National Grid to pay households more to use off-peak power

Homes with smart meters to be paid 3 per KW hour to boost use at night and take strain off power grid

• UK homes can become virtual power plants to avoid outages

National Grid has significantly increased its financial incentive for households that shift their power usage away from peak times as part of a renewed effort to prevent rolling power cuts.

Its electricity system operator (ESO) has increased the incentive sixfold to 3 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to encourage households to use their washing machines and appliances late at night, which could mean typical savings of 100 this winter.