UK’s National Grid will pay people to use less energy during the cold snap

LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) – Britain’s National Grid (NG.L) said it would pay customers to use less electricity on Monday night and had asked for three coal-fired generators to be warmed up in case they are needed. the country is facing a cold snap.

The group said it would activate a new program called Demand Flexibility Service, under which customers get incentives if they agree to use less energy during times of crisis.

The service, which has been tested but has not been run in a real situation before, would operate from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, he said, adding that the decision did not mean that the electricity supply was in danger and advised people not to worry.

The measures were announced to “ensure everyone gets the electricity they need”, Craig Dyke, head of national monitoring at National Grid ESO, told BBC Radio on Monday, adding that 26 suppliers had signed up to the scheme. program.

Sub-freezing temperatures have been recorded across much of the UK in recent days with the national weather service, the Met Office, issuing severe weather warnings for snow and ice last week.

National Grid’s Dyke said consumers could make small changes to save money by reducing their energy use, such as delaying cooking or putting the washing machine in after 6 p.m.

National Grid said in December that more than a million UK homes had signed up to the scheme, which is one of its strategies to help prevent power cuts.

The announcement of the coal-fired generators did not mean they would definitely be used, he said in a separate statement.

The coal-fired generators were last put on standby in December when temperatures plummeted and power demand increased, but they weren’t needed on this occasion.

Reporting by William Schomberg and Muvija M in London and Sneha Bhowmik in Bengaluru; edited by Tomasz Janowski, Andrew Heavens, Kirsten Donovan

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