Brits are being paid to cut power use, as cold snap threatens supply

Key Points

• More than a million British households and businesses are being offered cash incentives to cut their energy consumption during peak times, even as back-up coal plants were told they would not be needed early Tuesday.
• Colder temperatures have combined with a drop in wind levels to increase demand and lower supply.
• Electricity supply manager National Grid ESO said the cash offer to consumers was a precautionary measure to ensure supply, adding that the public should not worry about blackouts.

The sun rises over frost-covered houses in December 2022 in London, England. Cold weather has returned in January, causing the U.K. power supplier to offer financial incentives for households to cut use at peak times.

Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images

LONDON More than a million British households and businesses are being offered cash incentives to cut their energy consumption during peak times, with supply margins expected to tighten more than usual as temperatures drop below freezing.