Households could receive up to 7 euros per kilowatt-hour used during off-peak hours.
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Less laundry at the end of the afternoon. The British authorities want to encourage, through rebates, consumers to favor off-peak hours to use energy-hungry appliances such as washing machines, in an attempt to mitigate the risk of power cuts. According to an article published in the English newspaper Sunday Times (in English) Sunday August 21, the manager of the national electricity grid (ESO) is considering “reward” by rebates the British who adopt such virtuous behavior. The English body will submit the idea of the device to the regulator of the sector, Ofgem, hoping to see it succeed by the end of October.
English households could receive up to 6 pounds (7 euros) per kilowatt-hour used in off-peak hours, by running less washing machines, dishwashers, dryers or video game consoles between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. “We are in the process of developing a new service that consumers will be able to benefit from this winter, and will provide additional information soon”, said an ESO spokesperson. The revelation of this project comes as warning signs are mounting over the UK’s energy situation this winter.
In the midst of the oil and gas shock aggravated by the war in Ukraine, drastic increases in energy prices are expected in the coming weeks, and massive walkouts are already underway in the country to demand wage increases in the face of the inflation. Since June, more than 100,000 people have signed the petition”Whose pays UK” (“NOTe not pay” in French), urging British citizens not to pay their gas and electricity bills from October 1.
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The United Kingdom is very dependent on gas compared to other countries such as France, where the energy mix includes a majority of nuclear. Electricity prices for individuals should have more than doubled over one year next January. The average energy bill per household could then reach £6,000 a year according to some estimates, or nearly 20% of household disposable income in the UK. Inflation has already reached 10.1% over one year in July, a record in 40 years.