Here’s Why I’m Not Doing EDF Energy’s ‘Sunday Saver’ Challenge
Recently my energy supplier, EDF Energy, has been sending me invitations to sign up for what it calls its ‘Sunday Saver’ challenge.
The way this works is that you sign up to shift some of your electricity usage on weekdays away from peak hours (4pm-7pm). When you hit your target (which is set individually for each user by EDF), you earn free electricity the following Sunday.
EDF say, ‘The more you shift, the more you earn – reduce your weekly peak usage by 40% and you could earn up to 16 hours of free electricity per week.’
The challenge is due to take place monthly, starting on the first Monday of each month.
At first glance you might think this is a good offer. But as I have looked into it more, my doubts have grown. Here are my main reservations…
- To benefit from this scheme you have to cut your daily energy usage every weekday between 4pm and 7pm. That’s quite a long period (three hours), and coincides with when I would normally be cooking my evening meal. To have any realistic chance of cutting my energy use during this time, I would have to eat either ridiculously early or significantly later than normal. For various reasons, including my health, I prefer to eat between 6 and 7 pm and no later. So that in itself is a big ask and would impact drastically on my normal routine.
- Free electricity on Sunday sounds great, but the devil is in the detail. EDF say that you will get ‘up to 16 hours’ of free electricity if you meet their targets, but are very vague about what this means in practice. Specifically, they don’t explain how your energy-saving targets are calculated, how any reduction in usage translates to free hours, or when on Sunday you will be able to use the free electricity awarded.
- In addition, they say there are ‘fair usage’ limits to how much free electricity you can have. Again, they are vague about what this means in practice. The obvious way to use your free electricity would be to charge your EV, and I strongly suspect limits would be placed on this. As for me, I don’t have an EV and don’t want one, so my options for benefiting from the free electricity would be limited. I could shift use of appliances like my washing machine to Sunday but doubt if I could save more than a few kw/h this way (obviously the exact number would depend on how many free hours I was allocated, which is anyone’s guess). That means my free electricity would likely benefit me by no more than a pound or two.
- Lastly, as a solar panel owner I already get some free electricity anyway. My panels obviously generate less in the winter, but during daylight hours they still produce something. That means any benefit from free electricity on Sundays will be reduced, especially if (as is likely) the free hours are in the day rather than at night.
Overall, then, I am not much enamoured of EDF’s Sunday Saver challenges and won’t be signing up. Ultimately, I am not prepared to make major changes to my day-to-day schedule in pursuit of what will likely be (in my case anyway) minuscule rewards.
Obviously some will see this differently and I wish them well. And it’s good that EDF (and other companies) are exploring ways to help customers reduce their bills. I do just think this particular one – for me anyway – is a non-starter.
I would be interested to hear any comments from people doing this challenge (or similar ones from other energy companies) as to whether they find it worthwhile, and whether the benefits really do justify the changes you are required to make.
- I do still recommend EDF Energy based on my personal experiences with them. And as I’ve said before on PAS, I can offer anyone switching to EDF £50 off their bills if they use my refer-a-friend link at https://edfenergy.com/quote/refer-a-friend/sunny-koala-9462 when applying. I will also get £50 off my bill if you do this, which is duly appreciated 🙂
Harry
October 10, 2024 @ 8:59 pm
I have recently signed up for Sunday Saver, but as my usage was already very low, between 4-7 pm, there is no way I can reduce it further.
Cooking and heating are by gas and I don’t think switching off fridge and TV would achieve much. Dishwasher and Washing Machine already used outside these hours.
Nick
October 11, 2024 @ 6:34 am
Thanks, Harry. Yes, I suspect many people will struggle to make much (if any) money from the EDF Sunday Saver challenge. Good luck, though! Please do post another comment after the first has happened to let us know how you got on.
Harry
October 11, 2024 @ 9:15 am
Thanks Nick. I was hoping to get enough free electricity on Sunday to power up my PHEV, but I don’t see that happening. I’ll let you know how I get on.
Harry
October 12, 2024 @ 5:43 pm
Update:
I’ve just had a statement from EDF to inform me that I’m on course to earn 4 hrs of free elec., subject to making a bit more effort at reducing my peak hours consumption – this would not be easy because these are already very low. However, if by some miracle I manage to achieve this and get the reward, I would need to be up and about by 8am on a Sunday to claim 11.25kWh. This would just provide me with about 20 miles range in my PHEV. Not sure it’s worth the hassle.
Nick
October 13, 2024 @ 9:31 am
Thanks very much, Harry. It’s great to have some feedback on how the scheme actually works in practice. As you say, the benefit in terms of free hours (and max kW/h) does sound borderline (at best) for the effort involved.
At the current price cap rate of 24.5p per kW/h, that means your free electricity will be worth about £2.76. To be fair that’s slightly more than I thought, but hardly a fortune for all the effort you have to make. And obviously, if you are already on a discounted tariff, the benefit will be worth less than that.
As for me, since I don’t have an EV I would struggle to use 11.25 kw/h of electricity in four hours on a Sunday morning (especially as my solar panels will be generating some free energy then anyway). That means the benefit would probably be even less for me. I am still quite content with my decision to pass on this!
Harry
October 13, 2024 @ 12:14 pm
Thanks for your comments Nick.
I seem to be getting daily updates on my EDF app. Apparently, I’ve already qualified for my free 4hrs and I only have to reduce my peak usage by a further 0.4% to get 22.5 kW/h between 8am and 4pm.
I’ll let you know at the end of the week what transpires.
Nick
October 13, 2024 @ 2:12 pm
Thanks, Harry. That’s a bit better then. It works out as just over £5.50 worth of free electricity at the price cap tariff, or maybe 40 miles in your EV! Still not a fortune, but I guess worth having if it’s not too much hassle. Thanks again for the updates.
Harry
October 15, 2024 @ 11:17 am
Just had confirmation from EDF that I have earned 11.25 kW/hr for use next Sunday morning. Apparently I have been ranked in the top 40% of my comparison group of 673 people and have saved 189g/co2.
So next Sunday, I will get up early to plug in my charger for 20 miles range; doesn’t seem much, but currently that’s about my average weekly mileage.
I could try setting the timer on the charger to avoid getting up early, but I’ve never tried that function before and it could go wrong. Besides, I don’t like the idea of leaving the cable connected overnight.
Nick
October 15, 2024 @ 11:24 am
Thanks, Harry. Appreciate the updates. Enjoy your free electricity!
Harry
October 15, 2024 @ 4:42 pm
Hi Nick; I’ve just been reading your introduction to EDF Sunday Saver again and noting your concerns about how it works. It would appear that much of the detail you were looking for is only revealed after you sign up for the Challenge.
Nick
October 15, 2024 @ 7:05 pm
Thanks, Harry. Yes, it appears so. That’s why it’s so valuable getting your feedback, of course.