Purely Energy product
Demand Flexibility for Homes
Get paid to use less electricity for an hour during peak-demand windows. Smart meter required, opt-in per event, no penalty if you skip.
- Typical winter earnings
- £15 to £60 per household
- Equipment required
- SMETS2 or DCC-migrated smart meter
- Commitment
- Opt-in per event, skip any time
- Sign-up cost
- Free, no penalty for skipping
UK households can earn £15 to £60 per winter by shifting electricity use out of evening peak hours during NESO Saving Sessions.
When the grid is tight (cold still days, low wind output, high evening demand) NESO calls a Saving Session. You get at least 24 hours' notice, you decide on the day whether to take part, and your reduction below a 10-day baseline is what you get paid for. The 2024/25 winter ran 13 sessions and cleared up to £1.29 per kWh saved. A home that shifts a single 7 kW car charge out of the event window across a winter typically earns £40 to £80 in bill credit.
We register you as a NESO Demand Flexibility Service participant, set up the half-hourly meter data flow via the DCC, and handle the settlement with NESO after each event. You get a short pre-event email telling you when the next session is and roughly what you'd earn for a typical reduction. After the event we send the maths so you can see how the £ was calculated.
You stay with your current electricity supplier. There is no contract length, no exclusivity, no penalty if you skip an event, and no sign-up fee. The only requirement is a working smart meter sending half-hourly data, which most homes installed since 2019 already have.
What’s included
Every feature listed ships in the standard product. Nothing here is a paid upgrade.
How it works
- Sign up free in 2 minutes, MPAN check confirms eligibility
- We register you as a NESO DFS participant via the DCC
- Notified by email and SMS at least 24 hours before each event
- Opt-in per event, decide on the day if it suits your routine
- Reduction measured against your last 10 weekday baselines
- Bill credit lands 4 to 6 weeks after each event settles
What we handle for you
- NESO DFS registration and ongoing compliance
- Half-hourly meter data flow via DCC access
- Baseline calculation per event window
- Settlement against NESO's published clearing price
- Event notifications, weekly winter digest, support inbox
What you'll need
- A SMETS2 smart meter, or a SMETS1 migrated to the DCC
- Half-hourly meter data sharing enabled (we switch this on)
- A UK electricity supply with a registered MPAN
- Email and a mobile number for event notifications
- Some load you can shift out of peak: EV charger, heat pump, oven, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, immersion heater
Specifications
The technical answers procurement, finance, and IT will ask for.
| Eligible meter | SMETS2, or SMETS1 that has been migrated to the DCC (most post-2019 installs qualify) |
|---|---|
| Event duration | Usually 60 minutes, occasionally 30 or 90 |
| Event timing | Weekday evenings, 4pm to 7pm, mostly November to March |
| Notice period | Minimum 24 hours, typically 36 to 48 hours |
| Events per winter | 10 to 14 (2024/25 ran 13) |
| Typical reduction to earn | 1 to 5 kWh below baseline, per event |
| Penalty for skipping | None, opt-in per event |
| Payment route | Bill credit applied to your electricity account |
| Geographic coverage | Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales). Northern Ireland not eligible. |
| Eligibility | Any GB household on a registered MPAN with a working half-hourly smart meter |
Compare
Side-by-side against the realistic alternatives, no straw men.
| Feature | Purely Demand Flexibility | Octopus Saving Sessions | ScottishPower Power Saver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Need to be their supply customer? | No, any UK supplier | Yes, Octopus tariff required | Yes, ScottishPower tariff required |
| Reward currency | Bill credit in £ | OctoPoints converted to bill credit | Bill credit in £ |
| Sign-up cost | Free | Free | Free |
| Penalty for skipping an event | None | None | None |
| Event season | Winter intensive, year-round windows when called | Winter only (November to March) | Winter only (November to March) |
| Settlement window | 4 to 6 weeks after event | Same billing cycle | Same billing cycle |
Real-world use cases
Scenarios from the Purely Energy book of business.
| Customer profile | Scenario | Outcome with Demand Flexibility for Homes |
|---|---|---|
| EV-charging household | Shifts a 7 kW car charge out of the 4 to 7pm window onto an off-peak slot after the event. | 5 to 7 kWh reduction per event. Across 13 winter sessions at a £1 per kWh blended average, around £60 to £90 of bill credit. |
| Heat pump on a time-of-use tariff | Pre-heats the property between 2pm and 4pm, idles the heat pump through the 4 to 7pm event window. | 1.5 to 3 kWh per event. Around £15 to £35 across a winter, on top of the tariff's existing peak-shift savings. |
| Working-from-home family with electric oven, dishwasher and tumble dryer | Moves cooking and laundry to before 4pm or after 7pm on event days. | 1 to 2 kWh per event. Around £10 to £20 across a winter, mostly by deferring the dryer and the oven. |
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to switch electricity supplier to join NESO Saving Sessions?
