British Gas considers free electricity on Saturdays offer

The energy giant may launch a new tariff allowing customers on smart meters to benefit from switching their energy usage to weekends.

British Gas is reported to be considering offering free power on Saturdays to customers who have smart meters.

The energy giant has apparently already started piloting the scheme with some of its customers.

If it’s successful, the scheme could be rolled out to the one million British Gas customers that have smart meters.

The idea behind it is to lessen the strain on the power grid during the week. Customers get 24 hours’ free electricity in return for switching most of their usage to weekends.

A larger pilot scheme is planned for later in the year and a new tariff could be offered next year.

It may be a practical solution for some, but it could be of no benefit for larger families who need to use appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers regularly. There are also question marks over how it would work over the winter months.

There is also the concern that the weekday cost of electricity could rise to compensate for the scheme.

British Gas’s parent company Centrica already offers this scheme to some customers of its subsidiaries in America.

Another rise in profits for Centrica

Centrica this week unveiled profits of £1.58 billion for the first six months of this year, up from £1.45 billion over the same period last year.

It benefitted from the exceptionally long winter and introducing a 6% increase to its prices last November.

British Gas has refused to rule out further price rises.

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