YOU can get paid to use certain appliances at night, which could be a perfect way to curve skyrocketing bills this winter.
The tip comes as National Grid warns households could face three-hour blackouts this winter.
As the energy crisis continues and the cost of living crisis grows, there are new fears there won’t be enough power for winter.
People are being encouraged to sign up with their electricity supplier for a scheme which will give them money back on their bills.
To get the money back, customers will be expected to shift their use of power away from times of high demand to help prevent blackouts.
That could mean putting on the dishwasher or washing machine overnight or charging an electric vehicle at off-peak times.
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The “demand flexibility service” will run from November to March, and it is being introduced to help prevent blackouts.
So far there are two major suppliers providing customers with the scheme.
OVO Energy has announced a trial where customers can save up to £100 on their bills by switching their usage to less busy times of the day.
And Octopus Energy has also said customers will be £100 better off by using its “Saving Sessions” flexibility service.
Other energy suppliers have not yet announced how they will run the scheme.
But you’ll need to be on a smart meter no matter which supplier you’re with to take advantage of it.
And most people currently pay the same amount for energy throughout the day and night, unless they are on an Economy 7 or 10 tariff
These give you cheaper rates during the night and more expensive ones in the daytime – so the scheme will have varied results depending on which tariff you’re on.
You’ll be able to opt into the scheme directly with your energy supplier.
Here’s what they could pay you to use during the night:
According to uSwitch, an electric oven powered at 0.97 kilowatts and used for 30 minutes costs roughly 18p.
If you used it for 30 minutes every day for a year, that would cost you roughly £66.
A household of two adults and two children does an average 468 loads of washing a year – equivalent to 1.3 loads a day.
For these households, the cost of running a washing machine costs an annual price of £159.12.
Uswitch told The Sun that using a slow cooker for eight hours costs 92p.
If you ate a slow-cooked meal every day for a month, you’d fork out roughly £13.80.
It costs roughly 27p to run a single dishwasher cycle.
So if you used it every day for a week, it would rack up over £12 a month.
It costs about £56 a year, or 0.6p an hour, to run a fridge.
It costs around £80-90, depending on where you buy your petrol, to fill the average car.
The EV equivalent is the VW ID.3. The largest battery it comes with is 77kWh and the current average kWh price for electricity at home is around 28p. A full charge, therefore, costs around £22.
But if you have a long journey ahead of you, you might need to top up more frequently.
How much you spend on energy and how much you could save on the scheme largely depends on your energy usage.
It’s expected that households will receive a text, email or letter explaining that if they use less energy during peak hours on set days, they could be paid up to £10 a day if they choose to opt in.
But remember – there are a few risks and pieces of safety advice to take note of if you’re going to run some appliances overnight.
These include:
Energy suppliers offer support for those who are struggling to pay their bills.
Those on Universal Credit and older legacy benefits could get over £3,000 in bill support.
There are plenty of energy grants and schemes open to help you out if you’re struggling.
British Gas has recently confirmed that it’ll pay its most vulnerable customers grants worth £750 to help with sky-high bills.
Ask your supplier what’s on offer and how to apply, or check here:
There’s also a one-off fuel voucher from your energy supplier if you’re on a prepayment metre.
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You can also contact the following if you’re really struggling – help is just around the corner:
