Demand flexibility scheme saves 451MWh of electricity
PeakSavers have earned more than £2 million this winter and saved enough electricity to power 2.3 million homes for an hour.
Small cuts in energy use at certain times of day can have a big impact on the environment, our energy system, and your wallet. PeakSave Winter rewarded British Gas customers for reducing their electricity use for a short period during scheduled events to help balance the national grid when electricity demand was high.
What is PeakSave Winter and how does it work?
PeakSave Winter started as a trial electricity reduction scheme in winter 2022 that tested how to reduce energy use, whilst also helping customers to save on their bills. Participating households were asked to reduce their usage during National Grid’s ‘turn-down’ events through the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) – a country-wide effort to ease the strain on the UK’s energy grid at peak times.
Over the winter months, British Gas customers – PeakSavers - with an electricity smart meter that sends half hourly meter re- ads were invited to take part in a series of short ‘turn down’ events during which they aimed to reduce their electricity use by 30%.
Throughout the trial British Gas paid its PeakSave customers double what was being paid by the National Grid and some other suppliers. For the final Peak Save session in the trial, British Gas paid customers three times the typical amount paid by National Grid, because we wanted to fully test the scheme’s potential.
The scheme continued across winter 2023/24 so customers across Britain could earn more money off their bills and helping to reduce electricity demand at peak times.
What is demand flexibility and why is it important?
Energy isn’t an unlimited resource and there’s times when the UK’s energy supply comes under pressure. Demand flexibility aims to balance energy supply and demand while letting customers save on their bills and help the nation move to Net Zero carbon emissions.
Relieving pressure on the National Grid at peak demand times helps to ensure 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 helps the grid to be greener, too.
The electricity grid is facing increased pressure and smart technology has a key role to play in managing peak demand. Our PeakSave trial was a big success, providing us with invaluable insights on how we can manage consumption while also helping our customers to make significant savings. Our final trial session helped us to test this even further so we can understand the full potential of the scheme while passing on even bigger savings to our customers.
We’re excited about what the future of PeakSave can bring.
We now have more than 500,000 customers signed up to save with PeakSave.
How much have PeakSavers earned through PeakSave Winter?
While most large energy suppliers launched schemes to take part in the National Grid service, the incentives they offered for customers taking part varied.
PeakSavers have earned more than £2 million this winter with each customer saving on average more than £9 on their electricity bill.
Over the last two winters PeakSavers have earned more than £3.8 million.
How did PeakSavers feel about taking part?
Research from British Gas in 2023 revealed overwhelming support from customers involved in the scheme, with 98% of those surveyed saying they would take part again.
Simple updates to the times and ways households cooked (70%) and washed their clothes (70%) are the most common ways participants have shifted their consumption, with changes to dishwasher (47%) and tumble dryer (46%) usage also listed. Some customers took the opportunity to exercise or walk their dog, others said they spent much-needed downtime chatting as a family.
What customers said is the best thing about PeakSave Winter
- “A feeling of satisfaction and contribution to a greater good with a small financial benefit.”
- “Taking a rest from technology - gave me time to do some exercise.”
- “My family members actually sat down and spoke to each other rather than all being in different rooms watching tv or listening to music.”
- “It opened our eyes & made us aware that everyone has a part to play & protect this planet.”
- “Help people to understand the real cost and how much energy we are wasting daily.”
More about PeakSave
With PeakSave, you can save money on your energy and help to balance the grid by making small changes to when you use electricity.
PeakSave Winter events are now closed.
But there’s more ways you can save with PeakSave Sundays. This gives you half-price electricity every Sunday from 11am to 4pm.
PeakSave is currently available to British Gas customers with a smart meter by invite only.