Energy supplier EDF has announced a festive gift for its customers: eight hours of completely free electricity on Christmas Day. The offer, described as power "on the house," is available to households with a working smart meter.
How to Claim Your Free Festive Power
The free electricity will run from 8am until 4pm on 25 December. To be eligible, customers must have a functioning electricity smart meter that provides half-hourly readings and must sign up for January's Sunday Saver challenge before 11:59pm on 24 December. Those already enrolled in December's challenge will receive the free hours automatically.
Rich Hughes, Director of Retail at EDF, explained the reasoning behind the gesture: "Christmas is one of the most joyful days of the year, but also one of the busiest for household electricity use. We want our customers to enjoy the festivities for free." He added that it was a "simple, practical way to help households offset their festive electricity use" and start earning more free power in the new year.
A Welcome Saving During Peak Usage
The promotion comes as research highlights the significant spike in energy consumption during the festive period. Estimates suggest households celebrating Christmas use around 65 kWh of electricity on the day itself, which is roughly seven times the typical daily consumption of 8-10 kWh.
EDF's Sunday Saver initiative, which this offer promotes, has already proven popular. More than 220,000 customers have benefitted since it began, collectively earning over 13 million hours of free electricity and saving more than £3.4 million on their bills.
The UK's Festive Glow
The high usage is partly driven by traditional Christmas displays. Research indicates that 7% of UK households will light up their homes with festive lights, keeping them on for nearly eight hours on average. With the average household using around 243 LED lights, this adds up to more than five billion twinkling lights across the country.
EDF faces competition from other major energy providers in the UK market, including British Gas, OVO, and Octopus. This Christmas offer is a clear move to engage existing customers and promote its money-saving Sunday Saver scheme, which rewards users with free electricity during off-peak periods.
