Octopus Energy launches free electricity scheme for THOUSANDS of households - are you eligible?

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The energy supplier is urging Britons to cut their energy usage as part of a scheme that could bring their bills down

Octopus Energy has unveiled a new scheme called Weekend Happy Hours, giving members of its Octoplus rewards programme the chance to earn one hour of free electricity every weekend.

The offer is available to eligible households that cut their power consumption during two separate one-hour windows on weekdays.

The initiative builds on the success of the company's Eclipse Power Down event last week, which attracted a record-breaking 794,000 participants.

By incentivising customers to ease demand on the grid during peak periods, Octopus aims to reward greener energy habits while delivering tangible savings to households across Britain.

Participation in the scheme is straightforward, requiring customers simply to postpone routine household tasks to times outside the designated weekday sessions.

Delaying activities such as running a dishwasher, doing a load of laundry, or plugging in an electric vehicle to charge is sufficient to qualify.

Those who successfully reduce their consumption during both one-hour weekday slots will receive an hour of complimentary electricity at the weekend as their reward.

The programme is set to run through to the end of October 2026, giving households months of opportunities to benefit.

Furthermore, the cost of living scheme helps alleviate strain on the national grid during periods of high demand.

The Weekend Happy Hours scheme follows the enormous success of Octopus Energy's Eclipse Power Down, a special session held last Wednesday that drew 794,000 customers.

During the solar eclipse, Britain lost approximately four per cent of its solar generation capacity, equivalent to roughly 1GW or the output of a large power station, at a time of peak evening demand.

Households that reduced their electricity use during the event were given free power for an hour in return.

The total amount of complimentary electricity consumed as a reward reached 650MWh, enough to supply a city twice the size of Birmingham for an hour.

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Customer Officer at Octopus Energy, said: "Nearly a million Octopus customers switched off, enjoyed the skies AND earned free electricity during the eclipse.

"And we're keeping good times flowing with the launch of Weekend Happy Hours - till the end of October, use less for two hours during the week and get one whole hour of power free every weekend."

Weekend Happy Hours is the newest addition to the Octoplus rewards programme, which has already attracted close to 3 million member households. Over the past year, participants in the scheme have collectively redeemed £19 million in rewards and complimentary offers.