British Gas is offering its customers half-price electricity every Sunday this summer to shave millions of pounds from energy bills – but only for those willing to carefully schedule their cooking, housework and video gaming.
The UK’s biggest energy supplier said it would charge electricity use between 11am and 4pm on a Sunday at half the usual rate from this Sunday until 24 September for all customers who sign up to its PeakSave scheme.
During the winter months, about 200,000 British Gas customers signed up to the scheme, which offers discounts on electricity at set times. The supplier hopes that another 200,000 could be persuaded to join the scheme by the chance to lock in further savings.
British Gas said there could be total savings of £3m this summer – or almost £30 a household – but only for those willing to undertake hours of housework during the designated half-price hours.
A household hoping to make a saving of £29.25 over the next 14 Sundays would need to use an electric oven for two hours and fit in a full hour using an electric hob, a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine and a tumble dryer. In the same five-hour window the household would need to play video games for two hours, make 10 cups of tea or coffee and watch TV.
British Gas said that households were already using more energy on Sundays than other days of the week. A recent survey of its customers found that two-fifths of households use more electricity on Sundays in order to carry out household chores, cook a Sunday roast and catch up on TV.
Catherine O’Kelly, the managing director of British Gas Energy, said the scheme would play a role in helping the UK to reduce the peaks in electricity demand by encouraging customers to use electricity when the UK’s overall demand is low because of the weekend break for offices and factories.
“The electricity grid continues to face enormous pressures, and we recognise the need to better manage periods of peak demand to ensure a safe, constant and more sustainable supply across the UK,” she said.
Experts believe that by reducing the peaks in electricity demand the energy system could save billions of pounds by avoiding unnecessary investment in new generation and grid infrastructure. This could also help to increase the proportion of green electricity to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions.
