Octopus Energy and equiwatt are offering rewards for cutting energy usage tonight – but not long left to act

Octopus Energy and equiwatt logos and washing machine in pictures

Octopus Energy and equiwatt are offering rewards for participants who reduce energy usage this evening

GETTY | OCTOPUS ENERGY | EQUIWATT
Jessica Sheldon

By Jessica Sheldon


Published: 08/02/2024

- 16:41

Updated: 08/02/2024

- 16:58

Octopus Energy and equiwatt are taking part in National Grid ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service test event tonight

Octopus Energy customers can get money off their energy bills if they reduce their energy consumption for one hour this evening.

The supplier has announced a “surprise session” of its Octoplus scheme will take place tonight.


Participants need to opt in online in order to take part, and they don’t have long to do so, as the event takes place between 6pm and 7pm today.

The energy saving app equiwatt has also issued an alert to people who want to earn rewards for shifting their energy usage to outside of the 6pm-7pm event.

Via their powerDOWN event, energy savers can earn 100 points (worth £1) for every 1 kWh of energy saved compared to normal.

Participants must opt in via the pop-up in the equiwatt app.

Octopus Energy said customers could earn 1,400 Octopoints, worth £1.75, per kWh saved versus normal, in tonight’s session.

The firm is also offering a 100 Octopoints “streak bonus” and has announced 300 pairs of Odeon cinema tickets are up for grabs to “kick off” their new Octoplus rewards offering.

Responding to the alert on X, formerly Twitter, a customer confirmed they had “already opted in” while another told a fellow social media user: “We should be opted in to this one.”

A third person said that they found it hard to reduce energy usage during the events due to having children in the house but would try.

However, others felt the effort needed was greater than the potential reward. Among the respondents, a social media user wrote: Will stop participating on these ones very soon, too much hassle for £1.75 per kW.”

Ovo Electricity and Utilita Energy are also among the suppliers taking part in tonight’s test event.

Dishwasher with plates in

Shifting energy usage to other parts of the evening could mean participants save money

GETTY

Octopus Energy launched new incentives to sign up to the Octoplus scheme last week.

The more than a million Octopus customers who have already signed up can now exchange the Octopoints they earn for free hot drinks, cinema tickets or National Trust and National Trust for Scotland day passes.

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Octopus Energy Group, commented: “Admittedly, submitting meter readings and keeping tabs on your energy account isn’t the most thrilling activity for everyone. That’s why we’ve designed ‘Octoplus’ - to make mundane energy tasks fun.

“Our customers are already getting paid for shifting their energy usage during grid stress, and now they can even get free drinks and cinema tickets on top.

“We’re chuffed to welcome epic brands such as Greggs, ODEON and both the National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland to the scheme, offering additional perks for our green-minded customers. But we won’t stop here, so watch this space.”

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