ESB Networks has launched an initiative to encourage consumers to reduce their use of electricity during the peak consumption times of 5:00p.m and 7:00p.m.
The ‘Beat the Peak’ initiative is being implemented as part of a wider suite of initiatives by the government and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) to shift electricity demand away from peak times.
Under the initiative, ESB Networks proposes to pilot measures aimed at reducing electricity demand by between 40MW and 160MW of energy. This is the equivalent of powering between 18,000 and 72,000 homes per day.
Following the roll-out of these pilot measures this year, ESB Networks plans to scale up Beat the Peak in 2023.
Households across Ireland will be encouraged to participate in the scheme through an awareness campaign titled ‘Is This a Good Time’.
Participating customers will receive customised information on an ongoing basis on how to shift their individual energy consumption away from the evening peak.
Households will also receive requests to adjust their individual consumption during peak demand events on days where there is a higher risk of EirGrid issuing an amber alert for tight electricity supply.
ESB Networks envisages that between 15,000 to 30,000 households will sign up to Beat the Peak this coming winter, with an ambition to significantly expand the number of participating households from 2023 onwards.
Initiatives with commercial energy users and voltage reduction measures will be announced in due course.
Commenting on the initiative, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan said: “Participants in this pilot will be asked to shift their use of appliances to times of lower demand when they can.
He added: “Being energy efficient does not mean turning things off, going cold or doing without things that you need in your home or business. It’s just about making a few changes.”
The effort to reduce electricity usage during peak times has met with controversy among farmer organisations and some rural politicians.
Earlier this month, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) called for farmers to be excluded from a proposed extra charge on electricity usage during the peak times of 5:00p.m to 7:00p.m.
The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) is proposing to introduce a tariff or surcharge for the peak times of 5:00p.m to 7:00p.m – coinciding with milking time on most dairy farms.
The apparent aim of the tariff is to encourage energy consumers to reduce their electricity consumption and therefore the demand on the national grid.
IFA Dairy chairperson Stephen Arthur said: “Dairy farmers don’t have the luxury of picking the time of day they milk their cows.
“On the vast majority of dairy farms, cows are milked morning and evening, seven days a week. Trying to milk cows and cool milk outside of the peak hours of 5:00p.m to 7:00p.m is just not feasible,” Arthur added.