Government sets out plans for a more flexible electricity system, helping working families save on their bills.
- More support for consumers to bring down their bills, with new ways to take advantage of off-peak, lower electricity prices if they choose
- flexible tariffs and technologies allow consumers to shift energy usage to times when it is cheaper
- plans for a more flexible electricity system will ensure families benefit from the government's clean energy mission and Plan for Change
Households and businesses will be supported with more options to take control of their energy - expanding freedom and choice as the government drives for clean power.
The government's plans for a more flexible electricity system set out today will help working families save on their bills, by supporting those who want to take advantage of low prices when clean energy is abundant. 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.
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 who want to feel those benefits will be supported through the government's commitments in the Clean Flexibility Roadmap . 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.
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.
This marks a crucial milestone in ensuring consumers reap the rewards of the government's mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, which it is driving forward as part of its Plan for Change.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:
This roadmap gives households and businesses the choice and control over when and how they use their energy.
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.
In this way we will protect working people's pockets and ensure they are the first to benefit from our clean power mission.
Kayte O'Neill, Chief Operating Officer, NESO, said:
The journey towards a decarbonised system will bring opportunities for industry and consumers if we can solve the challenges of using the system flexibly.
This roadmap provides clear direction for that, setting out the actions needed to increase flexibility across Great Britain and the rewards it will bring.
Akshay Kaul Director General for Infrastructure Group, Ofgem, said:
A more flexible energy market will be a real game changer, giving households more control over what they pay for their energy.
Small lifestyle tweaks such as programming a dishwasher or tumble dryer to run overnight when costs are low or charging your electric car during high winds can have a material impact on people's bills.
At Ofgem we're opening up flexibility markets to bring better tariffs and products to consumers to make cheaper bills a reality.
Stakeholder reaction
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.
Barnaby Wharton, Director of Future Electricity Systems, RenewableUK, said:
A secure, affordable and resilient power system based on renewables needs flexibility at its core, to match times when wind and solar are generating with smart demand.
This roadmap puts consumers at the heart of that system, empowering households and businesses to take control of how and when they use electricity, so they can save money by using power when it's cheapest.
By embracing smart tariffs and technologies like EVs, modern heating systems and home batteries, and by accelerating the roll-out of more grid-scale batteries and Long Duration Energy Storage alongside renewables, we can build a more agile system which can shift, adapt and respond to demand faster. Scaling up our capacity to store energy is essential to strengthen the grid and enhance the UK's energy security.
Naomi Baker, Senior Policy Manager at Energy UK, said:
Energy UK welcomes the roadmap as a positive step towards a smarter, more flexible electricity system that passes the lower cost of renewables through to bill payers. We support the comprehensive scope - from the major new technologies (long duration storage, CCUS and hydrogen) that will ensure system resilience, through to the knotty regulatory barriers that limit market access from consumer assets.
The UK is already leading the world in creating an energy system with consumers at the heart of it. Today's publication builds on this with a market-led approach where customer participation is voluntary, attractive and accessible. A smart flexible system will be a win for bills, a win for British jobs and a win for energy security.
Kelly Butler, Director of External Affairs at BEAMA, said:
As long-standing advocates for accelerating electrification, BEAMA welcomes the publication of the Clean Flexibility Roadmap and a commitment not only to track progress but also focus on practical delivery.
With appropriate lead times for product development, a technology agnostic approach within electrification and a clear connection across consumer facing policies such as EPCs, we anticipate major supply chain investment to meet the challenge.
With the oversight of a new Flexibility Commissioner, the roadmap has the potential to help grow the sector, and bring increased momentum to delivering flexibility to consumers and businesses through mass market uptake of Energy Smart Appliances.
Merlin Hyman OBE, Chief Executive of Regen, said:
Making our power system more flexible in how we match supply and demand is a key part of clean power 2030 so we greatly welcome the government's Clean Flexibility Roadmap.
The roadmap is an important step to bring together reforms needed to unlock the full value of the rapidly developing grid scale storage sector and consumer led flexibility in a coordinated work programme.
The challenge now is to deliver what is a significant programme of reform of the way our electricity markets and system work to enable a rapid transition to a clean power system and to deliver value to customers.
Notes
In December 2024, the government published its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan , which set out plans for a two to three-fold increase in clean flexibility capacity from 2023 levels, to a range of 51 to 66 GW, by 2030. The Clean Flexibility Roadmap, published today, explains how the government, working with Ofgem and NESO, will deliver that commitment.
The first steps that will be taken to support a more flexible electricity system as part of the roadmap include:
- appointing a Flexibility Commissioner, who will provide leadership over the policy area
- establishing ways of working with NESO and Ofgem to hold government and industry to account for delivery
- setting up an annual forum to track progress
Policies being delivered as part of this work include Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement, which will enable energy usage to be billed every 30 minutes, and the Smart Secure Electricity Systems programme, which aims to help people access consumer-led flexibility.
All figures included are based on government analysis unless clearly labelled otherwise.
The government has today also published:
a consultation on consumer engagement in consumer-led flexibility , which explores how more consumers who want to use energy flexibly can be supported to do so, to help optimise and sustain uptake over the short, medium and long term
a call for evidence on improving asset visibility , which seeks views on options for improving how distributed energy assets, like heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points, are registered with distribution network operators (DNOs). This aims to reduce administrative burdens for installers, support flexible use of the assets and prevent network infrastructure from being built unnecessarily
a response to the call for evidence on energy smart data , which confirms that the government will continue work to consider whether to introduce a smart data scheme for the energy sector. Smart data is the process of sharing customer data - at the customer's request - with authorised third parties in a secure way. It will help customers access useful, innovative and personalised products and services that cater to their needs
