Households are being promised savings if they cut back their electricity use during certain peak hours. It seems like a no-brainer amid an energy crisis that has left millions struggling with their monthly payments – but does it work?
The promise of up to £100 off your energy bill seems like a great deal, all for the price of turning off your lights for a few short hours.
But can sitting in the dark really save you £100?
It seems like a no-brainer amid an energy crisis that has left millions struggling with their monthly payments.
Cost of living latest: Some food firms rising prices ‘unnecessarily’
This is the first time the National Grid has ordered the DFS be used – prior to that, it was just used as test runs, to see if the system could work in theory.
I’m with Octopus Energy and opted into their Saving Sessions as soon as they became available on the app. The energy provider has run five since November.
Of these, I opted into four (I forgot to click to opt into one on the 30 November) and diligently turned off the electricity as much as possible during the set time periods.
Washing machine? Off. Lights? Off. TV? Off. Heating? Off.
I even timed to be out during one of them, to guarantee I wasn’t using any electricity.
My savings so far? £2.36.
How it works
The scheme reportedly compares usage against a customer’s usual demand and pays £3 for every unit or kilowatt hour (kWh) saved.
It will help avoid the need for emergency generators to be used or blackouts to be enforced when the grid comes under pressure during peak times this winter.
It was first trialled by Octopus Energy on 1 November, with other firms following suit, but the scheme is now officially under way after successful tests last year.
So far, 26 energy suppliers have signed up, and it will stay in place until March.
