Engie introduces free electricity during “happy hours”
Engie is offering customers free electricity during “happy hours”, periods when there is an oversupply of renewable energy on the grid. The company announced the initiative on Wednesday.
The scheme is open to all Engie electricity customers, regardless of their contract type. To participate, customers must have a digital meter and activate the “happy hours” service via the Engie Smart App. Registration opens on Wednesday, and the offer will run until 1 June.
How the scheme works
Customers will receive a notification in the app one day in advance when a surplus of renewable energy is expected the following day. During the specified hours, which may fall on weekdays or weekends, electricity consumption will be free of charge.
Network costs, taxes and levies will still apply. The savings on electricity consumption will be credited in the app at the beginning of the following month. Amounts of 5 euros or more can then be transferred to the customer’s bank account.
Through the initiative, Engie aims to encourage households to shift their electricity use to times when renewable energy production is high. The company supplies electricity to 2.8 million customers in Belgium.
"We need a stable electricity grid in Belgium. Engie is therefore strongly committed to flexibility, not only on the production side, but also for consumers. That's the new reality. We're trying to encourage people to shift their consumption to times when there's an abundance of cheap renewable energy," explains spokesperson Hellen Smeets.
Pilot project results
The concept was tested last year in a pilot project involving 1,300 participants. Over the six-month trial, there were 45 days with “Happy Hours”, amounting to 163 hours of free green electricity.
These periods occurred mainly between March and September, and most often during weekends. They typically began at 1.00 pm and were offered in a single block, lasting an average of three consecutive hours.
"The energy transition requires not only more renewable energy production, something Engie continues to focus on, but also a different way of consuming," says Vincent Verbeke, CEO of Engie Belgium. "By better aligning our consumption with times when solar and wind energy are abundant and affordable, we can relieve the burden on the electricity grid, avoid waste, and maximise the use of renewable sources."
Growing focus on grid flexibility
Other suppliers are also responding to the growing need for flexibility as renewable energy production increases. This week, Luminus launched a new electricity contract featuring variable pricing based on consumption patterns, alongside free electricity on Sundays during the spring and summer months.
Several energy providers have already introduced similar Sunday promotions in recent years, reflecting broader efforts within the sector to balance supply and demand more efficiently as the energy transition accelerates.
© PHOTO BELGIAN FREELANCE
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