National Grid to pay customers to cut electricity use for one hour tonight as cold snap continues

Around a million people across the UK will be paid as much as £10 a day to cut the amount of electricity they use between 5pm and 6pm on Monday (January 23), according to plans being drawn up by the National Grid as below freezing temperatures continue to pile pressure on Britain’s energy supplies.

It is calling on its customers to use less electricity to help it manage the system, for example, not running the washing machine or dishwasher during that hour or waiting to charge an electric car until night time.