British households should cut energy use where possible this winter -Ofgem

By Susanna Twidale

LONDON – British households ought to scale back their fuel and electrical energy use the place doable this winter to assist lower prices and scale back the chance of energy cuts, power regulator Ofgem mentioned on Thursday.

The recommendation comes after the nation’s Nationwide Grid final week warned that Britain might face pressured energy cuts whether it is unable to import sufficient electrical energy and fuel this winter.

“All of us ought to be interested by how you can scale back our power use the place doable,” Ofgem’s Chief Government Jonathan Brearley mentioned at an business occasion on Thursday.

“This isn't solely essentially the most direct method of decreasing our payments. It immediately helps with safety of provide, contributes to decarbonisation, and saves cash for the general public funds,” he mentioned.

Brearley mentioned Ofgem was working with the power sector and would shortly be launching a marketing campaign to elucidate the help out there, how you can scale back power consumption and what prospects ought to anticipate from their suppliers.

Britain’s authorities has thus far steered away from calling on folks to scale back power use, not like in Europe the place international locations have agreed to voluntarily scale back fuel use by 15% and officers have urged companies to chop power use and public buildings to show down heating to keep away from energy shortages.

Brearley mentioned that whereas Britain is in a robust place relating to power provides, he doesn't assume there can be a provide emergency this winter, although it will likely be a tough interval because of the disaster in Ukraine and cuts in fuel provide from Russia to Europe.

“We can't at any time, notably this winter, remove all threat,” he mentioned.

Britain’s local weather minister Graham Stuart mentioned on the similar occasion the nation was unlikely to face energy cuts this winter.

“Our system ought to cope. Its most unlikely that we'll see the circumstances that might result in blackouts,” he mentioned on the EnergyUK convention.