A HUGE energy supplier is giving away free energy for two hours tomorrow.
British Gas will be cutting the price of all energy consumed between 11am and 1pm on Friday March 28.
The sale will be the second Green Flex event hosted by the provider, bringing cut price energy to thousands of customers.
The offer will reward customers who opt in, with half price electricity as there will be a surplus ofrenewable energyavailable in the grid.
This is a result of recent windy weather, which has resulted in more energy being produced.
As is always the case with these schemes, there is no obligation to change your normal routine, but the more you do the more you will save.
The discount will be available to new and existing PeakSave customers, who will see the savings they make appear as credit on their bills.
This credit will normally appear within two weeks of each event ending and British Gas said it has emailed customers eligible to take part.
The sale day will come just three days before energy prices rise on April 1, giving customers the opportunity to build up credit before bills increase.
As well as ad hoc Green Flex events British Gas offers customers the chance to save every Sunday through its PeakSave scheme.
The scheme offers customers half price energy between 11am and 4pm, when there's less pressure on the National Grid.
So far, shifting usage to these off-peak hours has saved British Gas customers more then £20 million.
British Gas is not the only energy provider looking to support customers to shift their use outside of peak hours.
EDF
EDF Energy's Sunday Saver challenge rewards customers who shift their usage to the end of the week.
It rewards those who use energy on Sundays with free energy to use the following week.
And, the more energy you shift away from peakperiodsduring the week, the more free electricity you'll earn.
For example, moving 40% of your usage away from peak hours could earn you up to 16 free hours of electricity to use the following Sunday.
To take part, customers need a smart meter set to provide half-hourly readings.
Adjusting your meter settings is quick and easy – simply log in to your EDF MyAccount at edfenergy.com/myaccount/login, go to the “About Me” section, select “Smart Meter Preferences,” and choose the half-hourly option.
Once your meter is set up, you can join the Sunday Saver challenge through the Energy Hub in your MyAccount.
Ovo Energy
Ovo Energy offers customers the chance to win free energy if they reduce their energy consumption during peak times.
Power Move offers customers the chance to win up to £2,000 of free energy if they use 85% or more at off-peak times.
For every month a customer's peak energy usage is less than 15% they are entered into a prize draw.
Five customers win the top prize of £2,000 of energy to use over one year, with 200 winning £50 prizes and 22,850 landing £2 of free energy.
You can sign up by visiting ovoenergy.com/power-move.
Scottish Power
Scottish Power's Power Saver scheme offers customers the chance to access half-price electricity between 11am and 4pm every Saturday and Sunday.
To have half the cost of the energy they used during those hours refunded, customers just need to register to become a Power Saver.
Scottish Power will also occasionally launch ad-hoc Power Saver events during the week.
You must have a smart meter to register to be a Power Saver.
E.ON
E.ON Next is giving new and existing customers free electricity on bank holidays until March 2026.
The electricity will be refunded as a credit to customer's accounts after each Bank Holiday, the next of which is Good Friday on April 18.
E.ON Next predicts households will save £3.50 for everyBank Holidayday.
However, you'll have to have already signed up to the firm's Pledge tariff to access the free electricity sessions.
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy customers who are signed up for the “Octoplus” can take part in free electricity sessions when wholesale prices fall below zero.
The sessions last an hour, and customers can use electricity for free and receive credits for using more than they typically would.
All customers with a smart meter, including smart prepay meters, receive an alert the day before each session.
When the session begins, they can ramp up their electricity usage – whether it's charging gadgets, running a laundry marathon, or any other household activity.
Any extra electricity consumed beyond their normal usage will be credited back to their account.
How do I calculate my energy bill?
BELOW we reveal how you can calculate your own energy bill.
To calculate how much you pay for your energy bill, you must find out your unit rate for gas and electricity and the standing charge for each fuel type.
The unit rate will usually be shown on your bill in p/kWh.The standing charge is a daily charge that is paid 365 days of the year – irrespective of whether or not you use any gas or electricity.
You will then need to note down your own annual energy usage from a previous bill.
Once you have these details, you can work out your gas and electricity costs separately.
Multiply your usage in kWh by the unit rate cost in p/kWh for the corresponding fuel type – this will give you your usage costs.
You'll then need to multiply each standing charge by 365 and add this figure to the totals for your usage – this will then give you your annual costs.
Divide this figure by 12, and you'll be able to determine how much you should expect to pay each month from April 1.
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