• Britain spent nearly £1.5 billion shutting down renewable electricity generation last year
• Smart meter households can now receive free electricity during surplus renewable generation periods
• Octopus customers have already saved millions through experimental free electricity flexibility sessions

The UK is generating more renewable electricity than ever, but its grid often cannot use it all - as when the wind blows hard, or the sun shines bright, and demand is low, demand can fall below what is being produced.

Instead of putting that surplus power to wider use, the system has routinely paid wind farms to turn turbines off while paying gas plants to stand by, a payout practice which has cost the country almost £1.5 billion in a single year - with early 2026 figures suggest the bill is still piling up rapidly.

Now, Octopus Energy is looking to change this with a new expansion to its scheme to provide free electricity to its users across the UK.

What Octopus Energy is already doing

Octopus Energy has run its own version of this idea for several years through a system it calls Saving Sessions.

Going forward, the company will let its 8 million customers use more electricity when wholesale prices plummet.

This approach has already saved customers £4.6 million through free electricity sessions, and Octopus has also paid out £5.8 million to customers who cut down during peak times.

The firm stated, "the changes made to the DFS scheme mean customers can benefit from using more energy when renewables are high."

British Gas already runs a separate scheme called PeakSave with half-price electricity on Sunday afternoons.

NESO said it may need to use more of its tools more often than in previous summers to manage low demand.

More than 36,000 Brits have expressed interest in joining Octopus Fan Club tariffs near local wind turbines.

Joining the Fan Club means that your electricity unit rates can be reduced by up to 50% when a local wind turbine is spinning and generating power.

The scheme will not fix the grid bottleneck on its own, but it offers a practical way to reduce waste immediately.

Octopus says it is "buzzing" about the change, and the company has a genuine track record of making these sessions work for its customers.

How the grid is changing its rules

Several energy companies are now testing schemes that pay households to use more power when renewable generation is high.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has also updated its Demand Flexibility Scheme (DFS) such that it proffers a solution.

The update allows power suppliers to encourage customers to run appliances, charge vehicles, or otherwise raise their consumption during periods of surplus.

Households with smart meters can be offered free or cheaper electricity at certain times, or rewards such as points that convert into gift cards.

The grid operator decides when the scheme runs and pays the supplier if it delivers the required change in demand.

Whether other suppliers will deliver the same level of engagement remains uncertain.

Free electricity for weekend washing is a real benefit, but the deeper problem of congested power lines still requires billions in new infrastructure spending.

For now, smart meter households with participating suppliers can claim a small win against a very large and wasteful problem.

Via BBC

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