People in the UK can get paid to use high-energy appliances such as washing machines during off-peak times, as part of a new scheme.
Called the "Demand Flexibility Service", it has been introduced to help avoid planned blackouts over the coming months.
The new scheme would see households encouraged to use energy-guzzling devices when there is less demand - which is generally at night.
The Mirror reports that it comes after the National Grid warned that households could suffer planned power cuts - lasting three hours - if there are low gas supplies this winter.
This was the most dire of three possible scenarios that the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) outlined in a new report. It still expects there to be enough supply to meet demand this winter - and said a shortage of energy would be "unlikely".
When is the "Demand Flexibility Service" due to start?
This new system will run from November through to March 2023.
To sign up, you'll need to speak to your energy supplier. It's expected the service will kick into action 12 times throughout the course of these months, whether there are blackouts or not.
This is to ensure that people are rewarded for signing up to the scheme.
The National Grid hopes this service will free up an extra 2GW, enough to power about 600,000 homes.
How much will I be paid?
It's believed that households should be able to claim around £10 per day for signing up to this scheme.
Larger businesses can benefit too, as they will also be paid for reducing demand - for example, by changing their energy use times or switching to batteries or generators during peak hours.
How can I take part?
To be involved in this scheme, you'll need to own a smart meter. It's also an opt-in system so no household will be forced to do this.
Households would receive a text message asking them to only use electricity when there is less demand - typically after 7pm.
What is causing the potential blackouts?
Since last winter, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the supply of gas and electricity has become a lot more uncertain – and costly.
Energy demand jumps in winter which, combined with the conflict, is why there are concerns about the months ahead.
Last winter, 70% of our gas came from the UK “continental shelf” and Norway.
We do not have the capacity to store as much gas as other countries after closing the rough storage facility in 2017.
How would the power cuts work?
Before any planned outages, households and businesses would be notified 24 hours in advance.
Any forced cut off would most probably be between 4pm and 9pm – and especially to 7pm – when power demand peaks.
How widespread it would be depends how much network operator companies are asked to cut demand.
But the rolling nature means the impact would be shared, so areas would be cut off at different times.
What abou t vulnerable customers?
Network operators will be working to ensure that any vulnerable customers are protected during the blackouts.
And although there are no solid plans for this yet, the same goes for care homes and other vital infrastructure.
Will I get compensation after having my power cut off?
After power cuts, people usually can claim back compensation.
However, it's not yet known how this might apply to planned mass cuts of this kind.
Is there any fall-back in place?
The National Grid is believed to have deals with three companies to keep additional coal-fired generators on standby.
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