British Gas issues 'last chance' message as customers could miss out on half price bills

British Gas customers have been issued with a three-day warning ahead of Christmas. The energy company is offering half price electricity on Christmas Day and Boxing Day to those who sign up.

Sunday, December 15, is the last day to sign up for its half-price electricity scheme. The Peak-Save event slashes the price of electricity by 50 per cent between 11am and 4pm on specific days.

British Gas customers could benefit from half price electricity over the festive period. There is no obligation to join the scheme, but households can save money on their energy bills by doing more energy-intensive tasks during a session.

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This could be cooking Christmas Dinner, charging up new devices, or hoovering after opening presents. The savings will appear as "PeakSave Credit" on your energy bill and you will be sent a summary of what you have saved each month.

Those who prepay for their electricity will have their credit automatically added to their meter each month - normally within 10 working days after the month ends. It's important to note that the Peak Save events do not change the tariff you are on and this does remain the same.

PeakSave rewards customers for shifting their electricity usage to times when there's less demand, The Mirror reports. This is the second year British Gas is offering its customers the chance to save during the festive season – with £1.4 million paid out last December. An additional 50,000 people have already signed up for the event this year.

British Gas offers PeakSave every Sunday in December between 11am and 4pm. It also has its Peak Save Green Flex scheme, which it will inform customers about before initiating.

You can sign up for the scheme on the British Gas website by entering your full name, email address and customer reference number. It will then get in touch if your application is successful and credit back any money saved after taking part each week.

To join in the saver scheme you will need to have a working smart meter which can send half-hourly readings. Once you've registered, it takes British Gas around seven to 10 days to complete all the checks.

Catherine O’Kelly, managing director of British Gas Energy, said: "This festive season we wanted to give back to our customers once again. We know that so many of them appreciated the half price days last Christmas whilst they were spending more time at home with loved ones.

"It’s no surprise that our PeakSave scheme has been a huge success – it helps customers save on their energy costs while also contributing to a greener grid. We’re expecting that to continue throughout the winter and look forward to welcoming even more customers to PeakSave.”

Brumwish 2024 - buy a gift for a child in need

BrumWish 2024 is Birmingham Live's festive drive to get thousands of gifts to children and young people across our city - among them the homeless, the vulnerable, kids in care, kids who are poorly or struggling, and kids who have little.

There are THREE simple ways to help.

1. Buy a new gift from the Brumwish 2024 Amazon giftlist. In just a click your donation will be whizzing its way to our volunteers at Edgbaston Stadium.
2. Donate money to the appeal fund hosted by Thrive Together Birmingham - this will help pay for gifts for kids with specialist needs or specific wishes.
3. Buy a gift and, even better, rope in friends, neighbours and workmates to do the same, then drop off your pressies at Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston Road, B5 7QU on Friday 6th December, 10am - 3pm; Saturday 7th December, 10am - 1pm; or Monday 9th December, 10am - 1pm. Volunteers will be there to help you. Please don't wrap your gifts. You can also drop off by arrangement until Monday 16th December - contact Louise on 07469 979286.

Thanks to our partnership with #Toys4Birmingham, every single gift will find a good home in the loving care of a child living in B&Bs or hotels, hostels or refuges, children receiving support from specialist organisations and charities, and families being supported by children's centres and charities around the city.

Making up the Brumwish and Toys4Birmingham gang are Thrive Together Birmingham, Birmingham Playcare Network, Warwickshire Cricket Foundation (the charitable arm of Warwickshire County Cricket Club), Birmingham Forward Steps and BirminghamLive/Birmingham Mail.

Thank you to Amazon UK and the amazing team at the Sutton Coldfield depot for their support.