Scheme details in this article come from each supplier's website and press releases, checked on 7 October 2026. Schemes change often and can end at short notice, so check the supplier's own page before relying on them. The article covers five large suppliers and doesn't cover the whole market.

Several energy suppliers offer free or discounted electricity at certain times. Most of these schemes reward customers for shifting their electricity use away from busy periods, such as weekday evenings, or towards times when there's plenty of renewable power.

Energy prices this winter

From 1 October to 31 December 2026, the Ofgem price cap for a typical dual-fuel household paying by Direct Debit is £1,723 a year, 4% higher than in July to September. The government has also removed VAT from electricity bills (cut from 5% to 0%) from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Gas is still charged at 5%. The price cap limits unit rates and standing charges, not total bills, so what you pay depends on how much energy you use.

How these schemes generally work

• You usually need a working smart meter that sends half-hourly readings, and you have to agree to share that data.

• Many schemes require you to sign up or opt in, sometimes before each event.

• The discount is usually paid as credit on your account afterwards, based on what you used during the set times.

• Some schemes are open only on certain tariffs or payment methods.

Scheme details (checked 7 October 2026)

British Gas – PeakSave Sundays British Gas offers half-price electricity on Sundays between 11am and 4pm to customers who sign up to PeakSave. It says it has paid more than £28m to over 1m customers through the scheme. Check PeakSave terms.

EDF – Weekend Saver EDF has replaced its Sunday Saver challenge with Weekend Saver. Customers can earn up to 25 hours of free electricity a month by keeping their weekday electricity use between 4pm and 7pm low. To get the maximum, that use has to be 9% or less of their monthly total. Free hours are booked through the EDF app and can be used on Saturdays or Sundays. You need a smart meter sending half-hourly readings. The first Weekend Saver challenge started on 5 October 2026.

Octopus Energy – Saving Sessions (Power Down and Power Up) Octoplus members can opt in to two kinds of session:

• Power Down: earn Octopoints by using less electricity at busy times.

• Power Up: earn Octopoints by using more electricity when there's plenty of renewable generation. These replaced Octopus's earlier Free Electricity Sessions.

Octopoints can be converted into bill credit at 800 points to £1. To join Octoplus, you need to get your electricity from Octopus, pay by Direct Debit or smart prepay, and have a smart meter sending half-hourly readings. Octoplus also offers other perks, such as discounted cinema tickets.

ScottishPower – Power Saver By default, Power Saver gives half-price electricity on Saturdays and Sundays between 12pm and 4pm. Customers can instead choose eight one-hour slots each week, discounted by 50% or 20%. These can't include 4pm to 8pm on weekdays. You need a communicating smart meter and to agree to half-hourly readings. Customers on EV Optimise, Heat Pump Saver or Solar Saver tariffs can't join. Credit is added to the bill or, for pay-as-you-go customers, to the meter.

E.ON Next – tariff-linked offers E.ON Next has run time-limited free electricity offers linked to specific tariffs. These included free electricity on eight bank holidays between April 2025 and March 2026 for Next Pledge customers, and three free days over Christmas 2025 (24 to 26 December) for Next Direct customers. We found no equivalent offer running in October 2026.

From 1 April 2026, E.ON said its Next Pledge tracker tariff was priced £100 a year below the price cap for a typical dual-fuel household, subject to availability.

Before you sign up

• Check whether you'll lose any other benefits by changing tariff or sharing half-hourly data.

• Look at how much of your electricity use you can realistically move. Savings depend on shifting usage, not just signing up.

• Check exit fees if a scheme requires a specific tariff.

Read more:

• What to do if you’re struggling to pay your energy bills

• Is it cheaper to dry clothes with a heated airer or a tumble dryer?

• Best and Worst UK Energy Suppliers

• Average gas and electric bill per UK household

• Average cost of electricity in the UK