Did you know you can get free prosecco for delaying household chores? It’s all part of a novel scheme where householders get rewarded for basically not doing things.
Do the laundry? Not right now. Switch on the dishwasher? I’ll do it later.
If the idea of being rewarded to postpone chores appeals, then check out “Is this a good time?” – an energy-saving campaign from ESB Networks. You might have heard the ads running on the radio this month.
The campaign asks participants to wait until the right time to use energy-intensive appliances. Doing this can relieve pressure on the national grid and reduce emissions.
Electricity customers or other occupiers of residential premises in Ireland are eligible to participate.
Participants are invited to take part in “energy events” where they can earn an e-gift card by taking specific actions and reporting back on them within 72 hours.
How it works is that, on about a weekly basis, participating householders receive a text message from ESB Networks, notifying them of an imminent “flex event”. The text is both a weather forecast and an incitement to postpone chores all in one. It reads something like this:
“There will be a flex event tomorrow between 9am and 11am. It’s forecasted there will be excessive renewable electricity generation in your area.
“If you’re catching up on household chores, consider using appliances such as your washing machine or tumble dryer between 9am and 11am to make the most of the elevated renewable electricity.”
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So if it suits you, don’t bother with the laundry before 9am or after 11am that day. Switch your washing machine on, or programme it to run between 9am and 11am instead. This way, you’ll spare the grid some energy and reduce emissions.
Confirm you’ve taken action and you’ll also earn an e-gift card voucher for yourself that will be sent to your email address.
Participants took 84,000 actions last year over 25 energy events, helping to support Ireland’s security of supply and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, according to ESB Networks figures for the year.
It’s estimated that 76MWh of energy was “shifted” – this is based on the assumption that each action taken by a householder equates to shifting one dishwasher cycle of the typical home in Ireland to a better time. That’s enough to power a home for 18 years.
Some 10,960 participants were rewarded for shifting electricity use. The counties with the highest action rates were Carlow, Waterford and Cork.
You don’t have to be an ESB customer to take part: you can sign up at esbnetworks.ie regardless of your electricity supplier, you just need to set up an ESB Networks online account first. You can do this using your MPRN. You’ll find that at the top of your bill.
You don’t need a smart meter and signing up won’t change your tariff.
ESB Networks isn’t actually giving participants prosecco, I should clarify. This is just an example of what you could treat yourself to with your accumulated e-gift cards, which can be used in places such as Tesco, Lidl, Aldi and Penneys.
You won’t make a fortune from participating, but you’ll get something. One participant has accumulated about €21 between January and April this year just for postponing chores until a better time. ESB Networks has extended the scheme until March 2027. Cheers to that.
