Most of Britain’s energy suppliers have signed up to an innovative new scheme that will pay them not to use electricity and help avoid blackouts this winter, the boss of National Grid has said.
John Pettigrew, the company’s chief executive, said that “a vast majority of suppliers in the UK have now signed up,” to the scheme, which launched last week.
The programme is designed to encourage customers to switch the time that they use electricity to off-peak hours during some days when supply is tight.
It will mean less stress on the grid, making better use of the country’s electricity generation by ironing out some of the peaks, National Grid hopes.
National Grid runs the project, but relies on suppliers to sign up so their customers can take part.
Octopus Energy has already signed up customers to the scheme.
Mr Pettigrew said that the programme could help take pressure off the grid this winter, but also holds the key to how electricity might be used by homes in the decades ahead.
Because, with smart meters, customers can interact and provide services to networks that they’ve not been able to do in the past,” Mr Pettigrew said.
Asked about the risk of blackouts this winter, he said that little had changed in the month since National Grid published its outlook which said the risk is small.
His comments come despite unusually warm weather in recent weeks.
It came as National Grid reported a 45% jump in pre-tax profit to £1.6 billion in the six months to the end of September, largely due to acquisitions the business has made.
The above summary was derived from the story linked below
Source: British Gas, Octopus Energy, EDF and E.On customers being PAID not to use electricity this winter
