National Grid has announced details of a scheme that will see people given money off their energy bills if they reduce how much power they use at peak times this winter - with potential savings of £100 per home. The move is designed to prevent blackouts and will be trialed on 12 days between November and March.
Only homes with smart meters will be able to take part and customers taking part will be given 24 hours' notice. On the test day they will have to reduce how much energy they use between 4pm and 7pm to qualify for an energy bill discount.
Simple ways to cut power use would be to delay using a washing machine, dishwasher or tumble drier. You can also cook food before or after the peak hours - as well as switching off lights, computers, TVs and even heating for those hours.
National Grid will pay energy suppliers for the energy saved and the suppliers will tell customers how much money they will get for taking part.
National Grid calls the idea "Demand Flexibility Service". If the country cannot reduce the amount of energy it uses National Grid has warned there could be blackouts - lasting three hours at a time.
The scheme is also open to businesses. Jake Rigg, director of corporate affairs at National Grid ESO, told the BBC: "It's not a big thing or a difficult thing to do, just remembering to do it 12 times this winter and get that money back, when we are all really struggling with energy bills and the cost of living generally.
"We can all do our little bit, we can shift demand out of that peak and help maintain security of supply throughout the winter."Nearly a third of a million households have signed up for a programme to help them save on their energy and reduce the risk of power cuts this winter.
Octopus Energy said that 320,000 of its customers had decided to sign up to the scheme The supplier says that households could save around £100 on their bills by signing up to the scheme. It does not cost them anything, and they do not get punished if they decide to use electricity during the periods when they are asked to reduce usage.
It is unclear how many suppliers have signed up to the National Grid scheme, however, OVO Energy is launching a separate programme with a similar goal. OVO said on Tuesday that a quarter of its eligible customers have signed up to its scheme – around 7,000 households.
The supplier is reaching out only to households that it thinks will benefit the most from the scheme.
“We’re heading into a critical moment for the UK energy sector, and we need a resilient grid to support households through this winter,” said OVO chief executive Raman Bhatia.
“It’s testament to our customers’ willingness to support new trials and engage with their usage that we’ve surpassed the target of trialists.
“We hope the results of this trial will give customers a deeper insight into how they can support the wider system, with potential savings to help over winter.”
