Energy cost credit if you avoid peak times

[Cynderella]

Report here suggesting that rebates could be offered if you reduce use in the evening.

Great for the elderly who need light to see and remain safe.

If they can reduce the price at certain times of day, why not any hour?

Because they want to even out demand. More energy is used in the daytime when businesses are open and in the evening when people are at home cooking, lighting and heating their homes.

If you can cook, use the dryer etc before 5 pm or after 8 pm, it reduces costs for the generators and they're offering to pass on some of this saving to people who use energy at times of lower demand.

I don't have a landline phone any more, but I remember having to wait until after 6pm for the cheap rate to kick in. I suppose it's the same - I've been thinking about ways of cutting back, so it was nice to see something positive(ish). I don't think you'd gain much by turning off lights, but it might make you cook your dinner or put the tumble dryer on at a different time.

@Kezzie200 lighting is one of the cheapest things you can do with electricity - you can run a modern bulb for about 10 hours for 1p so nobody is going to be penalised for having lights on.

I've read previously this was coming, but the amount of people who have trouble with their smart meter puts me off.

I wonder how they'll work it out you've cut back use. I guess it'll be a case of how many kW you use within those hours. Sometimes I might be able to cook something to quickly reheat for tea, but tea really suits within those hours. We'll need lighting in winter and ideally the news for 15 mins or so on TV. Can easily avoid washing machine and already don't use tumble dryer, dishwasher, hairdryer due to running costs.

It’s not really a new idea is it? Previously we’ve had things like Economy 7 tariffs where energy overnight has been cheaper. I think we are all going to need to be much more mindful and conscious of what energy we use when and why, and whilst the price rises are frightening, maybe an overall reduction in energy use would be a good thing to come out of this.

Wonder if they're going to punish business who leave a million lights burning overnight,

I still habitually put the washing machine and dishwasher on late in the evening, after years of having Economy 7!

A little disappointing that it only applies to people with smart meters. I've been trying to get one for 12 months with no joy.

It should benefit those who can use appliances etc in the daytime then. Personally I run mine at night (circa 11pm)

It’s not intended to deter the elderly from using lights (nor is it safe for most people to try and function in the dark regardless of age). It’s intended to smooth out demand by encouraging people to use power hungry devices like tumble driers and immersion heaters (not lightbulbs) at off peak times because they’re trying to avoid blackouts.

So are people that work all day out of the house going to to have to cook the family meal after 8pm every evening

As has been said, I used to have this with economy 7 years ago.

I don't use a tumble drier but I did put the dishwasher and washing machine on at night / very early in the morning.

It's not compulsory, it's an optional tariff that will benefit some people. Plus it's not like they're turning the power off between 5 and 8 pm, just that it will cost more at that time, but be cheaper at other times, eg after 8 pm.

If you normally cook (or shower, run the dryer, washing machine or dishwasher) between 5 and 8 pm, you wouldn't sign up to that tariff. But if your lifestyle/working patterns means that you normally use more energy in the day time or later in the evening, it might be a way to save money. Just like people have been doing for decades with economy 7.

Economy 7 is an age old idea so I am unclear why it requires smart metres now?

I have a smart metre but it has next to useless connectivity.

Or the night/morning/weekend before and reheat quickly in the microwave. Or use a slow cooker on a timer. Or cook less energy intensive things. Or continue to cook at dinner time but move the usage of other things like the dishwasher to other times.

The fact that not every household can move every activity to other times doesn’t mean it’s wrong to try to change customer behaviour where they can. If the alternative is peak time blackouts over winter then it doesn’t seem unreasonable to encourage those who can change their behaviour to do so.

Will be great for those with electric cars, can also charge power packs overnight for phones, iPad et a

It's only for smart meters anyway I see, ours is dumb so we won't be able to participate anyway

I've been trying to get a smart meter for the last couple of years. Appointments made and then cancelled by my supplier. New supplier very insistent I get one and I signed up....but still no smart meter. Annoying if I now can't access any discounts!

Maybe to get higher take up of smart meters

I took part in the trial ran by Octopus a few months ago that asked you to reduce energy usage at certain times. They gave you a time slot and asked you to use say 40% less energy compared with your normal usage. It just meant I started making dinner a bit later and running the washing machine/dishwasher later. Was just a bit inconvenient but that's all. If you reduced your usage by the % requested, you got your energy free for a few hours.
Think the trial went well so it's going nation wide. I was still WFH so couldn't turn laptops or the PC off so no need to turn your lights off.
It's just an idea that spreads usage out a bit

I struggled to get a smart meter, but Shell fitted one earlier this year. As far as I can see, it's working fine. I would definitely be willing to leave the dishwasher until later, and because I wfh, it would be easy to do laundry during the day.

We cook by gas, but 5-8 in the evening is often games consoles/TV time - not sure how that'll go down, but I'm sure we could cut back.

Maybe you could look at the smart meter instead of the telly

I got one of the first smart meters because I stupidly thought I was doing the right thing. Nobody told me it would never work again when I switched providers. They have been promising an "upgrade" to make it work again for at least four years. I will probably be dead before it happens. So 12 months to get something that's nigh on useless is a small issue!

I'd assume they want to spread the load of people cooking dinner in electric oven at tea time.
So who fancies having their dinner at lunchtime?