impossible for everybody to use less than normal for any sustained period.

It's all experimental of course, but I suspect the idea isn't really for people to use less energy in this case - just alter a bit when they use it. The evening peak demands the greatest amount of generating capacity:

so for instance if you can shift 10% or so of the 1600-2000 peak to either the overnight low (or even middle of the day when solar is plentiful) you can shave a significant amount off the generating capacity needed - and there will be a significant financial saving too since the last-to-switch-on will be the most expensive.

The concept is far from new of course - it's the same principle as E7 and so on - just using latest technology to make it somewhat better targeted. I suspect some of the answers will be similar to the old ones too - immersion and stored hot water rather than instantaneous showers, washing machines with delayed start timers and so on.

I'm just slightly worried that if the detail isn't right it could go the way of the NI renewable heat initiative.

   - Andy.

I wouldn't worry about Ireland - whilst they have pleaded with and bribed us to switch off, they have been quietly exporting energy to Ireland these past 2 days!

On Sunday, National Grid, asked households in Britain to cut their electricity usage between 5pm and 6pm on Monday, amid concerns about low wind and high demand.

Data from market specialists EnAppSys show that the cables were exporting power from Britain to Ireland between 5pm and 6pm on Monday at similar capacity to that cut by British households.

Auction timings mean that traders would have booked the exports after the call for households to cut usage had been made.

National Grid had to decide on Sunday whether to ask households to cut usage on Monday, as it needs to give 24 hours' notice

You couldn't make it up!

If we cut off supply to other countries via the interconnects whenever it suits us, what do you think will happen when we need to import electricity from those countries?

AJJewsbury said:

impossible for everybody to use less than normal for any sustained period.

It's all experimental of course, but I suspect the idea isn't really for people to use less energy in this case - just alter a bit when they use it. The evening peak demands the greatest amount of generating capacity:

Perhaps I did not express myself clearly. If everybody changed their usage, the new pattern would become the normal.

I fully take the point about shifting demand. In some ways that seems to have happened on the roads. If I set off at say 09:00, there are still traffic jams. Who are all these people who are still not at their desks or workbenches?

One of the advantages of being (semi-) retired in an "empty nest" is that one can avoid peak hours for most things. IIRC, there was a time when telephone calls were cheaper in the afternoons than the mornings, and even less in the evenings.

AJJewsbury said:

impossible for everybody to use less than normal for any sustained period.

It's all experimental of course, but I suspect the idea isn't really for people to use less energy in this case - just alter a bit when they use it. The evening peak demands the greatest amount of generating capacity:

Perhaps I did not express myself clearly. If everybody changed their usage, the new pattern would become the normal.

I fully take the point about shifting demand. In some ways that seems to have happened on the roads. If I set off at say 09:00, there are still traffic jams. Who are all these people who are still not at their desks or workbenches?

One of the advantages of being (semi-) retired in an "empty nest" is that one can avoid peak hours for most things. IIRC, there was a time when telephone calls were cheaper in the afternoons than the mornings, and even less in the evenings.