Major energy supplier to give away free electricity from next month – but you need to sign up
A MAJOR energy supplier is giving away four days’ worth of free electricity to thousands of customers from next month.
The offer will be available to customers on four Sundays from May 18.
These will include May 18, May 25, June 1 and June 8.
The scheme is part of EDF’s Sunday Saver challenges, where customers can earn free electricity on Sundays by shifting the electricity they use during the week.
To be eligible, they simply need to move their electricity usage away from the weekday peak hours of 4pm to 7pm each week next month, starting on May 5.
The more electricity customers move away from these hours, the more free electricity they can earn, with between four and 16 hours up for grabs.
This is added as credit to your account.
For example, if you move 50% of your peak usage, you can earn up to 16 hours of free electricity to use the following Sunday.
You can earn this by not running your dishwasher or washing machine during these hours, for example.
Or you could batch cook your meals at the weekend then reheat them during the week.
You need to sign up for the challenge between April 28 and May 4 to get the free electricity.
To do so, visit the Energy Hub in your MyAccount.
You need a smart meter that can send readings every 30 minutes, or you must be able to set it up for 30-minute reads.
You can adjust your meter settings in your EDF MyAccount by going to edfenergy.com/myaccount/login.
Then go to the “About Me” section, select “Smart Meter Preferences” and choose the half-hourly option.
You can track how much free electricity you have earned each week in the Energy Hub and see which Sunday you can use it.
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.
Sunday Saver participants have earned more than six million free hours since last year, which are worth over £1.6 million.
EDF is not the only energy supplier that will give you free electricity.
E.ON Next is giving new and existing customers free electricity on every bank holiday until March 2026.
The next one is the Early May bank holiday on May 5.
E.ON Next has said its offer could save households £3.50 on every bank holiday – which would save you around £21 over the course of a year.
To be eligible, you need to sign up for the supplier’s Pledge tariff.
The tariff is fixed for a year and offers rates that track below the Ofgem price cap, which is currently £1,849 a year for an average household.
Ovo Energy
Ovo Energy offers customers the chance to win free energy if they reduce their consumption at peak times.
The Power Move offer gives customers the chance to win up to £2,000 of free energy if they use 85% or more of their energy 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 worth of energy to use over one year, with 250 winning £50 prizes and 24,2450 receiving £2 of free energy.
To sign up visit ovoenergy.com/power-move.
Scottish Power
Scottish Power’s Power Save scheme gives customers the chance to access half-price electricity between 11am and 4pm every Saturday and Sunday.
Customers need to register to become a Power Saver to have half of the cost of the energy they use during these hours refunded.
The supplier will also occasionally launch an ad-hoc Power Saver event during the week.
You must have a smart meter to become a Power Saver.
To sign up visit the Scottish Power website.
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy customers who sign up for “Octoplus” can take part in free electricity sessions when the wholesale price falls below zero.
The sessions last an hour and customers can use electricity and receive credits for using more than they typically would.
All customers with a smart meter, including smart payment meters, receive an alert the day before each session.
When the session begins they can increase their energy usage, for example by charging gadgets and running their washing machine.
Any extra electricity used beyond their normal usage will be credited back to their account
Energy bill increases
The average dual fuel energy bill for those on a variable tariff rose from £1,739 a year to £1,849 in April.
This was a 6.4% increase and will add £1111 a year to household bills.
The increase impacted 22 million households in England, Scotland and Wales who are not on a fixed energy tariff.
At the same time water, council tax and car bills increased.
If you are struggling with costs then you can take action as you could be missing out on free boilers and energy bill discounts.
What energy bill help is available?
There's a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by.
If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.
This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.
If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don’t think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Several energy firms have schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.
But eligibility criteria vary depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000.
British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.
You don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.
EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.
Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill.
Some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you’re struggling.
Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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