Turn on or drop out: new rules could give energy consumers more power on the home front

Households could feed power from EVs and home batteries into the grid more efficiently under plans proposed by AMEC. Photograph: Adrian Arbib/Alamy

Got an electric car, solar panels or even a pool pump? In the near future, you will be able to sign different deals for key appliances so that you can be paid for turning them off or even supplying power back to the grid at peak times.

At least that’s the vision under draft rules aimed at changing how power companies and consumers interact.