Utrack Money Back is a scheme where you can get paid for reducing your electricity usage at certain times on certain days. We're part of the National Grid ESO scheme that is running between November 2022 and March 2023 to test whether we can help balance supply and demand of electricity on the grid.
If you sign up to the Utrack Money Back scheme, we recommend you opt in to both push email and push notifications, so we can alert you to when a Money Back session is scheduled to take place and invite you to opt in. Once you opt in, there’s nothing else to do until the session begins. During the session, aim to reduce your electricity usage in a safe and manageable way, such as switching off appliances not in use, and also adapting your routine, such as delaying what time you might cook a meal or switch on a dishwasher. We will then calculate how much you reduced your electricity consumption in comparison to your typical usage and you’ll be paid around £3 for every kWh saved.
We expect there to be at least two sessions each month until 31 March 2023. These sessions are finalised at short notice by the National Grid, and we will notify you as soon as we find out when the next session is. This is why it’s important to remember to opt in to push notifications and email to make sure you don’t miss an update.
You will be paid around £3 for every kWh saved - however, the amount you earn will depend on your typical usage during the time periods when the sessions run and how much you reduce your usage by. Each Demand Session could offer a different level of payment, but this will be communicated before you choose to opt in to a session.
To ensure users see the full benefit of this programme during this trial scheme, Utrack is passing on the full payment awarded by the National Grid to the customer.
We will add up your earnings throughout the sessions, and after the scheme has ended (after 31 March 2023) we will request your bank details in order to arrange a bank transfer. You'll also have the option to donate your earnings to charity if you so wish. You will have one month after we request your bank details to provide these to us, otherwise we may donate your earnings to charity.
Anyone with an electricity smart meter can sign up, regardless of which provider they're with. To check you're eligible, make sure you've successfully connected your smart meter to Utrack and can see electricity data coming through.
Within Utrack, there is a tab called 'Money Back' which has the option to sign up to the scheme. You’ll also need to opt in to individual sessions, which we will notify you about ahead of time to make sure you don't miss out. At the moment, only those with an electricity smart meter can take part.
At the bottom of the 'Money Back' tab in the app you'll see the option to opt out of the scheme. You can opt back in if you do opt out by accident.
If you open the 'Money Back' tab in the app you'll be able to see how much you've earned and how many kWh you've reduced your electricity usage by. It takes a few days for this to be calculated after a session happens so please bear with us - we'll alert you when your calculations are ready.
You can only opt in to one scheme at a time, so we'd recommend opting out or signing out of other apps/services you're using that offer a similar scheme, or you may be disqualified from taking part. Make sure you've signed up to Utrack Money Back and that you opt in to the individual sessions to ensure you can earn money.
Utrack wants users to receive the maximum payout from the National Grid, so we pass on every pennythat we receive to our customers that take part in Utrack Money Back.
The easiest ways to reduce your electricity usage during Money Back sessions is to try not to use appliances like your oven, washing machine or tumble dryer. We'd also recommend not opening your fridge or boiling the kettle if you can avoid it. Take a look at the Savings tab to get a better understanding of which appliances tend to use the most electricity.
Your smart meter usage data will be processed by our technology partner to calculate by how much you have reduced your consumption. It is also shared with National Grid ESO for audit purposes.
You need to have a smart meter to take part in the Utrack Money Back scheme, as we need to be able to automatically check your meter readings to calculate how much you've reduced your electricity usage by.
There are no penalties if you're unable to reduce your electricity usage during a Utrack Money Back session.