No, you do not have to switch supplier. Demand Flexibility runs alongside your existing electricity contract using your half-hourly smart meter data via DCC access, so any UK supplier works. You cannot double-claim alongside Octopus Saving Sessions or ScottishPower Power Saver, but you can leave their scheme and join ours without changing supplier.
How much does it cost a UK household to sign up for Saving Sessions?
Nothing, sign-up is free with no contract length and no penalty for skipping an event. Our share comes out of the bulk NESO DFS revenue we settle on your behalf, so the £ amount shown on your account is the £ amount you keep.
What smart meter do I need for NESO Saving Sessions?
You need a SMETS2 smart meter, or a SMETS1 meter that has been migrated to the Data Communications Company (DCC). Most smart meters installed since late 2019 are SMETS2 and many older SMETS1 meters have since been migrated. We run a free MPAN check at sign-up to confirm eligibility before registering you.
How does NESO calculate the baseline for a Saving Session?
NESO calculates your baseline from your last 10 weekday half-hourly readings in the event window, with a same-day adjustment for actual conditions. Your reduction below that baseline during the event hour is what NESO pays for. We send you the calculation after each event so you can see exactly how the credit was worked out.
Can I earn from Saving Sessions if I am on Octopus Agile, Cosy or another time-of-use tariff?
Yes, the NESO DFS payment stacks on top of any time-of-use savings you already make. The baseline is built from your actual half-hourly usage rather than a flat profile, so a tariff that already shifts your demand does not erode the Saving Session reward.
How long after a Saving Session does the bill credit arrive?
Settlement takes 4 to 6 weeks. NESO publishes the clearing price after each event, we receive payment, and the credit is then applied to your electricity account in the next monthly cycle, with a confirmation email at settlement.
Is the Demand Flexibility Service available across the whole UK?
NESO's Demand Flexibility Service covers Great Britain only, meaning England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland uses a separate grid operator (SONI) and is not part of the DFS programme, so NI households are not currently eligible.
Will joining Saving Sessions disrupt my heating, cooking or EV charging?
No, the impact is limited to the days you opt in, the one-hour event window (almost always between 4pm and 7pm) and the amount of load you choose to shift. You get at least 24 hours' notice and zero penalty for skipping, so the disruption is entirely under your control.
Question not covered? Call us on 0161 521 3400 or request a quote and we will answer it during the discovery call.
Related guides and authoritative sources
Demand Flexibility for businesses
Half-hourly metered businesses can stack four parallel revenue streams: Capacity Market, NESO DFS, DNO Flex and bill-side cost-reduction schemes.
How NESO Saving Sessions work
Plain-English explainer of the Demand Flexibility Service, the baseline, and how the £ per kWh clearing price is set.
Smart meters explained
What SMETS1, SMETS2 and the DCC actually mean, and how to check which one is sitting in your meter cupboard.
Sign up for Saving Sessions
Free sign-up, takes 2 minutes, MPAN check runs automatically and confirms whether your smart meter qualifies.
NESO Demand Flexibility Service
National Energy System Operator's own page on the Demand Flexibility Service that powers Saving Sessions.
NESO DFS Registered Providers list
Public list of every approved DFS provider. Purely Energy is included.
Smart DCC (smart-meter network)
Operator of the secure network that carries half-hourly meter data from SMETS2 meters to suppliers and DFS providers.
Ofgem policy and regulatory programmes
Regulator's index of consumer-protection rules, smart-meter rollout policy and DSR oversight.
Energy Ombudsman
Independent ombudsman for unresolved complaints against energy suppliers and DFS providers.
Citizens Advice: energy
Free consumer advice on smart meters, bills, supplier switches and demand-side schemes.
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