Over 300,000 have signed up for a trial to save on their electricity bills

Octopus Energy said 320,000 of its customers had opted to sign up to the scheme, which is expected to start on Tuesday.

That’s about a quarter of the 1.4 million households that were eligible.

Members will be paid if they reduce their energy consumption on certain days during peak hours.

This will help take the strain on the power grid at a time when supplies are expected to be tight this winter.

The provider says households could save around £100 on their bills by signing up to the scheme. It costs them nothing and they are not penalized if they choose to use electricity during periods when they are asked to reduce their consumption.

The scheme is reinforced National networkand it was expected to be launched on Tuesday, however an official launch has not yet been confirmed.

It was unclear how many suppliers had signed up to the National Grid scheme, however OVO Energy is launching a separate program with a similar goal.

OVO said on Tuesday that a quarter of eligible customers had signed up to its scheme – around 7,000 households.

The provider only addresses households that it believes will benefit the most from the scheme.

“We are approaching a critical juncture for the UK’s energy sector and we need a resilient network to support households this winter,” said OVO chief executive Raman Bhatia.

“The fact that we exceeded our testing challenge is a testament to our customers’ willingness to support and participate in new testing.

“We hope the results of this trial will give customers more insight into how they can support the wider system, with potential savings to help through the winter.”