Become powerSmart with equiwatt

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Introducing powerSmart

Part of NESO Demand Flexibility Service (DFS)

 Our free app is the easiest way for you and others across the UK to collectively make a difference to the planet, our energy system and your finances.

With powerSmart, we reward you for using less electricity during the busiest times of the day via our free app.

Plus, our app can automate your participation via integrations with smart devices such as electric vehicles, smart plugs, smart thermostats and more, making it simple to save energy and earn rewards effortlessly.

Our app is independent of any energy supplier so anyone can join.

All you need to take part is a connected smart meter with half-hourly readings.

Can I take part?

To take part in our events all you will need to do is:

  • Download the FREE equiwatt app from the Apple App or Google Play Store.

  • Have an electricity smart meter that sends regular half-hourly readings* so we know how much energy you normally use and how many points to award you.

  • Opt into powerSmart via the yellow button on the home screen of the equiwatt app. Learn how to do that here.

 

*TIP: You can check if you have a compatible smart meter by using Citizen Advice's free smart meter checker

PLEASE NOTE: You can only sign up to one Registered DFS Participant at a time. If you sign up for another Registered DFS Participant's program after joining powerSmart you will become ineligible to participate in our events.

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How does it work?

EQ App Refresh - Event Live Screen - participating manually - devices selected
  1. Take part in events
    Respond to app notifications to confirm your participation in each event by opting in via the app. Can't take part? Simply opt out. We will tell you when an event is happening with as much notice as we can.Make sure to have app notifications turned on.
  2. Reduce your electricity usage
    During the event, try to use less electricity than normal. We call this 'normal' usage your forecast. Check the app for your forecast (or expected usage) and make sure you use less than this. If you have any connected smart devices (smart plugs, EVs etc), these will participate automatically.
  3. Earn points for doing your bit
    Your smart meter will let us know how much electricity you have saved and we will work out how many points you have earned for using less than normal. The less electricity you use compared to normal during an event the more points you will earn!
  4. Redeem your points for rewards
    Use your points to redeem donations to charity or eGift cards for popular high street retailers of your choosing, including Amazon, John Lewis, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda and more.

WIN prizes every month with equiwatt

Take your energy saving efforts to the next level with equiwatt's Spot Prizes! Join our powerSmart events to earn points and enter our exclusive prize draws.

What's up for grabs?*

  • 10,000 points (worth £100) for 1 lucky winner.

  • 500 points (worth £5) for 15 users.

Winner Wattkins

How do I enter?

  • Take part in powerSmart events and successfully beat your forecast.

  • Share event participation on social media using the hashtag #equiwattPowerSmart and tagging @equiwatt.

  • Earn a bonus entry for tagging a friend or for getting creative!

*Full T&Cs apply. Learn more here.

Anything else?

As well as our Spot Prizes, there are another 6500 points (worth £65) available for taking part powerSmart events thanks to our monthly leaderboard and prize draws.

Learn more about our leaderboard, lucky dip and monthly prize draw here.

Why equiwatt?

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Any energy supplier customer can take part

We are independent of energy suppliers so anyone with a smart meter and half-hourly reading can choose to take part with equiwatt regardless of who your supplier is

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No minimum energy reduction required

Unlike other providers, we never set a minimum reduction requirement you must meet to get rewarded. With equiwatt, you'll earn points for every bit of electricity you save.

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Automate your device's participation

With equiwatt, your devices can automatically take part in events using seamless integrations with EVs, smart thermostats, smart plugs, IFTTT, our open API, webhook triggers and more.

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Earn points and redeem for rewards you want

Earn points by participating in events and using less electricity than normal. Redeem your points for high-street eGift vouchers and charity donations of your choosing.

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Our free app helps you stay in control

Thanks to our easy-to-use app, you will always be in control. You'll always know when the next event is, be able to quickly opt in or out and track your progress with just a few taps of a button. 

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Make a difference to your wallet

By taking part in powerSmart events you will gain a better understanding of your typical electricity usage which will help you to cut down on wastage and help to lower your bills.

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Support a greener energy system

Help reduce the need to use traditional fossil fuel power stations to meet demand alongside others across the country by using less electricity at the busiest times of the day.

