Smart meter households paid to use electricity between 8am and 4pm | Personal Finance | Finance

Smart meter households across the UK can get paid for any electricity used between the hours of 8am and 4pm over the early May bank holiday weekend.

Price comparison and switching service Uswitch.com is offering to pay households for eight hours of electricity usage, up to the value of £10, for one day over the long weekend. Households can choose their preferred day – either May 2, May 3, May 4 – and Uswitch will then calculate how much electricity is used between the active hours. Customers will then be notified when their earnings are available to claim, which can then be withdrawn from the Uswitch app into their bank account.

The offer is open to anyone with a compatible smart meter, no matter who their energy supplier is, but there are limited spaces available and the deadline to sign up will close on Wednesday, April 29, so there’s only days left for households to opt to take part.

For new customers, spaces are unlimited until the end of the sign-up window at 11.59pm on April 29. These customers simply need to connect their smart meter to the free Uswitch app and sign up to Power Hours.

Existing Power Hours customers can simply look out for the early May bank holiday offer within the app and activate it to take part. But this is limited to a maximum of 25,000 existing users that already have their smart meter connected to their Uswitch account, so those eager to take part are advised to sign up soon.

According to Uswitch, the offer means households using an electric oven for two hours to cook a bank holiday roast could get 99p from their cooking bill, using a 1.4kW air fryer for two hours could earn 69p, and using the oven and an electric hob for two hours could earn households £1.95 back.

Other household tasks can also yield decent savings, such as washing the car for an hour with a 1.5kW jet washer to earn 37p, or doing a load of laundry in the washing machine and tumble dryer to earn 93p.

Uswitch has outlined the following energy savings for energy guzzling household activities based on Ofgem’s price cap unit rates for April to June 2026:

• Tumble dryer – one load at 3kW per cycle = 74p saving
• Electric oven – 2kW for one hour use = 49p saving
• Jet washing – 1.5kW for one hour use = 37p saving
• Air fryer – 1.4kW for one hour use = 35p saving
• Electric shower – 7.5kW for 10 minute use = 31p saving
• Dishwasher – one load at 1kWh per cycle = 25p saving
• Washing machine – one load at 0.712kWh per cycle = 18p saving
• Kettle – one full kettle with 3kW power = 6p saving
• Vacuuming – 150W for one hour use = 4p saving

Natalie Mathie, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Time’s running out on the opportunity to claim free electricity over the first May bank holiday weekend, so make sure you sign up before midnight on Wednesday 29 April.

“Whether you’re tackling the spring clean, catching up on laundry, or cooking for friends and family, you can earn back your electricity spend on us.

“It doesn’t matter who your energy provider is, as all new customers are welcome to claim back the cost of their electricity. You just need a compatible smart meter. We’ll pay you back for electricity used between 8am and 4pm on your preferred day of the bank holiday weekend.

“We’ll calculate your earnings by the end of May, and you’ll then be able to withdraw the money directly from the app into your bank account. Download the Uswitch app and sign up as soon as possible to make sure you don’t miss out on your free electricity.”