With the threat of shortages likely this winter, officials have floated the option of asking the UK public to cut energy use after EU countries, including France and Germany, were asked to cut gas demand by 15 %. People across Europe were told to turn off lights and use devices less often, after all member states except Hungary agreed to a voluntary shutdown. However, Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary who is likely to be Truss’ next chancellor, is opposed to such a move, believing it is unnecessary for the UK and that energy use should be up to individuals . Asked whether people should reduce the amount of energy they use given high costs and supply concerns, a spokesman for Boris Johnson said on Monday: “These decisions, when it comes to energy consumption, remain decisions for individuals. “Households, businesses and industry can be sure they will have the electricity and natural gas they need.” The government is favoring a plan proposed by National Grid to incentivize households with smart meters to save energy by paying them to use devices during off-peak hours. “We are supporting National Grid in developing all the options that could benefit consumers and help reduce bills by spreading peak demand,” No 10 said. Concern about energy security has grown after a leaked Bloomberg report showed the government had drawn up crisis plans that set up a situation where businesses and even consumers could face blackouts this winter. Under the government’s latest “reasonable worst-case scenario”, officials believe the UK could face power outages for several days in January if cold weather combined with gas shortages leaves the country short of power. At the same time, annual energy bills are predicted by one analyst, Auxilione, to top £6,000 next year, prompting Labor to warn that Britons face “serious hardship on a massive scale” if the government does not intervene. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Advising households on how to reduce their energy use had previously been attempted in a 1922 Commission report published in April, led by Andrea Leadsom, a former energy secretary. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committee he chaired suggested there should be improved guidance on reducing energy use, better access to existing training and incentive schemes and clearer messaging about money-saving ideas such as turning off radiators in unused rooms, reducing pressure on hot water taps and reducing radiator settings on gas boilers to between 55C and 65C to optimize energy production. The committee also suggested stronger public messaging about the benefit of smart meters and pressure on energy companies to promote smart tariffs. Leadsom said on Monday there was a “really strong case” for the measures. However, politicians can be sensitive about public perceptions of asking people to use less energy. Some energy chiefs have been hacked for giving advice on keeping warm, such as wearing jumpers, star jumping, hugging pets or eating porridge. In the EU, Brussels is urging governments to launch campaigns to encourage people to switch off lights and turn off thermostats and air conditioning. Industrial users may also be given targets to reduce heating and cooling. EU governments are being urged to speed up the transition to renewable energy, but are also being asked to consider delaying their exit from nuclear power or coal – an attempt to find any alternative to Russian gas. The government insists blackouts and power shortages are extremely unlikely. But Adam Bell, a former senior policy officer at BEIS, told the BBC’s PM program he believed there was about a one in 10 chance of seeing limited, planned blackouts in some parts of the country over the winter. He also said: “The right thing to do now is to get into the habit of reducing our demand so that we can eliminate this possibility as much as we can.” Bell said there were stages they could go through, such as shutting down some industries, then taking out pipelines, then homes. “But because we may be in this situation, there is a lot that households need to think about now to help minimize the possibility… such as turning your thermostat down a degree and optimizing the flow temperature to your boiler as well as sealing the currents I can.” A government spokesman said: “Households, businesses and industry can be confident that the UK’s secure and diverse energy supplies will provide the electricity and gas they need. “Decisions about energy consumption rightly remain a matter for individuals and we recognize that households will have different energy use needs.” Contact the team securely: create a Protonmail account and email us at [email protected] or use Signal Messenger or WhatsApp to send a message to +44 7824 537227.contact guardian politics
