Demand Flexibility Service returns: Could you shave £15 off your energy bill tonight?

Thrifty households that switch energy use to outside peak hours could save up to £15 a session as the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) returns today.

The DFS is a National Grid scheme which is meant to avoid electricity shortages by encouraging consumers to use power outside peak times – usually between 4pm and 7pm.

This evening, customers signed up to the scheme and who have smart meters will be offered money back if they cut energy use between 5pm to 6.30pm.

Octopus’ version of the DFS scheme, called Saving Sessions, now has one million customers signed up

Suppliers all have their own version of the DFS scheme. Octopus’ version, called Saving Sessions, now has one million customers signed up to get energy bill discounts for the gas and electricity they save at peak times. 

The energy firm launched a trial run of its DFS scheme earlier this month, before the nationwide DFS event tonight – which Octopus is also joining.

Although average savings are low, Octopus says its customers have taken to the scheme with gusto, and some have achieved impressive savings.

Some Octopus customers have saved as much as £15 a session from the DFS.

One person that took part was Simeon Johnson, a technology worker in his 40s.

Johnson got an energy bill discount of £15.02 from saving 12,016 ‘Octopoints’ during the 16 November Saving Session. 

The tech worker says he did not struggle to make the saving, but did have a bit of help from his energy tariff and the household battery he has installed in his property.

Super saver: Simeon Johnson saved £15.02 in a trial of the Demand Flexibility Scheme, including by fitting this battery in his garage to help save money on his daytime electricity bills by paying cheaper overnight rates

‘I didn’t turn everything off, but we did what you’re supposed to do,’ Johnson said. ‘We didn’t put the oven on, for example, and everything we could switch off, we did.’

Johnson has two electric vehicles, and as such has a specialist Octopus EV energy tariff that lets him charge his cars for less at off-peak times with cut-price unit rates for the electricity he uses.

To take full advantage of this, Johnson also installed a 10kW battery in his garage, which he charges up when electricity is cheaper. 

The energy saved in the battery then runs almost everything he needs during the day, when electricity would otherwise be more expensive.

The battery Johnson has costs between £3,000 and £5,000 to fit, but he says it has saved him a fortune on energy bills already.

‘It tides me through all my daytime energy use, he said. ‘For all my electricity throughout a 24-hour period I’m paying mostly overnight rates.’

The battery also helps with Octopus Saving Sessions, which pay ‘Octopoints’ for any energy customers can sell back to the Grid during allotted time.

Johnson said his £15.02 saving was driven by selling electricity from his domestic battery and the two batteries fitted to his EVs.

The first Octopus Saving Session of this winter took place earlier this month, and the energy firm said 250,000 customers took part for the one-hour window, saving an average of 81p.

But the top 5 per cent of energy-saving households earned £4.31 for the hour, and in total more than £204,000 was passed on to customers.

Octopus launched its scheme in October last year, and predicted average customers would save £100 over the winter by taking part. 

In practice, only the top 5 per cent of participating households earned more than £40 by shifting energy use outside peak times.

However, Octopus did pass on £5.3million in energy bill savings to 700,000 of its customers last winter.

Octopus then rebooted the scheme last month in time for this winter.

An Octopus Energy spokesperson said its latest session cut energy use by more than 98 megawatt-hours, or the same as the city of Newcastle going off grid for an hour. It also cut carbon emissions by 2700 tonnes.

How many Octopoints a customer can earn will vary, and those that take part in multiple events earn more than those that only do one.