Save money on your bills with PeakSave

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What is the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS)?

Demand Flexibility Service is part of a national effort by suppliers and National Grid ESO to help create a better balance between supply and demand on the electricity grid. Relieving pressure on the grid at peak times will make sure everyone gets the electricity they need to power their lives. And as increased demand at busy times is often met by burning fossil fuels, it'll help the grid be greener, too.

PeakSave Winter was our first flexible energy trial. More than 200,000 PeakSavers took part between December 2022 and March 2023, and by making small changes to when they used energy, they collectively helped save 147 MWh of electricity at peak times. That’s enough to power 750,000 homes for an hour!

In total, we paid more than £1.8 million to our customers, with each customer on average saving more than £28 on their electricity bill.

We are running PeakSave Winter again this winter, alongside PeakSave Sundays, which are running until the end of the year. Read more on our PeakSave Winter page or PeakSave Sundays page.

How can I get involved with PeakSave?

If you’re interested in becoming a PeakSaver, or just want to stay up to date with the latest PeakSave news, you can register your interest here and we’ll be in touch.

To take advantage of our PeakSave events you’ll need to have a smart meter installed. If you don’t have one fitted already, you can book your free installation by logging in to your account and checking for an invitation to upgrade.

If there’s no invitation to upgrade at the moment, we’re always adding new smart meter booking slots, so please check regularly.

What is flexible energy?

Energy systems need to continuously match supply to demand. This is called energy balancing. Flexible energy, or flexible demand, helps energy systems maintain this balance during periods of uncertainty.

In the past, this used to mean firing a generator up or down to meet the changing levels in energy usage. We used to hear how at half-time during the FA Cup Final, there was a huge spike in demand, as the nation reached for the kettle. Behind the scenes it meant power stations burning more coal (and sometimes even oil) to allow the country to have a simultaneous cup of tea. Now we can achieve grid flexibility through new methods, including energy storage, demand-side response (or flexible demand), and distributed generation (generating low carbon electricity at home or work, through solar panels or wind turbines, often paired with battery storage).

We are exploring new ways we can supply cleaner, greener energy and help customers save money through flexible energy use, and PeakSave rewards customers for changing how and when they use electricity helping to reduce demand at its busiest. This helps to balance the grid and means we’re less reliant on fossil fuels to meet that demand, making our electricity more sustainable.

If you’d like to know more, see Centrica’s The Power of a flexible energy system.

What are peak hours for using electricity?

 Peak electricity hours tend to be in the morning when people are getting ready to head out to work and school and, in the evening, when they’re returning and making evening meals. Therefore, electricity use peaks at around 7am to 11am and then again from 5pm to 9pm.

Some energy tariffs allow consumers to save money by using electricity at off-peak hours. However, consumers on standard flat-rate or fixed energy tariffs pay the same for their electricity regardless of the time of day they use it. You can find out what tariff you’re on by checking your bill.

Learn more about peak and off-peak electricity.

How can I lower my electric bill?

There are lots of ways you can lower your electricity and gas bills. Check out some suggestions on our energy saving tips guide.

What if there are problems with my smart meter?

If there’s a problem with your smart meter that means we can’t see how much electricity you used during an event, we don’t want you to lose out and you’ll still earn a credit.

We’ll use meter readings from up to 2 hours before and/or after the event to work out how much electricity you used, and your credit.

If we don’t have these readings, we’ll take the average payment made to our PeakSavers for the event, and credit this to your account.

Please note that we also set a consumption limit of 60 kWh for estimated readings and payments.

If you’re having problems with your smart meter, click here.

Will my credit increase if energy prices go up?

No, because the rewards you can earn during PeakSave events are not linked to energy prices. National Grid ESO decides the price for taking part in each event, based on the demand for electricity at the time.

What if I change my tariff?

You can switch to another British Gas tariff at any time and continue to take part in PeakSave.

What if I move home or change supplier?

You’ll no longer be eligible for PeakSave if you move home, even if you take your British Gas account and tariff with you to your new property.

If you have a gas account with us and switch it to a new supplier, you’ll still be eligible for PeakSave. However, if you switch your electricity account with us to a new supplier, you’ll no longer be able to take part.

If you switch your electricity account to a new supplier and we owe you a reward payment for a PeakSave event, this will go towards your final bill. Whatever’s left over, we’ll send to you by bank transfer or cheque, depending on how you pay your bills.

What if I change my meter type?

