Octopus Energy customers could get up to £100 off energy bills

While energy bills rise and the risk of blackouts loom, a number of energy providers have signed up to take part in National Grid ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service to reward customers for off-peak energy usage. The efforts come to take some strain off of National Grid by reducing consumption during periods of high demand. Octopus Energy, who piloted a similar scheme at the start of the year, was one of the first providers to sign up for the service, and customers could make up to £100 in savings by participating.Launching the service through its scheme, Octopus Savings Sessions, up to 350,000 customers have now signed up, which, according to Octopus, will unlock the same flexible load as a 100MW power station.Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy Group, said: ‘Let’s be very clear: this is a historic moment – we’re entering a new era of energy in which households are moving from passive off-takers to active enablers of a smarter, greener and cheaper grid.’Instead of cutting off whole chunks of the country if we are short of gas, we can reward people for using less energy at times of peak demand.’We were the first energy supplier to offer this service to our customers, and we hope others will follow our lead. By doing so, we can make blackouts a thing of the past, and bring costs down for everyone.’READ MORE: Pensioners ‘cut back on medicine and food’ as costs soar Octopus Energy customers could get up to £100 off energy bills – how to sign up (Image: OCTOPUS ENERGY/GETTY)According to Octopus, a ‘Saving Session’ is a short time (usually one to four hours) when eligible customers will earn rewards, called OctoPoints, for using less electricity than usual.OctoPoints will be applied for every unit of electricity in kilowatt-hours (kWh) a customer doesn’t use compared to normal.These OctoPoints can then be turned into prizes, donations to Octopus’ Octo Assist fund for customers in need, or cash.Customers will be notified usually a day in advance of when a Saving Session is coming up, and people can opt-in before each session using their email or the app.When the time comes, Octopus will share tips and ideas to help people cut down what they can.DON’T MISS: National Grid launches off-peak energy scheme – peak hours explained [EXPLAINED]Mum demonstrates boiler hack that could save £225 off your gas bill [INSIGHT]A third of adults use social media for cost-of-living finance tips [ANALYSIS] Octopus Energy customers with smart meters can take part in the scheme (Image: GETTY)Octopus Energy customers can register their interest in Saving Sessions on the website.The scheme is free to join, tariffs and energy payments won’t change, and people can opt out at any time.If a customer is ineligible, Octopus says it will help work out why, including providing information on how to request a smart meter.