We’re thrilled to share that NESO’s Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) is back for another year, and this time, equiwatt is making it easier than ever to take part.
Meet powerSmart, our new name for DFS events, designed to help you save energy, earn rewards, and support a greener energy grid—all with minimal effort.
For those of you not familiar with NESO or the Demand Flexibility Service, or DFS as it is more commonly referred to, it would probably be helpful to explain what it is and why it is good news for households across Great Britain.
Relaunching for the third time this winter, the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) is a national initiative run by NESO (National Electricity System Operator). Its goal is to reduce electricity consumption during peak times to help balance supply and demand on the energy grid. By reducing demand, we can limit reliance on polluting fossil fuel power stations and support the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy system.
Through equiwatt’s powerSmart events and our free app, you’re rewarded for making small changes with points that can be redeemed for eGift cards. These changes also add up to a big impact, as you play your part in reducing carbon emissions from dirty, polluting fossil fuels. Plus, with the introduction of year-round DFS events, there’s even more opportunity to save and earn.
For those of you new to equiwatt, taking part in powerSmart events is simple:
1) Opt In – Use the free equiwatt app to confirm your participation in upcoming events when notified.
2) Reduce Electricity Usage – During the event, lower your usage compared to your typical forecast.
3) Earn Points – The more you save, the more points you’ll earn.
4) Redeem Rewards – Use your points for eGift cards or charitable donations.
For those of you familiar with the equiwatt app, we are pleased to say that thanks to our expanded integrations, participating in events has never been easier.
Smart devices like electric vehicles, Tado thermostats, and smart plugs can now be used by all our users to automatically reduce their energy usage during events.
For example:
Smart thermostats can lower the heating in your house by 5°C automatically for the event duration thanks to our new Tado integration. Learn more.
Electric vehicles can pause charging temporarily during an event to help reduce demand thanks to our integration with Smartcar and Zaptec EV chargers.
Smart plugs can switch devices off for the duration of an event and switch them back on at the end via our integration with TP-Link Kasa smart plugs. Learn more.
Open API & Webhooks can be used to set up custom automations to fit your needs. From setting up event alerts to switching off your devices. Learn more.
IFTTT Applets can be used to remotely switch off your devices when an event starts or send you notifications when an event has been scheduled. Learn more.
As well as adding new automation to make participating in events easier than ever, we’ve also updated the equiwatt app with some new features. This includes:
New look 📱
We are really excited to have given a fresh look to the app for the first time in a number of years.
As well as adding a touch of much needed colour to the app, the new look also includes some new animations and features to make the app easier to navigate and understand.
We are working on some other new animations and changes to the app screens which we cannot wait to share with you in due course.
For the eagle eyed among you, you may also have noticed that there is someone new who has started making an appearance in the app. We will let you know more about that soon... 😉
Multi-Event Opt-In ✅
Alongside the new look and feel of the app, we have also added a new feature which lets you opt into multiple events and see a full list of scheduled events via the home screen of the app.
With more and more events being run by NESO and others, we wanted to provide an easy way for you to know when your next events are going to be so that you can plan ahead.
New eGift card options 🎁
As well as the exciting new features we have also added 27 new eGift card options in the App Store!
In addition to our previous options, you can now redeem your hard earned points for eGift cards from brands including:
Aldi, Apple, ASOS, Boots, B&Q, Caffe Nero, Cineworld, Currys, Decathlon, Deliveroo, Dunelm, Farmfoods, Google Play, Greggs, Halfords, Iceland, IKEA, M&S, Morrisons, Odeon, Playstation, Primark, Theatre Tokens, TK Maxx, Uber Eats, Waitrose and Xbox.
Monthly Competitions 🏆
This year, we’re doubling down on rewards to make your energy-saving efforts even more worthwhile by giving everyone the chance to earn points through our monthly leaderboard and prizes. This includes:
Leaderboard Prizes: Win £15, £10, or £5 worth of points as one of the top 3 savers.
Lucky Dip: 3 participants win £5 worth of points.
Prize Draw: One lucky winner takes home £20 worth of points.
Spot Prizes Are Back 🎉
As well as our monthly prizes, this year we are also reintroducing Spot Prizes to give all equiwatt app users the chance to WIN up to £100 worth of points with surprise rewards during the year.
You can find out more about our latest Spot Prize here.
PowerSmart is just the beginning. In the coming months, we’re planning even more integrations and features to help you save energy effortlessly and maximise your rewards, so watch this space.
Not yet an equiwatt app user for NESO's DFS events? As well as our exciting features and prizes there are a number of things which set us apart from most other providers:
Independence: Join no matter your energy supplier.
No Minimum Reduction: Earn points for any savings—big or small.
Automation: Let your devices do the work for you.
Impact: Lower bills, reduce your carbon footprint, and support a cleaner energy grid.
Ready to take control of your energy usage, earn rewards, and help build a greener future?
Download the equiwatt app and start participating in powerSmart events today! Learn More About PowerSmart.
Together, let’s make energy savings smarter—and more rewarding.