UK’s biggest energy supplier is paying customers to use less electricity tonight

THE UK's biggest vigor supplier is paying customers to usage little energy tonight.

Octopus Energy is encouraging customers to chopped backmost connected their energy usage during a one-hour model today.

From 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM contiguous (January 22), customers who opt into Octopus Energy's "Saving Sessions" strategy tin gain credits for reducing their vigor depletion compared to their accustomed usage.

For each kilowatt-hour (kWh) saved, participants volition pouch 448 points, worthy 56p.

The scheme, portion of Octopus’s broader effort to equilibrium the grid and tackle vigor waste, was announced earlier contiguous connected the supplier’s societal media.

Customers were urged to log successful to their online accounts and opt successful via the Octoplus tab.

This isn’t the archetypal clip Octopus Energy has introduced innovative schemes to assistance its customers prevention money portion supporting the vigor grid.

Last year, the institution launched “free energy sessions” during periods of antagonistic wholesale prices.

These events, which occurred during times of surplus renewable energy, allowed customers to usage energy for escaped and adjacent person credits for expanding their usage during the designated hour.

For instance, if Octopus ran 14 specified sessions implicit the people of a year, customers who took afloat vantage of the strategy could prevention astir £17 connected their yearly vigor bills.

While the savings mightiness not look enormous, these initiatives person a broader purpose: reducing discarded and making the astir of renewable vigor during times of precocious supply.

In 2023, Britain experienced a record-breaking 214 hours of antagonistic wholesale power prices, averaging implicit fractional an hr a day, according to Drax Electric Insights.

These terms drops usually hap connected windy days oregon erstwhile vigor proviso outstrips demand.

During specified periods, upwind farms are often paid not to make powerfulness to forestall overloading the grid—a costly solution that outgo implicit £300 cardinal past twelvemonth successful curtailment payments.

To combat this waste, Octopus Energy is starring the complaint successful encouraging smarter vigor use.

The "Saving Sessions" programme flips the script by paying customers to set their habits, helping to equilibrium the grid portion reducing reliance connected fossil fuels.

How does it work?

If you person a astute meter, Octopus volition notify you successful beforehand of a Saving Session.

During the designated hour, customers who trim their energy usage beneath their emblematic depletion volition gain credits.

Tonight’s league offers 56p per kWh saved, meaning a household that typically uses 5kWh of energy successful an hr could pouch £2.80 if they chopped their depletion entirely.

While the fiscal benefits mightiness not rival a wage rise, the strategy appeals to environmentally conscious customers who privation to trim their c footprint portion earning a small extra.

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, main merchandise serviceman astatine Octopus Energy, said: “This is each astir making the grid smarter and greener.

"By shifting vigor usage to erstwhile it’s astir abundant, we tin marque definite renewable powerfulness doesn’t spell to waste.”

If you’re an Octopus Energy customer, it’s not excessively precocious to articulation tonight’s session.

Head to your online dashboard (not the app) and opt successful via the Octoplus tab.

You’ll assistance the planet—and your wallet—at the aforesaid time.

What different companies are offering

When it comes to energy-saving schemes, the UK’s biggest providers each bring thing antithetic to the table, with varying benefits depending connected your household's habits and goals.

EDF’s Sunday Saver situation rewards customers with up to 16 hours of escaped energy each Sunday if they displacement their weekday usage distant from highest times (4 p.m. to 7 pm).

The simplicity of this scheme, which requires a astute metre and half-hourly readings, makes it a standout for families looking to chopped costs portion sticking to predictable patterns.

Meanwhile, British Gas PeakSave programme provides half-price energy betwixt 11 americium and 4 p.m. each Sunday, making it perfect for households that privation fixed savings opportunities.

For those with much flexibility, the Green Flex strategy notifies customers of discounted two-hour windows erstwhile renewable vigor is plentiful.

With implicit £14 cardinal paid retired to participants truthful far, British Gas’s schemes supply wide fiscal incentives.

Good Energy’s FlexiRewards programme, which doesn’t necessitate a astute metre for participants with vigor pumps oregon batteries, adjusts incentives based connected grid request and offers up to £20 a period successful savings.

Meanwhile, Scottish Power’s Power Saver events and half-price weekends are designed to promote renewable vigor use, with bonus events notifying customers of further savings opportunities.

Finally, Ovo’s Power Move situation adds a gamified constituent to vigor saving.

By challenging customers to minimise peak-time usage (4 p.m. to 7 pm, Monday to Friday), Ovo offers tiered measure credits of up to £12 a month.

This strategy is perfect for customers who bask moving towards circumstantial goals and are highly conscious of their vigor habits.

Each supplier offers chiseled perks, from fixed discounts to on-the-go flexibility.

Its important to comparison what each institution is offering to spot which ones astir payment you.