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  "path": "/money/british-households-offered-free-electricity-energy-scheme",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-14T18:15:24.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "DWP issues cost of living update as Britons can claim £50m 'immediate support' - are you eligible?",
    "Octopus Energy, British Gas and OVO customers offered energy bill support worth up to £1,700",
    "Energy bills and fuel crisis making middle earners £480 worse off",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nHouseholds across Britain could soon receive free or cheaper electricity by using appliances during periods of high renewable energy generation.\n\nThe updated Demand Flexibility Scheme is launching this week, allowing energy suppliers to reward customers for using electricity when supply exceeds demand.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe scheme has been approved by Ofgem and will be operated by the National Energy System Operator.\n\nIts designed to help stabilise the electricity grid during the summer months while reducing the amount of renewable energy that would otherwise go unused.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nLonger daylight hours and increased solar generation, combined with lower seasonal demand, are contributing to more frequent periods of excess electricity.\n\nUnder the scheme, the National Energy System Operator will notify suppliers of specific periods when adjustments to electricity usage are required.\n\nEnergy companies will receive payments if they successfully shift customer demand during these windows.\n\nSuppliers can then pass on incentives to households in various forms.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nCustomers may be offered free electricity during certain hours, reduced tariffs, or rewards such as points that can be exchanged for vouchers.\n\nParticipation requires a smart meter, and customers must be with a supplier that has signed up to the scheme.\n\nThe incentives available may vary depending on location, with some regions encouraged to increase electricity usage while others may be asked to reduce it.\n\nBritish Gas, Equiwatt and Octopus Energy have confirmed they will take part in the scheme.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * DWP issues cost of living update as Britons can claim £50m 'immediate support' - are you eligible?\n  * Octopus Energy, British Gas and OVO customers offered energy bill support worth up to £1,700\n  * Energy bills and fuel crisis making middle earners £480 worse off\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBritish Gas already operates a separate initiative known as PeakSave, which offers electricity at half price on Sunday afternoons when demand is lower and renewable generation is high.\n\nThe company said it is working with the National Energy System Operator to determine how the updated scheme will function.\n\nExperts say the move reflects wider efforts by energy providers to adapt to increasing levels of renewable generation across the UK.\n\nMore suppliers are expected to join the scheme, potentially expanding the range of offers available to households.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nRenewable energy generation reached record levels in Great Britain last year, with wind power remaining the largest source.\n\nSolar generation increased by nearly one third compared with 2024, while 2025 was recorded as the sunniest year on record in the UK.\n\nThere were also around 250,000 new small-scale rooftop solar installations added over the year.\n\nThe National Energy System Operator (NESO) said: \"The complexity of operating the system at low demand is increasing, and we may need to use more of our tools, and use them more often, than in previous summers.\"\n\nIt added that demand patterns are increasingly influenced by weather conditions, while growth in localised generation is reducing reliance on traditional power stations.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "British households offered FREE electricity for sunny weekend usage in new energy bill scheme"
}