Martin Lewis has urged households to avoid putting a wash on in the evenings where possible to help avoid power cuts this winter.
The National Grid chief John Pettigrew warned in October that households should prepare for power blackouts throughout January and February in the "worst-case scenario". Mr Pettigrew added that these power cuts, which could occur if the weather gets "really, really cold", would be likely to take place between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays as this is when UK households are using the most energy.
Appearing on ITV's This Morning, Martin said that people should be "conscious" of their energy usage amid the risk of blackouts. This could involve avoiding using energy-intensive appliances, such as your washing machine or dryer, during peak times in the evening, MyLondon reports.
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He said: “We are looking at energy difficulties this winter. We hope there will not be any blackouts. But there are emergency scenarios where power cuts - short power cuts - in different regions are possible that have been put forward by National Grid.”
The MoneySavingExpert founder advised: “Let’s all try not to put stuff we don’t need to put on between 4pm and 7pm. If we can avoid using lots of energy between 4pm and 7pm and it makes no difference to our lives, then we should all be somewhat conscious of that, whether or not it’s cheaper, because it will collectively help us all.”
Earlier this week, the National Grid began paying energy customers to cut their electricity usage after forecasts showed that margins may be tighter than normal. The Demand Flexibility Service, first activated between 5pm and 6pm on Monday, allows households with a smart meter to receive a small amount of money if they use less electricity than usual during peak times.
26 energy providers have signed up to the scheme, including British Gas, EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and OVO. You can check whether your provider is part of the scheme here.
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