With our electricity demands set to increase by approximately 50% by 2036 and more than double by 2050, we raise the question how will our grid cope? Will it even cope?! Octopus Energy has been trialling a scheme designed to reduce demand on our electricity network. With the aim of making us more aware of our electricity usage.

The situation in Russia both politically and practically has left us with energy uncertainty. The National Grid warned of blackouts this winter and with this in mind launched the ‘energy saving service’ in November 2022.  Some of the household suppliers that signed up to the scheme include British Gas, E.ON, Octopus Energy and EDF. By using high usage appliances such as tumble dryers at quieter times, National Grid estimated that users saved almost £3m! 

The ‘demand flexibility service’ gives users discounts when they actively avoid using their washing machines, dishwashers and power hungry appliances during peak times. It’s about changing your habits, becoming more energy conscious and less wasteful. The scheme is only available to households with a smart meter, your energy firm monitors your usage every 30 minutes and will send you a ‘saving session’ alert. This upcoming session will ask customers to cut their consumption by 30% or more. The greater the reduction, the greater the discount off your bill! Amazingly you could receive £3 for every kilowatt hour saved! With our ambitions nationally and globally to reach net zero by 2050 we will clearly continue to use more electricity than ever before. We will need to continue to phase out the use of fossil fuels and harness the power of cleaner energy sources. Both wind and solar power will be key in providing our country with greener energy. 

It is also important to note that Plug in EV’s are set to make up almost a quarter of new car sales by 2025. Most of us EV users charge our cars at home and plug in as we arrive on the drive at 5pm. As the market for EV’s increases so will the load on the grid. Smarter technology will need to play a part and schedule charging for off peak times. As a country we need to get smarter with our energy consumption and storage. Often our renewable sources will produce more electricity than is needed. This excess can be stored and released at high demand times.

 Battery storage technology can either be that of large-scale storage systems which help the electricity grid to ensure a reliable supply of renewable energy, or smaller domestic solutions like the Tesla Powerwall which charges solar panels during the day and stores the energy for other times. Dinorwig power station in Wales is a great example, it is a huge water battery! Water is released from one reservoir into another, and the energy created from the flow is used to create electricity. 

It will also be essential to further share energy between fellow countries.

 Huge, high-voltage cables called interconnectors will allow us to share renewable energy with neighbouring countries across Europe. In order to support a future power system we will without doubt have to be smarter, be prepared to change our habits. Electricity will be the way towards a cleaner and greener future. Hopefully motivated by the impact on our planet but surely motivated by the impact on our pocket!