British Gas cuts electricity costs by 50% for nearly 1m customers at certain times of the week
British Gas is offering some of its customers a huge discount on their bills if they can shift their electricity usage to certain days.
The energy giant is rewarding customers for shifting their usage to times when there's less demand, or more renewable electricity available on the grid.
British Gas said the 900,000 customers signed up to its PeakSave tariff have saved £20.5million on its half-price electricity Sunday sessions.
It has also launched a Green Flex scheme, which is triggered by weather that provides more renewable energy and British Gas forecasts potential savings and the impact on the National Grid.
Customers will receive an email invitation to opt into the event and will receive half of what they spent credited back to their account.
The next Green Flex event is today (Thursday 15 May) between between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. This could be an ideal time to do electricity intensive chores, such as mowing the lawn or using a tumble dryer.
Savings sessions: Some suppliers are offering customers free electricity if they switch usage
British Gas isn't the only supplier that offers savings sessions, which have become more frequent since the start of the energy crisis.
Research by comparison website Uswitch shows some households let their laundry pile up until their allotted free energy slot, and by doing so, can save £201 annually.
Scottish Power offers its customers half price electricity on Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 4pm, with the credit applied to their next bill.
EDF and Ovo offer free electricity to its customers for certain hours during the week, while Octopus Energy offers free electricity sessions for its loyalty customers.
You will need to have a smart meter to be eligible for all five tariffs.
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Natalie Mathie, energy expert at Uswitch.com, says: 'Suppliers are offering these free and half-price schemes to help move electricity use away from peak times to those points in the week when everyone's using less energy.
'Schemes like these will become increasingly important as the country shifts towards using more renewable energy like wind and solar.
'Washing machines and tumble dryers are some of the most energy-intensive appliances in the house, so they're perfectly suited to free and half-price electricity schemes.
'By saving up your laundry and tackling it during a free or lower-priced time, households can save significant amounts of money.'
How to get free or discounted energy
If you want to make savings on your energy bill, you'll eed to check if your supplier offers a scheme.
If you sign up for a savings session, make sure to make a note of the times the scheme applies so you're not caught out.
Uswitch experts also recommend households switch to eco settings on their appliances during these periods.
'Remember that while the electricity will be free or discounted, your water bill won't be. Use eco settings on your dishwasher and washing machine to use as little water as possible if you're on a water meter.
Finally, Uswitch says that some of the savings from these schemes can be dwarfed by the benefits of getting a fixed deal, if you're on a variable tariff.
You can see our list of best fixed energy deals on the market here.
