What is Power Saver and Half-Price Weekends?

Power Saver* is all about rewarding our customers for helping to balance the grid. We might ask you to use less energy at peak times. Or we’ll ask you to shift your energy use to times when there’s more renewable energy available.

For example, at peak times, there’s not always enough renewable energy to go around. But by using electricity during off-peak times, you’ll be helping to balance the demand on the grid. Either way, you can earn energy credits on your bill when you make changes to how you use energy at home. Discover more about Power Saver here.

When I try to sign up for Power Saver, I get presented with a ‘something went wrong’ message?

If you get this message, please log out of your online account and then log in again through the Power Saver web page here.

When I log in to my online account, I get presented with more than one account number, which one do I select?

This may be because you have an account for one of our Home Services products or have an old energy account with us. To sign up for Power Saver, please make sure you select your current energy account number. If you received an email from us inviting you to sign up, your energy account number will be included in your email. 

I have a communicating smart meter, but I can’t register for Power Saver, why?

To take part in Power Saver events, we need to ensure your smart meter provides a certain level of half-hourly readings. It may be that your meter doesn’t currently provide the level of readings we need in order for you take part in events. Be assured, we are constantly monitoring this and working hard to resolve any issues that may arise.

How do I update my smart meter readings to a half-hourly frequency?

If you’re eligible for Power Saver, you can sign up to a half-hourly meter reading frequency as part of the registration process. Alternatively, you can change your meter reading frequency to half-hourly in your online account – simply visit ‘Your smart meter preferences’ here.

How do I take part?

First, you’ll need to register to become a Power Saver using your online account details.

Be sure to use your current energy account number when you register.

If you’re eligible (you need to be a ScottishPower electricity customer, have a communicating smart meter and consent to sharing half-hourly readings), we’ll be in touch within 7 days to confirm you’re ready to take part in our Power Saver events.

You’ll then automatically be included in our Half-Price Weekends, where you’ll get half-price electricity** on your unit rate every Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 4pm. Now and again, we’ll host bonus half-price events during the week. We’ll let you know when these are happening by

notifying you in the app. 

In addition, we will host Power Saver Plus events, part of National Grid’s Demand Flexibility Service, where we’ll ask you to use less energy at peak times. Again, we’ll let you know when these are happening by notifying you in the app.

Power Saver* is separate to your current energy tariff and if eligible you do need to register to take part.

How does energy shifting work?

At peak times, when demand on the grid is high, there’s not always enough renewable energy to go around. When this happens, fossil fuels are used to bridge the gap. But the more of us that shift our energy use to off-peak times, the more we can make the most of renewable energy. Alternatively, we might ask you to use less energy at peak times.

Our Power Saver events are designed to enable customers to earn energy credit when they make changes to how they use electricity at home. This may mean putting off using high-energy appliances (like the washing machine, oven and dishwasher), and saving their use for our off-peak times. For example, our Half-Price Weekends on Saturdays and Sundays between 11am and 4pm.

Who is eligible for Power Saver?

To become a Power Saver, you need to:

Unfortunately, our Pay As You Go customers are not currently eligible for Power Saver. We’re working to introduce this soon.

Also, customers who are signed up to EV Optimise or our Heat Pump Saver tariff are not currently eligible for Power Saver. If you’ve tried to register but are not eligible, we’ll note your interest and get back in touch if you become eligible.

How do I get started?

Simply, register to become a Power Saver here.

We’ll be in touch by email within 7 days when you’re ready to start saving in our events.

What are Half-Price Weekends?

Our Half-Price Weekends are part of our Power Saver service. Once you’ve registered, you can automatically enjoy half-price electricity* on your unit rate every Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 4pm.

You’ll be charged for your electricity as normal, but then we’ll credit your bill to ensure you only pay half-price*. By shifting some of your electricity use to off-peak times, you’ll be helping to balance the demand on the grid and make the most of renewable energy.

What are bonus events?

Our bonus events offer half-price electricity on your unit rate during the week. We’ll let you know when these are happening by notifying you in the app. Again, you’ll be charged for your electricity as normal, but then we’ll credit your bill to ensure you only pay half-price*.

What are Power Saver Plus events?

Power Saver Plus events are part of National Grid’s Demand Flexibility Service. This is where we ask you to use less energy at peak times. We’ll let you know when these are happening by notifying you in the app. We’ll calculate your energy use based on your smart meter data and compare this to your energy forecast, which will also use your smart meter data - this follows a standard industry calculation.

Do I need to sign up if a new event is launched?

If we launch a new event alongside our Half-Price Weekends, we’ll let you know when these are happening

notifying you in the app. 

Can I sign up for different Power Saver events?

