National Grid will pay some homes to lower their electricity usage tonight
Some households across the UK could get discounts on their energy bills by cutting back on their consumption between 5pm and 6pm today.
The National Grid ESO activates its Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) for the first time.
The service entitles households with smart meters subscribed to the system through their supplier to discounts on future bills to reduce their electricity consumption during periods of high demand.
Customers will receive £3 for every unit of energy saved today between 17:00 and 18:00.
Our forecasts show that electricity supply margins are expected to be tighter than normal on Monday evening. We have instructed that coal fired power stations will be available to increase the power supply should that be required tomorrow night.
— National Grid ESO (@NationalGridESO) January 22, 2023
26 utilities have joined the scheme including British Gas, Octopus Energy and EDF.
National Grid ESO said the initial implementation of the DFS should not be seen as an announcement that energy supplies are at risk, saying “People shouldn’t worry.
A spokesman said: “Our projections show that Monday night electric utility margins are expected to be tighter than normal.
“We have directed to make coal-fired power plants available to increase power supply when needed.
“We are also activating a Live Demand Flexibility Service event tomorrow between 5pm and 6pm.
“This does not mean that the power supply is at risk and people should not be concerned.
“These are precautionary measures to maintain the buffer of spare capacity that we need.”
https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/23268692.national-grid-pay-households-cut-electric-use-tonight/?ref=rss National Grid will pay some homes to lower their electricity usage tonight
