Research from Cornwall Insight finds modest, automated shifts in when homes use electricity could reduce the need for expensive flexible generation, lower system costs and cut emissions by flattening peak demand.
Shifting or automating discretionary electricity use in homes can reduce peak demand enough to avoid building roughly 3 GW of additional flexible capacity by 2030.
Consumer-led flexibility could save the UK up to £4.6 billion in grid costs by 2030 and £14.1 billion by 2040, averaging about £153 per household by 2030.
Smart meters, time-of-use tariffs, EV charging automation and home batteries are the practical tools that enable household flexibility.
In a suburban cul-de-sac there's no movement except a hungry fox scavenging for bin snacks. At number 16, electrons begin to flow silently through a cable into the battery of an electric car. While the household sleeps, its energy supplier sends a signal that demand is low and cheaper energy is available, automatically prompting the electric car to begin charging.
To fill that would require the construction of around 100 grid-scale battery storage assets or 400 gas-fired peaker plants along with their significant carbon emissions. The 2030 figure averages out to £153 per household. Cornwall Insight has calculated that one million fully smart homes would be sufficient to fill the gap, meaning they have an EV smart charger, heat pump, solar PV with battery storage, all automatically responding to flexibility signals.
The setup doesn't just benefit the family at number 16. How small changes in household energy use can flatten peak demand. Cornwall Insight The UK has a variety of sources for meeting this demand.
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