British Gas, EDF, EON, Ovo and Octopus customers have just days left to claim 25 hours free energy

MILLIONS of smart meter owners will miss out on 25 hours free energy if they don’t grab a deal in the next few days.

Uswitch’s scheme tracks your electricity use during five hour slots each weekend – and then covers the cost.

You can claim the deal as long as your electric smart meter is connected to the Uswitch app by October 31.

So customers at major suppliers like British Gas, EDF, EON, Ovo, Octopus and many more can sign up.

On its website, Uswitch writes: “Power up all of your hoovering, laundry and [get] other household chores done – on us!”

So customers are encouraged to do all their high-energy activities at once with the Power Hours scheme.

It’s a great money-saving hack given the surprisingly high costs of running electrical items for just an hour.

Tumble dryers can easily cost £1.21, vacuum cleaners 25p, and immersion heaters around 82p.

If you’re getting all your chores done at once there’s no reason you can’t make some decent savings.

But there is a catch hidden in the terms and conditions – customers can only save a maximum of £25 across the campaign. 

That’s still a fiver saved every weekend.

You need to download the free Uswitch app and connect it to your smart meter – which takes less than two minutes.

Then sign up to Power Hours through the app.

For each weekend in November customers select a time slot for either Saturday or Sunday.

It will give you two available slots which are 7am to 12pm or 12pm to 5pm.

After each slot, Uswitch calculates your usage cost.

And then it lets you withdraw the amount to your bank account. 

Members will be able to view their free electricity earnings shortly after each weekend in November.

It doesn’t usually matter who your energy provider is.

As long as your electric smart meter is connected to the Uswitch app by October 31, you can claim the deal.

There are an estimated 38 million smart meters installed across the UK, according to Uswitch.

How energy providers’ time-sensitive tariffs can cut bills

Many energy providers give customers options that help them reduce costs by prioritising energy usage at certain times of day.

That’s because, when providers buy energy, they pay more or less depending on what’s happening elsewhere.

Prices can fluctuate due to a number of factors including supply and demand, fuel costs and even weather patterns.

Certain tariffs allow customers to adapt to this system, and use energy when rates are at their cheapest.

Earlier this week, EDF launched its new Free Phase tariff.

Customers who avoid using energy during “red” or peak rates can save on rates during amber (off-peak) and green rates (night rates).

“Red” periods, the priciest, are between 4pm and 7pm.

“Amber” slots are from 6am to 4pm and 7pm to 11pm.

The cheapest – “Green” times – are at night from 11pm to 6am.

EDF said its new offer can save customers up to £187 a year compared to standard variable rates.

E.On Next unveiled its “Time of Use” tariff way back in April.

Households signing up to the Next Smart Saver deal pay an off-peak, super off-peak and peak rate.

The off-peak rate is between 5am to 4pm and 7pm to 2am and is 20.11p per kilowatt hour.

The super off-peak rate is between 2am and 5am and is 16.33p per kilowatt hour.

Meanwhile, the peak rate is between 4pm and 7pm costs 38.48p per kilowatt hour.

E.On Next’s deal could slash people’s bills by around £370 a year.

So Energy recently launched a similar tariff which charges customers based on their individual power usage patterns.

The renewable energy provider is trialling the tariff with around 100 customers who signed up to a waiting list.

The So Unique deal will then use data from smart meters to create three individual rates based on a customer’s personal habits.

The peak, off-peak and super off-peak time bands will be unique for each household.

Octopus Energy also offers an Agile tariff which charges customers different rates for the energy they use, depending on when the wholesale price of electricity rises and falls.

Natalie Mathie, energy expert at Uswitch.com, previously said flexible tariffs could be “interesting” options.

But she warned that households must be prepared to change their daily routines to benefit.

“Households that aren’t able to adapt their schedules, such as when they do laundry, cooking and charging, are likely to find bigger savings right now by opting for a regular, single-rate fixed deal,” she said.

Appliances that you need to turn off to save cash

The priciest appliances to use are washer-dryers, tumble dryers, chest freezers, fridge-freezers and washing machines.

Using your washer-dryer for an average of 425 kWh worth of work per year will set you back approximately £109.35.

Tumble dryers using an average of 388 kWh per year will set you back £99.83.

Chest freezers have to use lots of energy to maintain a steady temperature – worth £78.22 annually.

The fridge-freezer is another staple appliance that can cause energy bills to skyrocket, especially if not maintained properly.

According to energy pros, it makes up 8% of the household energy bill, with a 302 kWh/year model costing around £77.70 annually.

Washing machines use substantial energy, particularly for hot-water cycles, and represent 7% of a household’s energy expenses. 

A 244 kWh/year model will set you back £62.78 annually.

There are plenty of good ways of saving money when using electrical appliances.

When it comes to washing machines, reducing the temperature to 30°C could cut £10 to £14 off your annual energy bills. 

And reducing the heart further to 20°C could shave £24 off your annual bill. 

If your machine is only half full, you might want to hold off from hitting the start button too.

Waiting until you have a full load of washing means you’re likely to do fewer cycles through the year. 

Experts also say that placing a dry towel in your dryer can reduce running time and, therefore, help keep energy bills down.