Download the app today

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FAQs

How will it work?

Will I have to sit in the dark?

The idea of powerDOWN events is to reduce your electricity use when and where you can. 

We are not asking you to go without electricity.

Energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances, such as modern televisions, use very little electricity, so switching them off during a powerDOWN event is unlikely to be worth it.

How will powerSmart events work?

You will receive a notification via the app in advance of each event to let you know when it is going to happen and what you need to do.

1) If you want to take part in the event you will need to confirm your participation in the app.

2) During powerDOWN events, you will need to use less electricity than normal by beating your forecast shown in the app. (If you have compatible smart devices these will participate automatically without you needing to lift a finger!)

3) You will get rewarded in points by reducing your energy use. You can earn entries to our monthly prize draw to win 2000 points (worth £20) by registering what you have switched off in the app. You can find out how to do this here.

4) Typically within 48 hours of the event ending, we will let you know how much energy you have saved and how many points you have earned.

How do I participate in powerSmart events?

When an event starts, you will receive a notification:

1) Switch off as many electric appliances as it is safe to and avoid turning high-usage appliances on.

2) Check your forecast in the equiwatt app to make sure you know how much electricity we expect you to use and what you have to beat so that you are using less. 

TIP: Check your In-Home Display (IHD) unit to make sure that you are going below your forecast.

3) Once the event has ended we will send you another notification so that you know when you can start using your appliances again.

4) As soon as we have received readings from your smart meter we will automatically award your points (this is typically with 48 hours) and let you know how much electricity you have saved in the app.

How will I know powerSmart events are happening?

Notifications for events will be sent via the app in advance of the event happening (so make sure to have notifications switched on). We will give you as much notice as we can depending on how much notice NESO gives us.

Do I need to opt-in to every event?

If you want to earn points for reducing your electricity usage during a powerDOWN event then you will need to confirm your participation in the app before each event, so that we know you are planning to take part.

If you don't confirm your participation then you will not be able to earn any points even if you use less electricity.

What happens if I don't opt in or out of an event?

If you forget to opt-in or out of a an event then you will not be able to earn points.

We can only let you participate if you opt-in and let us know that you are going to take part. If you do nothing then we will assume that you don't wish to take part on this occasion.

Do I have to take part in every powerSmart event?

You can take part in as many or as few events as you like.

If you do not wish to participate, simply opt out in the app when you receive a notification of an upcoming event.

However, if you want to earn points for reducing your electricity usage during powerDOWN events then you will need to confirm your participation in the app before each event, so we know that you want to take part.

What time of day will powerSmart events happen?

Events could happen at any time of day.

However, the timing of the events will be based on when the grid needs help.

This is typically during the busiest or 'peak' times of day when the energy system needs to generate more power to meet everyone's needs. For example, between 4-7 pm.

How many powerSmart events will there be?

It is hard to give an exact number for how many events there will be in total as it will depend on how many events NESO decide to run to support the needs of the electrical grid.

Based on previous years, we are estimating there to be 4 events a month during the winter.

Is there anything that I shouldn't do to save electricity?

Please do not do anything dangerous that could pose a risk to you or anyone else's health.

For example:

  • Don't turn off medical equipment or similar devices.

  • Don't swap using your kitchen appliances for a BBQ or open flame in your house.

  • Do not switch off the heating in cold weather if it is going to cause you or someone else to become uncomfortable.

Why should I choose powerSmart over another providers scheme?

The equiwatt community have been pioneering peak time energy saving for more than 3 years, running 300+ events in that time.

This means we have a lot of experience on how to make getting rewarded for using less electricity as simple, easy and rewarding as possible. 

Our app includes a number of integrations with smart technologies, including electric vehicles, smart plugs, smart thermostats and more to automate participation in events really easy.

As an independent provider, you do not need to be with a specific energy supplier to benefit from our free app. This means that no matter who provides your energy, you will always be able to take part in our events.

Unlike some other schemes, we don't rely on sending you emails to let you know about events or wait until the end of the month to send you your rewards and savings.

Our app enables you to get rewarded and see your savings and impact as soon as your smart meter readings are available (usually within 48 hours).

