British Gas is set to triple the payments made to customers for the National Grid test event under the Demand Flexibility scheme, encouraging them to shift demand and reduce energy consumption.

Britain’s electricity system operator has scheduled tests for today between 6.30pm and 7.30pm.

The maximum volume of demand reduction during this period is set at 265MW.

A British Gas spokesperson told ELN: “We will be tripling the payments made to customers for this event to provide a greater incentive to shift demand.

“For instance, if you save 1kWh in energy and National Grid pays you £3 then we will triple this to £9 and it will all go as a credit on your energy bill. We will also boost customers who make small savings to make sure they earn at least £1 from each event.

“The electricity grid is facing increased pressure and smart technology will play a key role in managing peak demand. During this trial, we are testing how we can use this scheme to reduce consumption whilst having the added benefit of helping customers save on their energy bills.

“We’ve already been doubling payments this winter and are using this final event to test the impact of boosting the incentive even further.”