A new trial completed by Octopus Energy and Scottish Power Energy Networks saw Scottish households earn up to £73 in free energy by adapting usage when renewable energy was abundant.
Over 2,500 Octopus Energy customers across Dumfries and Galloway participated in the six-week trial which involved them being directed to power up their usage when green energy supply was highest - households used 20MWh more energy across the six two-hour trial windows in March and April.
Households who increased their usage by more than 10% were credited back all the energy they had used during the two-hour timeframe. Those who used more than 100% extra were credited double the amount they had used.
Participating customers were rewarded with an average of £5 of free energy, with some saving up to £73.
Home flexibility methods like this trial will help the country move towards a greener energy system - balancing the National Grid and bringing down costs for everyone by reducing the need for expensive grid rebalancing interventions.
In 2021 alone, Scottish energy bill payers paid £107 million to onshore wind generators to shut down at times when there was too much power on the grid.
If just 10% of Scottish households followed this approach shifting energy usage out of peak times, Scotland would use 320MWh of green energy during each two-hour window - enough energy to power more than 5,000 households for a week.
Commenting on the trial, Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Octopus Energy Group, said: “We have this amazing power grid which spans across the entire country, connecting every household and every generator in the UK. By tweaking how we consume power, we can make the most of every green electron generated in the UK and bring down costs for all.
“This trial was just the first step proving that people are happy to make small adjustments to help the grid and save cash. With a much larger campaign we would be able to really move the needle towards the flexible energy system we need for a greener future.”
Scott Mathieson, Network Planning & Regulation Director at SP Energy Networks, commented: “This is the first time that a trial to shift electricity demand has been undertaken at this scale anywhere in the UK and it’s great to see it’s been such a success.
“It allowed maximum renewable energy generation to be absorbed locally and meant we could effectively manage the network at a local level to ensure the power of that clean green electricity was used to its full potential. It gave us real insight into how customers can respond and play an important role in helping shape our network management of the future. Our thanks to everyone who took part.”
The trial was carried out between 17th March 2022 and 23rd April,2022.
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