Get Paid To Turn Off Your Washing Machine

Plan for consumers to save cash by avoiding energy use during peak hours

- Cyril Dixon

BILLS COULD HIT £6,000 WARNS LATEST FORECAST

Peak-time rebate to avoid winter blackouts

HOUSEHOLDERS could be paid to avoid washing clothes during early evenings in a bid to cut the risk of winter blackouts.

The move could also help reduce their soaring energy bills by hundreds of pounds.

National Grid chiefs want people with smart meters to turn off power-hungry appliances such as washing machines, tumble driers and computer games consoles during peak usage times.

As an incentive, it plans to offer rebates of up to £6 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to households that cut electricity use in the high-demand slot between 5pm and 8pm.

Officials have applied to regulator Ofgem for permission to introduce the scheme by late October amid fears that high autumn usage could over-stretch the network.

A National Grid spokesman said: “We are developing a new service that will be available for consumers to benefit from across this winter and will be announcing further information soon.”

Another source added: “It is definitely not about people sitting in the dark, or volunteering to be cold. It is about doing the washing at a different time of day that sort of stuff.”

Details emerged ahead of next Friday’s announcement of the new energy price cap rise, with fears the ceiling is expected to reach £4,200 in January.

The cap is currently at £1,971 for the average household.