Octopus Energy has announced a new initiative allowing customers to receive one hour of free electricity every weekend until 31 October 2026. The energy supplier, which serves households in Birmingham and beyond, introduced the scheme as a follow-up to their highly successful ‘Eclipse Power Down’ event.
To qualify for the free weekend electricity, customers need to participate in two one-hour ‘Power Down’ sessions during the week by reducing their electricity use. This effort helps balance the energy grid and is rewarded through Octopus Energy’s new ‘Weekend Happy Hours’ programme.
The previous ‘Eclipse Power Down’ saw record engagement, with 794,000 customers taking part and collectively saving 650 megawatt-hours of electricity-enough to power a city twice the size of Birmingham for an hour.
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Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Customer Officer at Octopus Energy, commented: “Nearly a million Octopus customers switched off, enjoyed the skies and earned free electricity during the eclipse. We’re thrilled to keep the momentum going with the launch of Weekend Happy Hours. Until the end of October 2026, customers who use less electricity during two hour-long sessions in the week will be rewarded with an hour of power free every weekend.”
To participate, customers must pay by Direct Debit or prepay, have a functional electricity smart meter, be members of Octopus Energy’s free rewards programme, Octoplus, and be registered for Saving Sessions, the initiative that rewards customers for helping balance the grid.
Participants can select from a variety of one-hour time slots on weekends to use their free electricity. Alternatively, they can save earned hours for use at a later date, up until 31 October 2026.
The Weekend Happy Hours programme aims to support sustainable energy use while offering customers valuable incentives, running through to the end of October 2026.