A MAJOR energy supplier is giving away three days’ worth of free electricity to thousands of customers from next week.
The offer will be available to customers on three Sundays in April.
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To be eligible, customers need to sign up from today until April 6, before the challenge begins on April 7.
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 need to move their electricity use away from the weekday peak hours of 4pm to 7pm.
The more electricity customers shift away from these hours, the more electricity they can earn, with between four and 16 hours on offer.
This will be added as credit to your account.
For example, if you shift 50% of your peak usage, you can earn up to 16 free hours to use the following Sunday.
You could do this by not running your dishwasher or washing machine during these hours.
You could also batch cook food at the weekend to reheat during the week.
To join, visit the Energy Hub in your MyAccount monthly and sign up for the challenge.
You must have a smart meter that sends readings every 30 minutes or be able to set it up for 30-minute reads.
Adjusting your meter settings is quick and easy – simply log in to your EDF MyAccount at edfenergy.com/myaccount/login.
Then go to the “About Me” section, select “Smart Meter Preferences,” and choose the half-hourly option.
You can keep track of how much free electricity you have earned each week in the Energy Hub and see which Sunday you can use it.
More than 91,000 EDF customers took part in the March savings challenge.
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.
They earned more than 1,000,000 free hours between them, saving a total of over £200,000 on their bills.
EDF is not the only energy supplier to offer you free electricity sessions.
E.ON Next
E.ON Next is giving away new and existing customers free electricity on every bank holiday until March 2026.
The next bank holiday falls on Good Friday, or April 18, which will be followed by Easter Monday, on April 21, then the Early May bank holiday on May 5.
In total there will be eight bank holidays in the next year.
E.ON Next has said its offer could save households £3.50 on every bank holiday – which would save you £28 over the course of a year.
To be eligible you need to be signed up to the supplier’s Pledge tariff.
The tariff is fixed for a year and offers rates that track below the Ofgem price cap, which will rise to £1,849 a year for the average household from tomorrow.
Ovo Energy
Ovo Energy offers customers the chance to win free energy if they reduce their consumption during 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 200 winning £50 prizes and 22,850 receiving £2 of free energy.
To sign up visit ovoenergy.com/power-move.
Scottish Power
Scottish Power’s Power Saver 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 used during these hours refunded.
The supplier will also occasionally launch an ad-hoc Power Saver events during the week.
You need to have a smart meter to register to become a Power Saver.
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.
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.
All customers with a smart meter, including smart prepayment 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 is set to rise from its current level of £1,738 a year to £1,849.
This is a 6.4% increase and will add £111 a year to household bills.
The increase will impact 22 million households in England, Scotland and Wales who are not on a fixed energy tariff.
The increase comes amid what’s being dubbed “awful April” as consumers will see their water, council tax and car tax bills increase.
But if you are struggling with costs then you can take action as you could be missing out on free boilers and energy bill discounts.
It is important to take a meter reading this week as energy bills are set to rise tomorrow.
We have rounded up the exact date by which you need to submit a reading to your energy supplier.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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