Our gamified approach to energy saving also means that we aim to make using less electricity fun and rewarding by enabling you to compete in monthly leaderboards and win prizes.

Smart meters

Do I need a smart meter to take part in powerSmart events?

You will need a working electric smart meter and half-hourly readings enabled to take part so we can verify how much energy you’ve managed to save.

What if I don't have a smart meter?

If you do not have an electric smart meter then unfortunately, you will not be able to take part in powerSmart events.

In order to verify delivery of energy reduction we need data in 30-minute increments, which are provided by a smart meter.

You can find out how to request a smart meter from your energy supplier here.

powerSmart events will be running throughout the year, so once your smart meter has been installed you should be eligible to take part.

Do I need an in-home display (IHD) to take part?

As long as you have a connected electric smart meter and half-hourly readings enabled you can take part.

Please note: Your in-home display (IHD) is different to your smart meter. Your IHD is the little screen that sits on a shelf in your house and displays your energy usage info.

My IHD is broken, can I take part?

As long as you have a connected electric smart meter and half-hourly readings enabled you can take part.

Even if you do not have an IHD or it is broken, you can check your energy usage in the equiwatt app or if applicable in your energy suppliers app.

What happens if you can't take a reading from my smart meter during an event?

If an external issue means that we are unable to retrieve readings from your smart meter during an event that you have opted into, we won't know how much you have saved.

If that happens we will be unable to award you any points for that event.

If we stop getting regular readings from your smart meter, that might prevent you from taking part in any further events. 

In this instance you may need to contact your supplier to see if there is something wrong with your smart meter.

What happens if my smart meter stops connecting completely?

If your smart meter stops working at any point after you have joined powerSmart, please get in touch with us at hello@equiwatt.com and we will do all we can to help you resolve the issue.

In some circumstances, your smart meter may need to be fixed by your electricity provider as they are responsible for the maintenance and repair of your smart meter.

This is something that you will need to resolve directly with them.

If we are unable to get regular readings from your smart meter, that might prevent you from taking part in any further events until the issue has been resolved. 

What happens if you can't take a reading from my smart meter during an event?

If an external issue means that we are unable to retrieve readings from your smart meter during an event that you have opted into, we won't know how much you have saved.

If that happens we will be unable to award you any points for that event.

If we stop getting regular readings from your smart meter, that might prevent you from taking part in any further powerSmart events. 

In this instance, you may need to contact your supplier to see if there is something wrong with your smart meter.

Rewards

What are points for powerSmart events worth?

There is no complicated conversion rate when it comes to points. Every point earned from an event is worth 1p.

Or to put it another way, 100 points are worth £1.00.

How do points for events work?

When powerDOWN events happen, you will need to use less electricity at home compared to normal. We refer to this as beating your forecast.

Your forecast is the amount of electricity that we expect you to use during the period that the event is running and is displayed in the app during an event.

If you use less electricity than compared to normal (e.g. beat your forecast) you will earn points. The more you beat your forecast by, the more points you will earn!

You can get some help working out how much electricity your appliances use by taking a look at the Centre for sustainable energy's website.

How much could I earn for taking part in powerSmart events?

The short answer is that it is hard to say.

You will earn points per kilowatt hour for all the electricity that you don't use during an event in comparison to your forecast, or what we expect you to use based on previous days.

However, it is hard to say exactly how much you could earn overall as it depends on a lot of different factors.

For example, how many events there are, how long they are and how much NESO pays for each event.

There are also other factors such as how many events you choose to take part in, how much electricity you save and whether you win any of our prizes.

What prizes could I win?

As well as earning points from each event, which can be used to redeem rewards from the gift store, we run several prize draws each month, to give you opportunities to earn prizes.

These include:

1) Monthly Leaderboard

All points you earn from events, count towards your monthly Leaderboard position.

Finish in the top 3 each to win 1500 (worth £15), 1000 (worth £10) and 500 (worth £5) for finishing in 1st, 2nd and 3rd position respectively. 

2) Lucky Dip

The Lucky Dip randomly draws 3 winners every month from all the users who have earned a minimum of 50 points that month by participating in equivents but finished outside of the top three on the Leaderboard.

