Is the National Grid running out of juice?

With the recent hit of the 'Beast from the East', and the small bursts of cold weather since, questions have been raised as to whether or not the National Grid is prepared. As temperatures drop the instinct is to crank up the heating to keep warm, but can our supplies keep up?

The question pops up every year, if not mulitple times a year, but this year the Grid was hit with infrastructure problems around the same time as the cold snap which put extra pressure on an already stretched system.

Our largest gas storage system in the UK, Rough, requires maintenance. Gas prices aren't as high as they once were, which means that the repairs were looking costly and the decision has been made to close it down. It was due to supply the last bulk of gas to the UK during the 'Beat from the East' but the cold temperatures actually caused a fault in the system.

Shortly thereafter, South Hook also suffered problems. South Hook is the UK's largest LNG (liquified natural gas) plant. This, in addition to three power stations being out for most of the day, caused the UK to go back to coal powered energy for the most part of the 24 hour problems.

Energy experts have been monitoring this situation for a long time, which is why we didn't suffer any shortage of power through the bitterly cold weather. We have an agreement in place that allows us to import energy when we need it and peaks costs over short periods of time when extra supply is really needed.

We also saw a lot of the extra energy being picked up by wind turbines over the snowy weekend, with nuclear power being the fourth in line to provide the power.

The best way to ensure that your house is kept warm during future cold spells is to take the time and make sure that it is adequately insulated. An advantage of this then means that you don't need to put the heating on as high, you'll get warmth that lasts longer by using less power. It will be an investment at first, but you'll find the savings appear in the long term.

Use batteries to slash your energy bills

UK Government has launched the first phase of a four-year plan in order to bring down the average cost of domestic electricity bills.

The plan, cited at £246 milllion, is part of an investment into battery technology as a long-term vision including giant battery facilities around the National Grid to store excess wind and solar energy that is produced in preparation for a rise in demand.

Homes throughout the UK will be helped with solar panels in order to generate and store their own electricity, employing the new batteries in order to sell the remaining power back to the National Grid when it is not required.

Costs will also be reduced for both domestic and business customers who turn off their appliances at peak times, in favour of powering their equipment at the cheaper off-peak times.

Estimations from the government and Ofgem (the energy industry regulator) currently state that consumers could save between a massive £17 billion and £40 billion by the year 2050.

The first phase is to be known as the 'Faraday Challenge', named after the Victorian English scientist who studied electromagnetism and electrochemistry.

Plans include establishing a centre for battery research in order to make the UK a world leader in design, development and the manufacturing of electric batteries. The project will be lead by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in order to join the most innovative minds and best facilities with the goal of making products more accessible and affordable.

Earlier in 2017 a consultation was held with regards to the industry's strategy to increase productivity within the UK and received more than 1,900 responses from a variety of businesses and organisations.

Cleaner technologies remain the priority for the industry.

Business and energy secretay Greg Clark said: "A smarter energy system will create new businesses and high-skilled jobs, while making sure our infrastructure is able to cope with demand."

Gareth Redmond-King, head of climate and energy at WWF, said battery storage was a "game-changer" in the ability to produce clean power from renewables.

"These technologies give us flexibility to run on solar when the sun isn't shining, and be powered by wind when it is still.

"It will support the transition to electric cars and enable our homes to be more efficient - which means cheaper, as well as cleaner and greener energy."


It's always worth ensuring that both your home and business are running as efficiently as possible. This means that you can keep an eye on your energy expenditure and be aware of any unnessecary expenses that could otherwise be avoided. If you're unsure whether or not you're on the best rate for your energy spend, get in touch with our gurus for your free, no obligation, quote at energyadviceline.org.uk

UK's coal free day

Statistics from the National Grid show that last week was officially the UK's first ever working day without relying on power from coal since the industrial revolution.

 The UK has relied on coal for power since it began using the fossil fuel and the only remaining plant (West Burton 1) went offline on Thursday 21 April 2017. Nation Grid tweeted the above graphic, highlighting the first period of coal free power since 1880.

This isn't the first time England has been powered coal-free, as during 2016 shorter periods were also successful - the largest of note being 19 hours. Coal's share of the market also dropped to 9%, down from 23% in 2015.

The government and energy industry have been working on making the country coal free as alternative methods of production develop - coal-free days will become more common as these options become more and more viable.

Coal was the main method of powering the UK until the early 1990s, and 2025 will see the forced closure of the last coal power station, as per existing government plans to move away from being reliant on fossil fuels and meet the UK's commitment to renewable energy.

Mainland Europe still hold the best record for using renewable power alone, last May Germany and Portugal had fossil fuel free periods.

Energy prices will continue to fluctuate as we move away from fossil fuels, and the only way to make sure that you are always getting the best price is to keep on top of the market. Not all tariffs have a penalty for switching mid-contract so if a better price comes up it pays to change. The Energy Advice Line handles the switching process for you, making it quick and simple. Find out more at energyadviceline.org.uk

Image courtesy of National Grid Twitter.

Is the UK at risk of energy shortages?

As cooler weather begins to roll in the talk of energy shortages and blackouts has returned. However, this year it is reported that our smart energy revolution can help to combat the issue, according to the UK chief of the National Grid.

Nicola Shaw has commented that an 'internet of energy' will help our white goods balance the demand on our energy supply. Whereas counter arguments have formed saying that what the UK really needs is more power generated from gas as a back up this winter.

Shaw believes that supply can be managed simply by UK households changing their demand patterns. She agrees that gas power could help, but doesn't not agree that it's the way forward. Statistics show that between 30% and 50% of energy fluctuations could be smoothed out by both households and businesses adjusting their demand during peak times.

Many energy suppliers currently offer cheaper prices outside of peak times, such as after midnight and before 8am. This doesn't suit most businesses, but households can adapt where possible to help make small savings. A firm in Cornwall has created an incentive for it's customers to use more power when the sun is out thanks to the extra solar power.

Speaking to BBC News, Shaw stated "we are at a moment of real change in the energy industry", meaning that the large energy organisations are now mostly using solar power in order to generate their supply.

People are already changing their energy usage in order to place less pressure on the system, and it's this smart usage of energy that will help us to avoid any unnessecary power cuts and blackouts this winter.

Embracing 'smart energy' and being wise about your spend will help the industry to progress into making new discoveries about how the country can be powered. If you're ever unsure about the figures on your bill then simply pay a visit to energyadviceline.org.uk - businesses and homeowners can receive free energy advice.

Should We Fear Black Outs This Winter?

This month the National Grid issued a notice to energy suppliers asking for a greater supply. This was the first time such a warning has been issued in three years. The request was for an additional 500MWs between the hours of 16:30 and 18:30 on Wednesday 4 November.

This amount of power is equivalent to the surge you would expect during the half time of a sporting event, when everyone rushes to boil the kettle at once. More power was requested after several plant breakdowns occured during the month of October.

A statement said: "National Grid has issued a notice to the industry...asking for more generation to be brought on to the system.