What was PeakSave?
PeakSave was a new initiative to support a country-wide effort to ease the strain on the UK's energy grid at peak times throughout last winter.
More than 200,000 British Gas customers joined PeakSave - the nationwide trial ensured homes and businesses across the UK were powered by more reliable, greener electricity. And thousands of customers have saved money off their bills, too!
So, how did our PeakSavers get on?
By using a little less electricity where they could, PeakSavers showed that even small changes really do add up.
- Over 12 PeakSave Winter events, they collectively saved 147,000 kWh of electricity.
- That’s enough to power 750,000 homes for an hour.
- In total, we paid PeakSavers more than £1.8 million in rewards.
- On average, each PeakSaver earned more than £28 towards their bills by taking part.
How our PeakSave trial worked
Our PeakSavers had to try and reduce the electricity they used in 'PeakSave events' between November 2022 and March 2023. Each energy-saving session varied between 1 and 2 hours.
Before each PeakSave event, we got in touch with our PeakSavers so they could decide if they wanted to take part.
Their goal was to try and use 30% less electricity than they normally would.
We used readings from their smart meters to calculate how much they saved. The less electricity our PeakSavers used, the bigger their reward.
To help encourage our PeakSavers in the trial, we doubled all our customers' rewards, passed on 100% of these savings as credit on their energy bills, and made sure they always earned at least £1 for every event they saved.
The changes PeakSavers made
We loved hearing about the changes PeakSavers made to take part in PeakSaver Winter – using the events as opportunities to walk the dog, enjoy a candle-lit dinner, or play board games as a family.
| Percetange | Of the PeakSavers we surveyed: |
|---|---|
| 98% | said they would take part in future events |
| 70% | changed the times and ways they cooked |
| 70% | changed the times and ways they washed clothes |
| 47% | changed when they used the dishwasher |
| 46% | changed when they used the tumble dryer |
What PeakSavers said
It opened our eyes to be mindful of wasted energy and ways to conserve it.
We are making a more conscious effort to reduce our energy usage… and encourage the children to do the same.