THE exact time that you can earn money by reducing your energy usage has been revealed – but it's not open to everyone.
The National Grid is rolling out its Demand Flexibility Service (DFS), under which customers will be paid for cutting down at peak hours to help avoid blackouts.
The scheme went into action last night and will be active again this evening after the Electricity System Operator (ESO) said its electricity supply margins are expected to be tighter than normal.
More than a million households will be paid to stop using their appliances between 5pm and 6pm to help ease the burden on the nation's supply.
You can sign up to the DFS if you energy supplier is registered to participate and you have a smart meter.
There are 26 UK suppliers registered to take part, including British Gas, EON and EDF.
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Once you have signed up, your supplier will contact you just before the event to confirm that you want to participate.
Customers could be paid up to £6 per kilowatt hour (kWh) of energy saved compared to their normal usage during an allocated two-hour time period.
This would mean that if a customer reduced their energy usage by two kilowatt hour, then the maximum amount that the customer could earn back is £12.
Those who have opted into taking part should get a text or email from their energy supplier to notify them of the hours at which the scheme is running.
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It comes after the National Grid placed coal-fired power stations on alert in case they were needed to step in and make up any shortfall in energy supply.
Gas, which is the largest source of British energy, has been in short supply since Russia reduced its supply to Europe as the Ukraine war saw relations between the Kremlin and the West deteriorate.
The squeeze on supply has not been helped by the recent cold snap, as temperatures plunged to -8C overnight amid a freezing fog which saw flights cancelled at Heathrow Airport.
An ESO spokesperson said: "Our forecasts show electricity supply margins are expected to be tighter than normal on Monday evening.
"We have instructed coal-fired power units to be available to increase electricity supplies should it be needed.
"This does not mean electricity supplies are at risk and people should not be worried. These are precautionary measures to maintain the buffer of spare capacity we need."
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