Say hello to the global hit: Saving Sessions
Get paid to use less this spring and summer.
Cutting down or amping up your energy usage when the grid is greenest helps the planet, the power grid, and your wallet. With Saving Sessions, we pay you to Flex and Stretch your power consumption.
Flex Session: Maximize your usage to unlock free energy during periods when there's an abundance of renewable energy on the grid!
Stretch Session: Reduce your energy use, and we’ll pay you for every kWh you would have typically used but didn’t during that period.
Sign up now, and from today until September, you'll be invited to join Flex or Stretch sessions, helping you earn savings on your energy bill during specific times.
How does it work?
You’ll need to opt-in to Saving Sessions to let us know you’d like to participate. We’ll tell you when a Saving Session is coming up with as much notice as possible. Usually 24-48 hours before an event.
Remember, you’ll need to opt-in to each session to earn a saving on your energy bill. After the session, we’ll take a look at your meter readings to see how much you saved. We’ll email you to let you know your results.
Your earnings will be added to your Octopus account within a few weeks.
What it means to shift your energy usage
Changing when you use electricity to sync with times when there's more renewable energy available, or when demand is low, helps us rely less on fossil fuels and can also lead to lower energy bills for you. Here are a few examples of things you can use, or avoid using to make an impact on your electricity usage:
- High-energy appliances like your dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, oven, or even your pool system
- Electric vehicle (EV) charging
- Your HVAC system- (Try pre-heating or pre-cooling your home before or after Saving Sessions)
- Water heater
Small changes can make a big impact too, so try to be mindful about lights, when you’re cooking, sprinkle systems- anything that plugs into an outlet.
Program FAQs
Who is able to participate in Saving Sessions?
To join Saving Sessions, you’ll need to be an Octopus customer on a fixed-rate contract. So if you are on a month-to-month contract, you'll need to re-fix to participate.
How do I sign up?
We sent an email to all eligible customers on March 19th. If you’re eligible and would like to participate, just open the Octopus Energy app and scroll down to the “Check out what’s new” section. You should see a banner with the option to opt-in.
Why are you running Saving Sessions?
With energy costs rising, we want to help you conserve or use more energy when it benefits you the most. Saving Sessions is about reducing the sting of high bills during the spring and summer months- it’s shifting the way we think about using energy. By “giving a shift” about when you use energy, you’re actively participating in smarter, greener, and more affordable energy practices that directly benefits you, the customer!
The Texas grid has an abundance of green energy during the day, and that’s practically free energy for you. On the flipside, during peak energy periods- like in the early evening hours, there’s not enough green energy to meet demand so we have to rely on fossil fuels to help keep the state powered.
Instead of relying on these costly fuel sources when demand spikes, we want to incentivize you to use more or less energy at certain times of the day when the grid is greenest. This not only reduces carbon emissions, but also helps stabilise the grid and optimizes the use of renewable energy during optimal conditions like sunny days and windy weather.
How will I get notified about a Saving Session?
You’ll get an email every time there’s an upcoming Saving Session (as long as you’re not opted-out to email comms). These emails will be sent with as much notice as possible. You can also opt-in to Saving Sessions via your Octopus App or the link above. You’ll receive an email within a few days letting you know how you’ve done.
How many Saving Sessions will there be?
We’re not sure, it will entirely depend on grid conditions and the weather.
