Earlier my collegue Alex Lawson published this handy guide to how the National Grid’s demand flexibility service works in practice.
In summary, households that are eligible (those with a smart meter and a participating supplier) must reduce their consumption within the designated time period by at least 30%. The greater the reduction, the greater the discount, which is automatically applied to the bill.
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National Grid to pay households for energy use cuts for second day
Newsflash: Households and businesses will be paid to cut their electricity use again on Tuesday as National Grid aims to reduce the strain on Great Britain’s energy network.
The Electricity System Operator said on Monday that it was looking for bids from suppliers to help save up to 341 megawatts (MW) of power between 4.30pm and 6pm on Tuesday.
The plan, which could still be abandoned if conditions improve, would help the grid balance supply and demand by paying people to reduce the amount of electricity they use.
The service will be used live for the first time on Monday afternoon between 5-6pm.
Separately, it is understood National Grid is unlikely to call three coal-fired units at power stations which were put on standby into action.
On Sunday, National Grid asked Drax to start “warming” two of its coal units at its North Yorkshire site and EDF to do the same for one at its West Burton plant in Nottinghamshire to ensure supplies were available on Monday. However, those units are now unlikely to be used.
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