Britain’s Telegraph reports that contingency plans are being discussed by the UK government over how best to manage energy shortages this winter due to concerns over the gas crisis in Europe. The first option is to widely appeal to citizens, encouraging them to reduce their energy use by, for example, changing their dinner hour to peak-supply hours and lowering their thermostats.
If this step doesn’t prove effective, then the plan is to pay customers to use electricity at times of peak supply, and not use at times of lower supply—something the two major energy suppliers to the UK have said they don’t plan to do. And if this also isn’t effective, then the last measure discussed in the contingency plan is to pay large users to switch off. National Grid, the UK’s electricity utility company, has already been in discussion with industry leaders about this in recent days.
