost of living crisis, while also helping households reduce their carbon footprint, such as energy suppliers often use fossil fuel-based energy at these times to meet demand.
“The equiwatt app couldn’t come at a better time when people are looking for ways to reduce their energy consumption and combine the rising cost of living,” said Johnson Fernandes, the CEO.
“The more people come together to reduce energy demand at peak times, the greater the impact we will have on reducing strain on the power grid and avoiding disruption to our energy supply this winter.
Better yet, households can do their part to achieve the UK’s net-zero targets.
How many points can I earn?
The app calculates the amount of electricity you would normally use during peak times – this is your forecast.
You will then earn points based on how much you reduce your electricity consumption in that time compared to your forecast.
Every time you save energy by manually reducing consumption via your smart meter or automatically with your smart plug or electric car, you earn points.
Equiwatt said one of the best ways to earn more points is to make sure your smart plug is plugged into a power-hungry device that you use often.
‘For example, connecting a smart plug to a lamp or charger of a mobile phone does not save much energy […] because it doesn’t use a lot of energy in the first place’, explains it.
‘However, connecting a fridge/freezer, electric drying rack, electric heating, washing machine or dryer saves much more energy and CO2 […] and so you earn more points.’
The points total per ‘equivent’ / during a typical month is a guideline based on averages from equiwatt users. The point totals are based on each device participating in each ‘equivent’ in a month for the full duration and each point is worth £1
If you turn off your fridge freezer for an hour at a time 10-12 times a month, you can earn between 100 and 400 points per month, according to Equiwatt.
Every 100 points is worth £1, so users should stick with the app and connect it to multiple devices to make some serious money.
Points for smart plugs and electric cars are automatically added to your account after the hour of energy consumption. Points for smart meter users will be added 24-48 hours later.
The points can be redeemed in the in-app gift shop for a range of rewards.
To redeem your points and claim your prize, select the blue ‘redeem for…’ button below the gift you wish to claim.
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