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As we move toward using cleaner energy for heating, transport, and buildings, electricity demand is increasing. To ensure homes and businesses continue to receive power safely, we need to expand the network with more underground cables and overhead lines.
Flexibility is a key tool that helps us manage this growing network demand while keeping costs down for everyone. It supports the UK’s Net Zero goals by encouraging customers to adjust how and when they use electricity.
Flexibility works by offering payments to customers who can change their energy use during busy times on the network. For example, a homeowner might charge their electric vehicle at a quieter time, or a business might turn on a generator to help ease demand.
By shifting energy use, flexibility reduces strain on the network, making it more efficient. It also avoids costly network upgrades to handle temporary demand spikes.
Once we identify where on our network there is a need for flexibility, we will offer the opportunity of being a flexibility provider through a procurement process.
We currently work with a variety of flexibility providers, which include:
Residential and domestic customers (through the use of EV charge points and heat pumps). These are facilitated through Energy Suppliers, 3rd party Aggregators and Smart Energy management platforms. If you are a residential or domestic customer, we encourage you to speak with your supplier or to look online to find the best route for you to participate in flexibility services.
Industrial and commercial sites who can reduce their demand at peak times.
Owners and operators of storage and generation such as battery energy storage site, gas turbines, peaking assets and biomass.
For an overview of Flexibility, you can read our Flex in Five document, which gives a brief overview of Flexibility, and a clear and easy view of how we procure Flexibility Services at National Grid Electricity Distribution.
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