British Gas, EDF, OVO and more will pay customers to save energy this winter - how to sign up

Millions of billpayers across the country will get the opportunity to be paid to save electricity from today (November 1).

The Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) is a National Grid ESO scheme which incentivises households to reduce their electricity usage during peak times. The key aim of the scheme is to reduce pressure on the country's grid and lower the chances of any blackouts.

Running for a second year in a row, the scheme will run from today, November 1, until March 31, with 12 tests being run throughout, according to the National Grid ESO. Similar to last year, the tests will run for roughly one hour each time, where customers will be asked to reduce their electricity usage which will be tracked through their electricity meter so they can earn the appropriate rewards.

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According to the National Grid ESO, a guaranteed minimum price of £3 per KWh for the first six tests will be provided to suppliers for energy saved. In turn, this money will be passed to customers through rewards and savings such as money back on bills.

How much you could make depends on how much energy you already use and how much your usage drops during the session, but OVO has said customers could save £100 in total on energy bills through the DFS alone.

In order to benefit from the scheme, you must already be signed up through your supplier. Furthermore, only households that use a smart electricity meter will be eligible to take part - this is because your meter will need to send regular updates to your supplier so they know how much electricity