From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

h/t Ian Magness

Families will be urged to turn on heat pumps when the wind is blowing and charge their electric cars at night under net zero plans to save energy.

Ministers are pressing ahead with new legislation that could see families made to adopt “smart” appliances to ease pressure on the grid.

Tory MPs are opposing the proposals, contained in the contentious Energy Bill which will come back before the Commons on Tuesday.

The Government insisted it was “in no way asking people to ration electricity” and that consumers will benefit in the form of cheaper bills.

In official guidance, ministers have said the switch to smart appliances like heating systems, fridges and car chargers is key to delivering net zero.

“They enable consumers to shift their electricity usage to times when it is less costly for the energy system,” the document states.

“For example, running a heat pump when renewable generation is most abundant, or charging an electric vehicle (EV) overnight when there is lower demand on the electricity system.

“Individual consumers are rewarded for this flexible energy use by saving money on their energy bills, while all electricity consumers benefit from the overall reduction in system costs.”

The Energy Bill includes powers for ministers to “mandate that electric heating appliances and EV chargepoints must have smart functionality, prohibiting the sale of non-smart devices in Great Britain”.

It is being opposed by Tory MPs who have likened the plans to “rationing” of electricity and have said they show renewables are not up to scratch.

Bill ‘needs to be buried’

Craig Mackinlay, the MP for South Thanet and head of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, has tabled an amendment to scrap the entire section on smart appliances from the legislation.

He said the Government was “admitting a shortage of electricity with its plans to limit supply to households and businesses through smart appliances, peak pricing penalties and reliance on irregular renewables”.

“This is a dreadful Bill which needs to be buried and forgotten. It might yet see a slow euthanasia once it returns to the Lords.”

Greg Smith, the Tory MP for Buckinghamshire, added: “The key to de-fossilisation and decarbonisation must be that nobody is stopped from doing anything they do today, be that heating their homes, flying on vacation or using private transport.

“What needs to change is the technology that allows us to do all those things. Anything that seeks to throttle demand or tell people what they can and can’t do is simply unacceptable.”

Sir John Redwood, a former Cabinet minister, said the Bill talks about “more time switching to ration available electricity”.

“People will not be able to come home from work, put an electric car on charge and turn on a series of home appliances all at the same time, but will need persuading or requiring to run some machines and rechargers overnight when there is less electricity demand,” he added.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/09/04/brits-urged-turn-on-heat-pumps-wind-is-blowing-net-zero/

Turning your heat pump on when it’s windy is hardly the issue here. It’s what you do when it’s not windy; are they telling you to switch off your heating, or charge you so much that you are forced to anyway?

The frightening thing is that none of these suggestions are anything more than sticking plaster anyway. When the wind does not blow, we will be up the proverbial without a paddle, smart meters or not.