British Gas customers urged to use washing machines between these hours | Personal Finance | Finance
British Gas customers are being urged to use their washing machines during a five-hour window every Sunday to slash 50% off their energy bills.
The major energy supplier, which serves around 10 million UK homes, runs a rewards scheme that allows customers to halve their bill by shifting their electricity usage to greener times of the day. The firm’s PeakSave scheme urges households to use energy when there is less demand, or more renewable electricity available on the grid. The scheme is open to all customers – no matter what tariff you’re on – and by joining you’ll get 50% cheaper electricity every Sunday between the hours of 11am and 4pm.
During the five-hour PeakSave event, customers can use as much electricity as needed and it will be half the usual price, so it’s a great opportunity to use energy guzzling appliances like the washing machine, dishwasher and cooker. While there’s no obligation to change your routine, using household appliances that use a lot of energy during these hours will allow you to save more on your bills.
During the five-hour PeakSave event, customers can use as much electricity as needed but it will be half the usual price. You don’t need to opt into each event as you’ll automatically be included every Sunday once you’ve signed up to PeakSave.
British Gas said it’s paid more than £20.5 million to more than 900,000 customers taking part in the scheme so far, saving around 1344 tonnes of carbon emissions and shifting 24014 MWh of electricity just through PeakSave Sundays alone.
The supplier has also launched PeakSave GreenFlex events too, which allows customers to get half-price electricity for one to two hour bursts by moving their electricity usage to when there’s likely to be lots of renewable energy around.
But these events do require opting in and British Gas will notify you when there is one coming up so you can choose whether to take part to save money.
By using electricity during off-peak hours you can earn credit towards your electricity bill or meter and make big savings throughout the year. It’s free to sign up online and British Gas will email you within seven to 10 days confirming if you’re eligible to take part.
The opportunity to save money comes following another energy bill increase in April when energy regulator Ofgem raised its price cap by 6.4%, taking the average bill for households in England, Scotland and Wales on a standard variable tariff up to £1,849 per year.
The price hike equates to an extra £111 annually for the average household – or around £9.25 more per month, over the three-month period of the price cap.
The price cap sets the maximum rate per unit and standing charge that customers can be charged by suppliers for their energy use, but not the total bill – so the more energy you use, the more you pay.
