Energy Customers Get 'One-Hour Switch-Off' Rule

The heatwave is a big challenge for energy suppliers.

Many households can get cash rewards because the energy system is under strain.

Octopus Energy offered payments to over 1.2 million customers to reduce electricity use between 7:30pm and 8:30pm. This can happen again on hot days to shift power demand from the peak time. Other energy retailers may do this too. The goal is to balance the power demand.

Octopus did this because Britain had to pay high prices for imported electricity from Europe.

Octopus paid almost £6 million to customers.

Customers could earn 52p for every kilowatt hour of electricity they cut during the hour. This helps balance the national grid when demand is high.

The heatwave is a summer challenge for energy suppliers. Demand is usually high in winter, but now it's high because of cooling systems and fans.

Some gas-fired power stations had heat-related problems. This removed 2.5 gigawatts of capacity from the system.

Britain had to rely more on imported power because wind speeds were low.

The National Energy System Operator paid £470 per megawatt hour for electricity imports.

The event helped balance the national grid.

Octopus said 1.8 million customers were helping support the grid during the heatwave. They can shift 4.5 gigawatt hours of demand away from peak periods.

Greg Jackson said customers are proving that a flexible green grid is possible. They can shift their usage and get paid.

The National Energy System Operator said balancing measures are routine.

The events show how Britain's electricity network relies on households to smooth out demand peaks.

Octopus paid £6 million to customers through its scheme. Customers on smart tariffs saved £1 billion by shifting their electricity use.

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