Households could receive up to 7 euros per kilowatt hour consumed in off-peak periods.
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Posted on 8/22/2022 3:02 PM Updated on 8/22/2022 3:03 PM
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Less laundry at the end of the afternoon. UK authorities are offering discounts to encourage consumers to use energy-intensive appliances, such as washing machines, during off-peak hours to reduce the risk of blackouts. According to an article published in the English newspaper Sunday Times (in English) on Sunday August 21, the manager of the National Electricity Grid (ESO) is considering offering rebates to Brits who embrace such virtuous behaviour: reward”. The English organization will submit the idea of the device to the sector’s regulator, Ofgem, in hopes that it will be successful by the end of October.
English households could save up to £6 per kilowatt-hour consumed off-peak by running fewer washing machines, dishwashers, dryers or video game consoles between 5pm and 8pm. “We are in the process of developing a new service that consumers can benefit from this winter and will be providing additional information soon,” said an ESO spokesperson. The unveiling of this project comes as warning signs about the UK’s energy situation mount up this winter.
Amid the oil and gas shock, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, energy prices are expected to rise sharply in the coming weeks, and massive strikes are already underway in the country to demand wage increases amid inflation. Since June, more than 100,000 people have signed the Don’t pay UK petition, urging UK citizens not to pay their gas and electricity bills from October 1st.
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The UK is very dependent on gas compared to other countries such as France, where the energy mix is dominated by nuclear power. Electricity prices for private individuals are likely to have more than doubled within a year next January. The average energy bill per household could then reach £6,000 a year, or almost 20% of UK household disposable income, according to some estimates. Inflation has already reached 10.1% over a year in July, a 40-year record.