When you become a Power Saver, you’ll automatically be included in our Half-Price Weekends events. You can also sign up to any other Power Saver events we launch, we’ll let you know when these are happening by notifying you in the app.

What is the difference between scheduled events, bonus events and Power Saver Plus events?

Our scheduled events occur every weekend (Saturdays and Sundays between 11am and 4pm). This is because these times are generally always off-peak, with lower demand on the grid. All our registered Power Savers are automatically included in our Half-Price Weekend events.

We may host bonus events in response to real-time demand on the grid. These bonus events can take place at any time and we’ll let you know when these are happening by notifying you in the app.

In addition, we may ask you to use less energy at peak times in our Power Saver Plus events. Again, we’ll let you know when these are happening by notifying you in the app.

What happens if I’m unable to take part in an event?

When it comes to Half-Price Weekends, all our registered Power Savers can automatically take part. So, if you’re out for the day or away on holiday and don’t use any electricity between 11am and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, you’ll still be credited for any electricity you use within the event period, even if you’re not actively taking part. For example, if you have devices left on standby mode. You’ll then automatically be included in the next Half-Price Weekend event.

With our bonus half-price events, you need to opt in to enjoy half-price electricity within the bonus event. You’ll then be credited for any electricity you use within that period.

With our Power Saver Plus events, you need to opt in to benefit from any savings you can make within the event period.

What if I don’t want to participate anymore?

You can unsubscribe from Power Saver in the app. By unsubscribing, you will no longer be able to take part in our events, including Half-Price Weekends and Power Saver Plus events. Any outstanding credit will appear on your bill. If you change your mind, you can sign up again if you still meet the eligibility criteria.

What happens if I move house?

You will be automatically unsubscribed from Power Saver if you move house. We will apply any outstanding credit to your final bill.

If you want to continue enjoying Power Saver in your new home, you’ll need to join ScottishPower as a new customer (unless we already supply your new home), and register again to become a Power Saver.

When we ask you to ‘use more’ energy, we’re asking you to use as much electricity as you need during our set times. This might mean you stick on the washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer and the oven during our events, like Half-Price Weekends.

Alternatively, when we ask you to ‘use less’ energy, we want you to reduce your electricity use during peak times. For example, this might mean avoiding using the washing machine or oven, if you can, until the event has finished.

How do I make savings?

Once you’ve registered to become a Power Saver and we’ve emailed you to confirm you’re all set up, you can automatically start saving in our Half-Price Weekend events. We’ll credit your bill to ensure you only pay half-price* on your unit rate for any electricity you use on Saturdays and Sundays between 11am and 4pm.

You can save in our bonus events when we notify you that we have one coming up. We’ll then credit your bill for any electricity you use during the event.

You can also save in our Power Saver Plus events when we notify you that we have one coming up. 

Remember, although your savings for one individual day might not seem a lot, your savings will add up the more you take part.

You can save even more by being more aware of your spending and naturally reducing your electricity use.

Will I be rewarded for using less gas during events?

No, you will only be rewarded for every kWh of electricity you use during our off-peak times (Saturday’s and Sunday’s between 11am and 4pm). To learn more about kWhs go to our kWh support centre page.

How will my savings appear on my bill?

Your credit will show as ‘Power Saver Credit’ on your bill. We will calculate the full amount you earned for the billing period. You can also view a breakdown of your savings by event in the app.

If you pay by Direct Debit, Power Saver will not affect your monthly payment amount.

Why does the credit on my bill not match the savings?

This may be because your bill was processed before the event takes place. If this is the case, your recent savings will be added as credit to your next bill which will show all your savings to date. You can keep track of your savings in the app.

Why do I need a smart meter?

We rely on half-hourly smart meter data to calculate your energy use during a Power Saver event and work out your savings. It’s also important your smart meter communicates with us regularly so we can provide you with accurate bills. If we experience any ongoing connection issues with your smart meter, we’ll be in touch.

If you don’t yet have a smart meter, book your free installation here.

It may be that your smart meter stopped communicating for a day. If this happens, you will not receive any energy credit for that day but will still be able to take part in future Power Saver events. However, if your smart meter experiences connection issues over a longer period, we may deem your smart meter as non-communicating, which means you may no longer be eligible to take part in Power Saver events.

We’ll be able to calculate your savings when we receive your smart meter data, which usually takes a few days and then you can view them in the app. 

For half-price events, we calculate your savings by multiplying the electricity you have used during an event by half of your electricity unit rate (excluding VAT). Your daily standing charge won’t change.

For Power Saver Plus events, we’ll calculate your energy use based on your smart meter data and compare this to your energy forecast, which will also use your smart meter data - this follows a standard industry calculation.