Households could get free electricity for doing washing on sunny weekends

Households and businesses could get free or cheaper electricity from their energy company for running appliances during periods of excess supply, such as sunny weekends.

Until now, providers have offered incentives, such as cheaper rates, for customers in Britain to shift their electricity use outside of peak times.

But now they can also encourage people to increase their use when "weather conditions result in excess supply", the National Energy System Operator (NESO) said.

Its updated Demand Flexibility Service was approved by the industry regulator Ofgem at the end of March, and NESO said it would ensure the system is resilient over the summer, and avoid surplus power being wasted.

Electricity demand is lower in the summer months when the weather is warmer and the days longer, while solar power generation is higher.

NESO said its research indicated low demand was "increasingly driven by weather patterns", while the growth of "smaller, local electricity generators" is also reducing reliance on large power stations.

Periods of surplus electricity are becoming more common, it said.

The updated scheme will enable customers to be rewarded for running appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers, and charging electric vehicles, when more green energy is being generated and demand is low, such as on weekends or Bank Holidays.

It is open to households with a smart meter, whose suppliers are participating.

Rewards will vary and be up to suppliers, and could include customers being offered free or cheaper electricity at certain times, or points that could be converted into gift cards.

Companies that have signed up to the scheme so far include British Gas, Equiwatt and Octopus Energy, NESO said.

NESO said: "The complexity of operating the system at low demand is increasing, and we may need to use more of our tools, and use them more often, than in previous summers."

This may also include issuing rare notices to power stations telling them they may need to turn down output to ensure safety in periods of low demand.