Help National Grid ESO stop blackouts in Britain this winter

In this article, you will find information about:

• How you can help stop blackouts with your EV charging
• How to sign up and add your smart meter
• Double cash rewards and a £1000 monthly prize draw

Britain’s energy grid is set for a difficult winter.

The grid is still reliant on gas to generate electricity, especially during peak times when there is most demand. With gas shortages continuing across Europe, we could see planned  blackouts taking place across the country.

Though this is only likely in a worst case scenario – such as an extremely cold day while gas is cut off from Russia, it remains a threat to households and businesses which are now grappling with 80% higher energy costs since April 2022.

Your electric vehicle can help

The good news is that action is already underway to keep the lights on – and EV drivers can help.

National Grid ESO, which manages Britain’s electricity, have asked to use ev.energy’s technology to help support their Demand Flexibility Service.

This new program has been set up to reduce energy demand when the grid is under strain and will help to stop blackouts taking place in Britain this winter.

Best of all, you can earn double cash rewards and be in with the chance to claim £1,000 each month for playing your part.

How it works

Once you’re verified, you can continue to plug in your car as usual and, with your consent, we’ll turn Smart Charging on if it’s not already.

From this point onwards, we’ll automatically shift your charging away from high-demand and high-cost periods.

When National Grid ESO forecasts a high-demand period on the grid we’ll send you an email and app notification 24 hours before the event. If you want to go the extra mile, you may also want to consider not using large electrical appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers, but this is not a requirement of the scheme.

Each turn down event will typically last 1 to 4 hours.

Don’t worry – your car will always be charged by the read-by time you set in the app, and we will continue to charge it at the cheapest times according to your tariff.

The program lasts from now until March 2023 and by taking part you can do your bit to help Britain’s energy supplies go further and earn rewards in the process.

Are you eligible?

To join the program, we’ll need you to provide:

• Information about your electric smart meter
• Consent for ev.energy to switch on Smart Charging for you
• Consent to share your smart meter data with National Grid ESO

Don’t have a smart meter? Learn how you can help the grid without a smart meter.

Earn rewards

By signing up, you’ll be able to enjoy:

• Double cash rewards – That’s £5 for every 15 charges (instead of 30) over 10 kWh. You can claim these on the same ev.energy Rewards you know and love, including energy bill discounts, Amazon gift cards and donations to Fuel Bank Foundation.
• £1,000 prize draw to claim or donate – Every smart charge will gain you an entry into our prize draw each month. The more you smart charge, the more you could earn in a monthly bonus of up to £1000 which you’ll have the option to keep or donate to Fuel Bank Foundation. And if you refer any friends during that time, you will receive another 5 entries into the chance of winning.

Ready, set, save

Want to get involved? Sign up for the Demand Flexibility Service with ev.energy.

Looking for further information? Visit our Demand Flexibility Service help centre for more details.

‍