Can you get free energy on Christmas Day?

Ovens full of roasties, sparkling Christmas lights, countless cups of tea and back-to-back Christmas movies. These are just a few of the things that help make Christmas Day special, but can also see a spike in many homes' energy use.

Three companies – E.ON Next, EDF and Uswitch – are offering to help keep bills down with festive 'free electricity' deals on Christmas Day. 

We've analysed the deals available, how to get them, and whether they're the best ways to keep energy bills down this Christmas. 

See the latest table of the cheapest energy tariffs: How to get the best energy deal

Is energy use higher on Christmas Day?

Yes... and no. EDF estimates that the average household will use 65kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity on 25 December, compared with eight to ten kWh on a typical day. Cooking Christmas dinner is the biggest contributor to this, with many ovens at maximum capacity for hours at a time.  

However, while household energy consumption is typically higher, the National Grid Energy System Operator (NESO) says that electricity usage across the whole of the UK is actually at one of its lowest points on Christmas Day. This is because schools and most workplaces and factories are closed, so non-household energy consumption is much lower. 

Read more: Best energy suppliers for 2025

How can you get free electricity on Christmas Day?

Three companies – suppliers E.ON Next and EDF, and price comparison service Uswitch – have announced free electricity deals for over the festive period – though only two of them are still open for sign ups. 

Uswitch's deal is available to anyone with a smart meter. With E.ON Next and EDF you, unsurprisingly, have to be a customer (with a smart meter) to benefit. The free energy deals aren't available to customers without smart meters. 

Uswitch free electricity offer

What you get Free electricity between 8am and 4pm on Christmas Day, up to a maximum of £10, based on your usage. Earnings will be made available to withdraw from the 'Earn' tab of the Uswitch app by 31 January 2026. You'll still need to pay the daily standing charge. 

How to get it You don't need to be with a specific provider, or switch providers, to be eligible. However, you will need to download the Uswitch app and connect your smart meter to it. Once you've done this, you can sign up to Uswitch's Power Hours scheme, which will entitle you to eight hours of free energy. To get the Christmas Day offer, you must sign up by 21 December. 

Connecting your smart meter to the Uswitch app will give Uswitch access to your smart meter data. Uswitch's terms and conditions state that: 'Uswitch will provide the necessary smart energy data to its partners to assess the outcome of each session of free electricity'.

EDF's free electricity offer

What you get Eight hours of free electricity between 8am and 4pm on Christmas Day, which EDF says covers the hours when the UK's electricity use hits its festive peak. This is applied as a credit to your account. 

How to get it Any EDF customer with a smart meter that sends readings every 30 minutes is eligible. To get the free electricity, customers must sign up by visiting the Energy Hub in their MyAccount before 11.59pm on 24 December. 

E.ON Next free electricity offer

What you get This offer is no longer open for sign ups. Eligible customers who signed up by the deadline receive three days of free electricity including standing charges on 24, 25 and 26 of December 2025. The free electricity will be applied as a bill credit within 30 days.

How to get it E.ON's offer has the most demanding requirements of the three. It was open to new and existing customers with smart meters who signed up to the Next Direct 18m v1 tariff before 12 December 2025. 

Year-round energy freebies

It's probably not worth switching to a new energy provider for the sake of one day's free energy – we'd recommend choosing your provider based on low tariff prices for the duration of your contract, and a good customer service record. 

It is worth making use of energy saving schemes your supplier runs though, especially if it offers cheaper energy at certain times. Several companies – including EDF and Uswitch – run these schemes throughout the year. 

As with the free Christmas energy offers, all the deals we've spotted are only available to smart meter customers. 

• British Gas: British Gas customers that sign up to PeakSave are included in weekly Sunday events. These give customers half-price electricity between 11am and 4pm every Sunday. This is designed to encourage customers to shift their energy use to these lower-demand hours. 
• EDF: The supplier's 'Sunday Saver challenge' lets customers earn up to 16 hours of free energy on a Sunday in exchange for shifting their energy usage away from peak hours during the week (peak hours are usually between 4pm and 7pm). You can sign up from the Energy Hub in your account. 
• Ovo: Joining 'Ovo Beyond' lets Ovo customers sign up to offers in the app that can reap rewards including: a free annual boiler service, free solar panels, EV miles, free heat pump heating, 
• Octopus: Which? Recommended Provider Octopus has a well-established rewards programme for smart meter customers – Octoplus. Rewards include free electricity at 'super-green' times (when demand on the UK's electricity grid is low), rewards for using less energy at peak times, and perks such as free hot drinks and discounted tickets. 
• Scottish Power: Scottish Power offers half-price energy at weekends for customers that sign up to its Power Saver scheme. Its deal applies on both Saturdays and Sundays between 11am and 4pm. 
• Uswitch: As well as free energy on Christmas Day, signing up to Uswitch's Power Hours qualifies you for a range of year-round offers. These include 'Reduce and Earn' sessions which reward you for reducing energy usage at certain times, and time-sensitive free energy offers. 

What's the best way to save money on my energy bills?

Free or half-price energy offers are a nice perk if you qualify. But we wouldn't suggest switching energy company purely to take advantage of these deals. 

By far the best way to save money on your energy bill is to choose a provider that offers a good price for your type of usage, and shop around regularly to make sure it's still the best for your needs. Our Which? Recommended Provider energy companies are a good shortlist to start with. 

If you're currently on your provider's default, variable tariff, you're probably paying the highest rate available based on Ofgem's energy price cap. Switching to one of the best fixed-rate deals currently available could save you more than £200 a year, according to our latest analysis of the best energy deals. 

And regardless of which supplier you use, we've outlined ways to reduce your energy usage  – and your bills – in our guide on 10 ways to save on energy bills.