The 3 winners of the lucky dip will be awarded 500 points (worth £5).

3) Monthly Prize Draw

Every month the Prize Draw randomly picks a winner from all users that have participated in equivents that month and registered their participation in the app.

The winner of the prize draw will earn 2000 points (worth £20) as their prize.

You can learn how to register your appliance's participation in an equivent here.

What is the monthly leaderboard?

Monthly Leaderboard

The leaderboard enables our users to compete against each other to earn bonus points for participating in equivents each month.

By opting in to participate in our monthly leaderboard, users have the chance to win 1500, 1000 and 500 bonus points for finishing in first, second or third place on our leaderboard respectively.

Our leaderboard ranks users according to how many points they have been awarded for participating in equivents.

equivent Points are calculated based on the amount of peak energy your home has shifted during an equivent.

What is the lucky dip?

Lucky Dip

The Lucky Dip randomly draws 3 winners every month from all the users who have earned a minimum of 50 points that month by participating in equivents but finished outside of the top three on the Leaderboard.

Any user that earns at least 50 points from equivents during a month will receive 1 (one) entry into the monthly lucky dip.

The 3 winners of the lucky dip will be awarded 500 points (worth £5).

The Lucky Dip will reset at the end of every month.

To participate simply head to your account settings and opt-in to the Leaderboard. 

What is the monthly prize draw?

Prize Draw

Every month the Prize Draw randomly picks a winner from all users that have manually participated in equivents that month and registered their participation in the app.

The winner of the prize draw will earn 2000 points (worth £20) as their prize.

You can learn how to register your appliance's participation in an equivent here.

PLEASE NOTE: Each manual participation in an equivent (regardless of the number and type of appliances switched off and registered) will reward a user with 1 (one) entry into the monthly prize draw.

Manual participation in 1 equivent = 1 entry
Manual Participation In 6 equivents = 6 entries

The prize draw entries Leaderboard resets to zero at the end of every month.

To make sure that you can participate in the Prize Draw, simply head to your account settings and opt-in to the Leaderboard.

Automation & smart devices

How can I take part in equivents automatically?

There are several ways to automate participation in equivents.

  1. Connect home appliances to a compatible TP-Link Kasa smart plug (KP115 & HS110).

  2. Connect a compatible electric vehicle or smart charger (Zaptec).

  3. Connect smart appliances via the IFTTT integration.

  4. Connect smart appliances via the equiwatt open API and webhook triggers.

  5. Connect a compatible smart thermostat (Tado).

To connect your devices, open the 'Manage' tab of the equiwatt app, select 'Add other integrations' and follow the onscreen instructions to connect your devices.

Once connected you can decide which devices take part in events and for how long.

Which devices are currently supported?

At the moment the equiwatt app currently supports the following smart devices:

Smart plugs

  • TP-Link Kasa smart plugs (KP115 & HS110 models).

Electric vehicles (EVs)

  • Audi (2015+)

  • BMW (2013+)

  • Citroen (2016+)

  • Cupra (2021+)

  • DS (2017+)

  • Ford (2013+)

  • Hyundai (2020+)

  • Jaguar (2016+)

  • Kia (2020+)

  • Land Rover (2016+)

  • Mini (2018+)

  • Peugeot (2016+)

  • Skoda (2016+)

  • Tesla (2012+)

  • Vauxhall (2019+)

  • VW (2015+)

If your EV is not currently supported then you can connect it to the app manually by following the steps in this article.

Electric Vehicle Chargers

  • Zaptec

Smart Thermostats

  • Tado

IFTTT

Short for 'If This Then That', IFTTT is an easy way to set up a variety of automation to take part in equivents without having to lift a finger!

From SmartThings, Phillips Hue and Hive many smart devices can be connected to equiwatt to automatically take part in equivents via IFTTT.

You can learn more here.

Open API & Webhooks

The equiwatt open API & webhook triggers allow you to programmatically control the turning on and off of your devices during equivents.

You can learn more here.

To connect your devices, open the 'Manage' tab of the equiwatt app, select 'Add other integrations' and follow the onscreen instructions to connect your devices.

Once connected you can decide which devices take part in events and for how long.

Download the free app today

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