Energy rationing

MouldyOldDough

Sunak has just said that fuel rationing is possible in the future
Would this affect everyone or would those who are classed as on priority service register be immune from  being switched off? 

GingerTim

I think @QrizB and @[Deleted User]  answered this question when you asked it in one of your earlier threads: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79427109#Comment_79427109

In short, it would affect everyone in an area where power is switched off for a while.

Farway

It's one of those length of string questions.

Usually high industry users are first off, exception being the likes of steel works where enormous damage can be caused

Street lights & offices, some of the first to go of course

Hospitals would be exempt, but I can't see how the supplier could separate the supply to someone on priority register from say the next flat or house, so guessing one off all off on rolling and scheduled blackouts

No doubt anyone who requires say dialysis machine has some alternative supply arrangements in place anyway

facade

Now you've all fitted smart meters with remote disconnection they can cut off or leave on any individual household, so they could easily have a priority list.

This will only be electric, they can't go around cutting off gas supplies on a whim, lots of us have pilot lights that will go out and require a lot of effort, possibly for some an engineer visit, to relight. Then there are the old fashioned cookers that will be on and spew out gas when the supply is restored. They will ask for voluntary reductions, and close factories on a rota basis.

MattMattMattUK

facade said:

Now you've all fitted smart meters with remote disconnection they can cut off or leave on any individual household, so they could easily have a priority list.

They cannot just disconect people remotely using smart meters. Even ignoring the legal issues (which could be fixed) the solution is not technology in place, would require software changes and testing to work and could easily be blocked by consumers with a Faraday cage. All the plans involve cutting supplies based on substations, so parts of towns, whole villages, a few dozens of streets etc.

facade said:

This will only be electric, they can't go around cutting off gas supplies on a whim, lots of us have pilot lights that will go out and require a lot of effort, possibly for some an engineer visit, to relight. Then there are the old fashioned cookers that will be on and spew out gas when the supply is restored. They will ask for voluntary reductions, and close factories on a rota basis.

They won't cut as because of the problems, loss of pressurisation in gas supply requires engineers to visit every property as it is restarted, however cutting electricity is expected to remove the majority of domestic gas consumption as boilers will not work without power.

northernstar007

is it not possible (via smart meter) so that everyone gets so much electric eg 1kw in peak time
say your gas heating sys takes 200w + lights 100w other bits and bobs max 1kw
enough to keep the house warm but nothing else eg cooking game machines tvs etc etc

[Deleted User]

Not really.  You could set something up inside your own house to do it, but your smart meter can't control how much power you take - it can't turn things on and off for you.

northernstar007

[Deleted User] said:

Not really.  You could set something up inside your own house to do it, but your smart meter can't control how much power you take - it can't turn things on and off for you.

not turn things on and off, just a simple theres 1kw of electric thats all your getting do what you want with it

[Deleted User]

northernstar007 said:

[Deleted User] said:

Not really.  You could set something up inside your own house to do it, but your smart meter can't control how much power you take - it can't turn things on and off for you.

not turn things on and off, just a simple theres 1kw of electric thats all your getting do what you want with it

But that's not how electricity works.  If you are using you 1kW and you turn something else on, what would you expect to happen?

There are systems that can do this sort of thing - like EV chargers that control themselves to not overload your house wires - but smart meters can't do it.  The EV system just turns down the charger when it notices other things are using power.

MouldyOldDough

northernstar007 said:

[Deleted User] said:

Not really.  You could set something up inside your own house to do it, but your smart meter can't control how much power you take - it can't turn things on and off for you.

not turn things on and off, just a simple theres 1kw of electric thats all your getting do what you want with it

They can't limit you like that 
Your equipment draws a certain current from the mains
That is fixed 

jj_43

MouldyOldDough said:

Sunak has just said that fuel rationing is possible in the future
Would this affect everyone or would those who are classed as on priority service register be immune from  being switched off? 

Fuel rationing is already occurring for example:

Prepayment meter running out of credit, self disconnection. 

Individuals reducing usage, like turning off the lights, stopping to use the oven, to turning down the heating. 

Turning off your heating between set hours or calendar where otherwise you would turn on is energy rationing.
Next we have demand destruction, businesses deciding to close between Monday to Wednesday. Or businesses going bankrupt.
and so on.
the price signal, will to a point, encourage more supplies/less demand to avoid mandatory energy rationing.
Large scale energy users will be paid large sums to reduce usage.

Running out of gas is an alarmist scenario, but before we get to that situation prices will be extremely high. 

Electricity blackouts again is an alarmist scenario with all sorts of consequences.

Although (I hate to point this out), smart meter functionality allows better targeting to disconnect households in the alarmist scenarios.