Two major energy firms will pay customers £100 to do washing at night

Two major energy firms are offering £100 payments to customers who only use their washing machines at night.

At the end of August, the government warned of potential planned black outs as a result of the National Grid not having enough power to supply every household during the colder months.

The lack of supply has prompted the National Grid to develop the ‘demand flexibility service’, which will see households be paid by suppliers to use their energy at less busy times between November 2022 and March 2023.

It is hoped that if enough people do this, it will reduce the likelihood blackouts will have to be imposed.

Andrew Ratto / Flickr

Two major UK suppliers have confirmed they will be implementing this incentive this winter in a bid to encourage their customers to use their appliances at off-peak times. 

The first is OVO Energy, who announced a trial where customers can save up to £100 on their bills by switching their usage to less busy times of the day.

And the second is Octopus Energy, who also said its customers will be £100 better off by using its ‘Saving Sessions’ flexibility service.

This particular scheme will run between November 2022 and March 2023.

Other UK energy suppliers are yet to announce how they will run the scheme.

This comes after Octopus Energy announced it would be giving out 10,000 free blankets to customers who need them the most.

The blankets, worth £40 each, will be given to those who are considered vulnerable or in the biggest need. This is likely to include elderly people, or those with specific medical conditions which make them immobile, very unwell, or feel cold.