British Gas, OVO, EDF, EON, Octopus will pay customers to use less energy

All the energy companies that will pay you for using less energy this winter have been revealed. As we head through winter and towards Christmas, the National Grid has bought back its "Demand Flexibility Service" (DFS) for the third year.

The DFS incentivises customers to reduce their energy use, or avoid peak usage times. It launched on November 27 and sees customers paid for the savings they make. If you are a household with a smart meter, or a business site with half-hourly metering, you’ll be able to sign up either your retail energy supplier or online providers/apps who are participating in the service.

If you have signed up to take part in the DFS with a registered DFS provider, they’ll contact you on the day we’d like you to shift your electricity use. DFS events usually run for one hour, but can be for half an hour, or could run for a longer period. It’s a voluntary service and you do not have to participate if your registered DFS provider invites you to.

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In order to be eligible to receive an incentive from your provider you do however have to reduce your energy use during the DFS event times. When you sign up to take part in DFS you will need to authorise your provider to access your smart meter so they can read your data every half-hour for the duration of the service.

EDF

EDF gives customers the chance to earn up to 16-hours of free electricity a week through its Sunday Saver challenge. Customers can earn the electricity by shifting their usage away from peak times during the week (between 4pm and 7pm).

Those who successfully shift their consumption are rewarded with up to 16 hours free electricity on a Sunday. Households could reduce their power consumption during tests or live events by choosing to run power-hungry appliances such as washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, electric showers and immersion heaters before or after the event. Another option would be to reduce energy usage (e.g. using a microwave instead of the oven) during the event window.

Efficient light bulbs and small appliances such as modern televisions consume very little electricity and so it is unlikely to be worth adapting usage of these during an DFS event.

Octopus Energy

Octopus Energy Savings Sessions is to launch again this winter, but the firm is waiting for the term's of this years DFS scheme to be announced before revealing details. Octopus said: "We'll tell you about each Saving Session with as much notice as possible (ideally the day before) via either app notification, or email if you don't have the app.

"Make sure you turn on app notifications so you don't miss out. Look out for Surprise Sessions In these select Sessions, there'll be shorter notice, no notifications - and sometimes, higher rewards. You may only get a few hours to opt in before the Session starts.

"We won't have time to notify you as normal, but we'll send up the Octopus signal on social media and WhatsApp. Here's how to make sure you never miss one."

British Gas

British Gas has eakSave and Green Flex, which both reward customers for shifting their electricity usage to times when there’s less demand, or more renewable electricity. PeakSave rewards customers for shifting their electricity usage to times when there’s less demand, or more renewable electricity available on the grid, supporting a greener energy supply.

What’s more, customers have saved around 407 tonnes of carbon emissions and shifted 14,638 MWh of electricity – just through PeakSave Sundays alone.

Ovo

Ovo customers are challenged to use energy off-peak, when there is less pressure on the grid. During the winter months peak hours are between 4pm and 7pm Monday to Friday. OVO has launched a new scheme dubbed “Power Move” that aims to reduce the demand on the energy grid and provide up to £100 in savings for households this winter.

The scheme will initially run as a trial that will gather data to develop the company’s understanding of usage during peak times, helping OVO to create further propositions that support a greener and more resilient energy system.