Reduce temperature of French home by one degree to save money and even win gifts

Apps such as Reevolt, Survoltage and LibertéWatts reward people for making eco-friendly gestures and are growing in popularity. 

They represent one of several ways to help reduce energy consumption over the winter period, helping households save on bills.

Indeed, this is one of the three main goals and a vital tool for enticing new users to LibertéWatts which the founder, Guillaume Faure, says has already been downloaded by thousands of users in France.

As well as helping people reduce their energy consumption, LibertéWatts looks to ease the pressure on the grid during its busiest periods (essentially the morning and evening during the winter months) to reduce the risk of network blackout. 

The app ‘gamifies’ energy savings through a series of small quests and challenges – think Duolingo but for electricity – and then rewarding them for doing so.

Participants who engage in challenges earn points which can then be converted into gifts and vouchers for items such as smart thermostats and solar panel installations or direct cash payments. 

In time, more retailers may join in according to Mr Faure.

The app also tracks energy consumption to show in real-time how effective following energy-saving measures are for reducing energy bills.

Complete energy ‘tasks’ to earn prizes

Mr Faure envisioned LibertéWatts in 2022, during the energy crisis. 

“I thought to myself: why not ask the French people, when we are on the brink of disaster, to avoid consuming electricity at that moment, to prevent a blackout?” he said to media outlet France3. 

The app works by connecting to a household’s Linky meter and then offering challenges at certain times to reduce strain on the network. 

For example, users may receive a notification challenging them to reduce their electricity consumption at a certain period of the day – often 08:00 - 09:00 and 19:00 - 20:00 by any means necessary, with the best performers seeing the biggest rewards. 

This can include unplugging appliances, as well as switching off lights, heating, internet etc.

Funds for the prizes come from the ‘demand response’ pool offered by France’s grid operator – although the app itself is not managed or controlled by these official authorities – for reducing consumption during the most energy-intensive periods. 

Previously only available to businesses, apps such as LibertéWatts now make use of it to encourage individual households to use less energy. 

For households to benefit from direct payments, they must earn around 20,000 ‘points’ on the app, which equals around seven months of accumulation through daily challenges. 

This bonus comes in addition to the reduction in bill cost. 

Other tips for reducing bills

The app provides several general tips to help reduce bills: 

• Lower the heating in rooms not being used (generally down to 16C/17C). For every degree dropped from your heating, your bill can decrease by some 7%

• Unplugging unused appliances as opposed to leaving them on standby can reduce bills by 5%, particularly for items rarely used 

• Use eco-friendly modes on appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines. This can reduce consumption per use by around 30%

Other tips include:

• If you are on a peak/off-peak energy contract (heures pleines and heures creuses) maximise your energy usage in off-peak hours. Smart plugs can be used to set the most energy-consuming appliances such as washing machines to come on at night in the off-peak hours. 

• Consider a contract such as the EDF ‘Tempo’, where cheaper electricity is offered for most of the year in return for a few expensive ‘red days’ in winter. This is particularly beneficial for people who will not be at their property in the winter months so should avoid the more expensive tariff.

• Complete eco-friendly renovations to avoid homes losing heat during the winter (insulation), or install more energy efficient boilers and heaters.

• Check for draughts around windows and then use insulation strips to block them.