Electricity roadmap offers households new ways to cut energy bills

Households and businesses will be supported with more options to take control of their energy – expanding freedom and choice in the journey to clean power. 

The Government claims that its plans for a more flexible electricity system will help working families save on their bills, by supporting those who want to take advantage of low prices when clean energy is abundant.

Many consumers are already protecting their pockets by varying when they use their electricity. Electric vehicle drivers, for example, could save up to £330 per year by smart charging overnight. 

More households that want to feel those benefits
will be supported through the Government’s commitments in the Clean Flexibility Roadmap.

“This roadmap gives households and businesses the choice and control over when and how they use their energy,” Energy Minister Michael Shanks said.

“The flexible electricity system we are working to build will help make that a reality for consumers across the country, by supporting them to bring down their bills through using new tariffs and technologies.”

These include helping electric vehicle drivers get discounts on their electricity when using public chargers at off-peak times, requiring suppliers to make information on smart tariffs more accessible to consumers, and taking
the next steps to help consumers access tailored products and services based on their electricity usage. 

Consumers will have the opportunity to switch to a flexible tariff and use smart appliances to automatically reap the rewards of cheaper power at non-peak times. 

Supporting more consumers to use electricity at off-peak times will also boost the efficiency and resilience of the electricity network, making up to £70 billion in estimated savings on system costs by 2050. 

Sarah Honan, Head of Policy at ADE: Demand, said: “Industry demanded a step change in leadership to match our ambition – and this roadmap delivers.
A dedicated Flexibility Commissioner aligns squarely with our sector’s blueprint for consumer-led clean power. 

“Now, we must place British homes and businesses at the heart of the system, paying them to flex, not paying gas plants to bail us out. That’s how we lower bills, ditch fossil fuel dependency, and make clean power by 2030 real.”

“The Government’s Clean Flexibility Roadmap is a key step towards developing an energy system fit for a decarbonised and electrified world,” Layton Hill, VP Strategy UK&I at Schneider Electric.

“It will also help to bring high energy costs under control for households and businesses and
enable all to benefit from clean power. 

“Incentives for off-peak electricity use will help consumers save money and ease grid pressure. A more flexible energy system means maximising the use of renewables such as wind and solar – helping the UK advance towards its Clean Power 2030 goals. 

“Innovation is necessary to ensure that energy systems can integrate new technologies and meet future demands effectively.

“A digitised grid – one that adapts to variable energy sources and responds to dynamic challenges – is critical to delivering decentralised energy and flexibility services.

“We welcome the roadmap’s commitment to progress the development of a data sharing infrastructure, alongside the Government's wider support for the digital transformation of energy and industry."