Some families could enjoy free electricity for 24 hours a week (Pixel Placebo, Flickr)

RADIO:

Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has announced that it is considering offering free electricity on Saturdays.

However, some analysts have questioned whether consumers will really be better off, particularly if there are price hikes during the rest of the week.

Nima Green reports for VoR.

Some one million British Gas customers are currently getting free energy for 24 hours on Saturdays.

It’s the first UK pilot scheme by British Gas, which, if successful, the company hopes to offer to all customers from 2014, providing they have smart energy meters.

But before you start getting too envious, as ever, there is a catch. In the longer term, weekday charges could increase.

So what’s behind the new scheme?

In recent years, the UK’s power grid has come under increasing strain.

And Ofgem has said that within two years, Britain’s reserve generating margin could fall from 14 percent to just 2 percent.

Some fear that with reserves depleting, power cuts could be a reality in as little as five to ten years.

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