Get paid to use electricity at weekends — NESO's Demand Flexibility Service, explained

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What is NESO's Demand Flexibility Service?

The Demand Flexibility Service is a national scheme run by the National Energy System Operator (NESO, formerly National Grid ESO). NESO is the body responsible for keeping Britain's electricity grid in second-by-second balance. DFS lets NESO reward households and businesses for shifting when they use electricity — either reducing usage during peak-demand windows in winter, or increasing usage during surplus windows when the grid has more renewable power than it needs.

Since its November 2024 upgrade, DFS has operated as a year-round service. Roughly 2.6 million households and small businesses have taken part across its lifetime, with savings measured in thousands of megawatt-hours of flexible demand. In 2026 it sits alongside gas power stations and wind farms as one of NESO's tools for balancing the system in real time.

For households the scheme is simple in principle: NESO announces a DFS event window (for example, a two-hour Sunday afternoon slot), your registered provider notifies you, you either use less or use more during that window, and you receive a reward — cash, points, bill credit or a prize draw entry depending on the provider.

What changed on 9 April 2026

NESO published a new set of DFS contract terms that took effect on 9 April 2026. Three changes matter for UK households:

1. Bi-directional flexibility. DFS is no longer only about turning demand down. Providers can now be paid for turning demand up — for example, asking their customers to run a dishwasher or charge an EV during a windy weekend afternoon when the grid has more generation than it can use.
2. Zonal procurement. NESO can now call events in specific zones of the country rather than nationally, which makes the service more useful on days where the surplus (or the shortfall) is regional rather than UK-wide.
3. Lower eligibility threshold. The entry threshold dropped to 0.1 MW, which makes it easier for smaller aggregators and community schemes to act as registered providers — so household-facing DFS offers are expected to broaden through summer 2026.

The turn-up element is the one that has caught household attention because it fundamentally changes the story: instead of being asked to go without power on a dark January evening, you're being paid to use power on a sunny weekend. That's why DFS-related search interest spiked sharply around 14 April 2026 when ITV News covered the scheme.

How to join NESO DFS as a UK household

You do not sign up with NESO directly. DFS rewards are distributed through registered service providers — your energy supplier, or a third-party aggregator that works with your smart meter data. The steps:

1. Make sure you have a working smart meter sending half-hourly readings. Without this, your provider can't measure your shift against your usual pattern.
2. Check whether your current supplier is a registered DFS provider. The list updates every season — see the section below.
3. Opt in through your supplier's app or website. The flow is usually a single "join rewards scheme" consent.
4. Watch for event notifications — usually by email, push notification or SMS, a few hours to a day before the window.
5. Shift your usage during the window — either up or down depending on the event type.
6. Collect your reward automatically the next billing cycle.

If your current supplier isn't a DFS provider but you want to join, you have two choices: switch to a supplier that is, or sign up with an independent aggregator that supports your meter type. You can compare DFS-participating tariffs in your postcode using our whole-of-market switch form.

Which UK suppliers offer DFS participation in 2026?

DFS provider registration is updated each season by NESO, but these suppliers have run consumer-facing DFS or DFS-adjacent flexibility schemes through 2025–2026. Availability varies by tariff, region and meter type — confirm on the supplier's own site before assuming participation.

• Octopus Energy — long-running Saving Sessions, integrated with DFS since its pilot phase. Rewards via Octoplus points.
• British Gas — PeakSave Sundays (cheaper Sunday rates) and event-based rewards.
• E.ON Next — Next Drive and flexibility rewards for smart-meter customers.
• OVO Energy — Power Move and Charge Anytime-adjacent schemes for EV drivers.
• EDF — event-based flexibility rewards and the Heat Pump Tracker tariff for heat pump owners.
• ScottishPower — Heat Pump Saver tariff and flexibility events.

Smaller aggregators also act as DFS providers for customers of suppliers that don't run their own scheme. These aggregators connect to your smart meter via your IHD or via the DCC feed with your consent.

How much can you earn from DFS?

Earnings depend on three things: how many events run in your region, how much your usage actually shifts during each event, and how your provider converts that into reward. Broad 2026 ranges for a typical UK household that actively participates:

• Per event: roughly £1–£4 for a typical single-room shift; higher for households that can shift heavy loads (EV charging, heat pump, tumble dryer).
• Per month: £5–£25 during active periods, depending on how many events NESO calls.
• Per year: £50–£150 for casual participants; £150–£300+ for households that structure weekend usage around events or own flexible loads like an EV or heat pump.

These are cash-equivalent estimates — some providers pay in points or prize draw entries. Earnings are not guaranteed; NESO may call zero events in a quiet week.

DFS rewards vs free weekend electricity tariffs — what's the difference?

These are two different products that can be stacked:

• Free weekend electricity tariffs give you zero-rate or heavily discounted electricity during a fixed weekly window (typically Saturday or Sunday, all day or a set block). They're part of your tariff and standing. See our guide to free weekend electricity in the UK for the current supplier list.
• DFS rewards are extra payments on top of your tariff, triggered by specific event windows NESO calls when the grid has surplus or scarcity.

In practice, a household on a free weekend tariff that also opts into DFS through the same supplier can benefit from both — getting free electricity during the fixed weekend window, plus additional reward credit when NESO calls a turn-up event in their region.

Do I need a smart meter?

Yes. DFS measures your usage against a baseline to calculate the reward, and without half-hourly meter data there's no way to do that. If you're still on a legacy meter — particularly an RTS-era Economy 7 or Economy 10 setup — your supplier should already be upgrading you as part of the RTS transition; book that upgrade before opting in to DFS.

Frequently asked questions

Is NESO's Demand Flexibility Service free to join?

Yes. There is no household fee to opt into DFS through a registered provider. You only need a working smart meter and consent to share your half-hourly data with the provider.

Can I get free electricity at weekends through DFS?

Not automatically — DFS events are separate from your tariff. To get a standing weekend free-electricity window you'd sign up for a free weekend electricity tariff. DFS events stack on top: if NESO calls a turn-up event during a weekend you're already on a free weekend tariff, you can earn additional reward credit on top of the free usage.

Who is eligible for NESO DFS in 2026?

Any UK household with a working smart meter sending half-hourly readings, whose energy supplier (or a third-party aggregator covering that supplier) is registered as a DFS provider.

How often does NESO call DFS events?

It varies season to season. Historically, events are more frequent in winter peak-demand weeks and — after the April 2026 expansion — during sunny, windy weekends in spring and summer when renewable generation exceeds demand.

Does DFS work with a heat pump or EV?

Yes, and these flexible loads typically earn more per event because they shift bigger chunks of energy. Several suppliers run dedicated heat-pump and EV tariffs (for example EDF's Heat Pump Tracker and Octopus Intelligent Go) that integrate neatly with DFS-style event rewards.

Is turn-up DFS the same as free electricity?

Not quite — turn-up events pay you for using more electricity when the grid has surplus renewables, but you still pay your normal unit rate for that usage. The net effect can be close to free (or better than free), but it's a reward paid separately rather than a zero-rate window.

See which DFS-friendly tariffs are available at your address

Get a whole-of-market comparison based on your postcode and meter type — we'll show you which suppliers are registered DFS providers, which offer free weekend electricity, and which run heat pump and EV flexibility rewards.

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Sources: National Energy System Operator (NESO) — Demand Flexibility Service programme pages and April 2026 contract terms; ITV News, 14 April 2026 coverage of weekend flexibility rewards; Ofgem price-cap publications for April–June 2026. Supplier scheme details from public scheme pages as of April 2026 and subject to change.