You’ll no longer be able to take part in PeakSave Winter if your meter has to be changed for any reason, including if you’re getting a new smart meter to replace your old one.

Can I sign up to other energy-saving trials with other providers?

No. As part of the initiative, National Grid ESO lets us know each week if you’ve signed up to any other energy-saving trials. If this happens, we’ll get in touch to let you know, as it’s not possible to be part of two trials at the same time.

To carry on enjoying all the benefits of PeakSave, you’ll need to opt out of your other energy-saving trial.

If you don’t opt out of the other trial, usually within five days, sadly, we won’t be able to invite you to any more PeakSave energy-saving events.

What if my account is in debt?

You’ll still receive your reward. The credit will go towards paying off your outstanding balance.

Can I take part in PeakSave if I own roof-top solar panels and battery storage?

Yes. If you’re registered for PeakSave already or have received an email from us inviting you to take part, you can get involved in PeakSave Sundays.

Just bear in mind that your credits will depend on your electricity usage and generation, and how your battery is configured.

Can I take part in PeakSave if I’m on your Electric Drive time-of-use tariff?

Yes. If you’re registered for PeakSave already or have received an email from us inviting you to take part, you can get involved in PeakSave Sundays.

But please be sure to check your tariff unit rates here if you plan to charge your electric vehicle during any of the events.

If you normally charge up overnight on a discounted rate and don’t top up again during the day, you may end up paying more to charge during an event, even with electricity being half price.

Can I still take part in PeakSave if my circumstances change?

If you move home, change electricity supplier, or have prepayment meters installed during our PeakSave Sundays, you’ll no longer be eligible to take part in events and won’t receive credits.

How will you know how much electricity I use during PeakSave events and how will you calculate my credit?

Your smart meter will tell us. When you signed up to PeakSave, you agreed to let us take a smart meter reading every 30 minutes during PeakSave events so we can see exactly how much electricity you’re using.

During the events, any electricity you use is half price. You’ll be billed for the electricity you use as normal, then we’ll credit your account back with half of what you spent. You’ll pay your daily standing charge at your normal rate. This will not be discounted.

The amount you earn will depend on your energy tariff, unit rate and how much electricity you use during the events.

For every event, we multiply the number of units of electricity you use during the event (kWh) by 50% of your tariff unit rate after VAT (p/kWh).

For example:

• You’re a customer on our Standard Variable Tariff with an electricity unit rate of 33.21p/kWh (after VAT)
• 50% of your unit rate is 16.61p/kWh (after VAT)
• You use 5 kWh of electricity during the event
• 5 kWh x 16.61p/kWh = 83.05p
• Your credit for taking part is 83p

In this example, you’ll pay £1.66 for the electricity you use during the event. But because electricity is half price, we’ll credit your account back with 83p.

We round payments to the nearest penny. So if you earn a 55.5p credit, we’ll round this up to 56p. If you earn 55.4p, we’ll round this down to 55p.

How will I know how much credit I earned and how will I receive it?

After each PeakSave Sunday, we’ll credit your account and the payment will show up as ‘PeakSave Credit’ on your bill or online statement.

We aim to credit your account within seven working days of each PeakSave Sunday event, but it may take up to two weeks. There’s no need to contact us to arrange payment.

How and when will I receive my PeakSave Sunday credit?

We aim to credit your account within seven working days of each PeakSave Sunday event, but it may take up to two weeks. Your credit will show up on your electricity bill or online statement as ‘PeakSave Sunday Credit’ and there’s no need to contact us to arrange payment.

Why haven’t I received my payment yet?

We aim to credit your account within seven working days of each PeakSave Sunday event, but it may take up to two weeks. Your credit will show up on your electricity bill or online statement as ‘PeakSave Credit’ and there’s no need to contact us to arrange payment.

What's the difference between PeakSave Sunday and PeakSave Winter? Can I take part in both?

PeakSave Sunday offers half-price electricity between 11am and 4pm on Sundays. So, use as much electricity as you can during these five hours, and we’ll credit your account with half the total cost.

PeakSave Winter is part of the ESO Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) – a nationwide effort by energy suppliers to reduce energy demand when it’s particularly high to support a greener a more efficient electricity system. We ask customers to use less electricity than usual during a series of short scheduled events and reward them with money towards their energy bills.

All you need to take part is a smart meter. If you haven't got one, you can book your free installation.

Simply log in to your account and check for an invitation to upgrade. If there’s no invite, please check back regularly.