Apparently, at least part of the problem is that consumers have been using their electricity the wrong way.

Some British haters persist in arguing that “renewables” (particularly the steampunk joke that is wind power) are, contrary to the misinformation they have been fed by successive governments, not exactly a bargain.

Well, the MCS Foundation would like consumers to know that at least part of the problem is that they have been using their electricity the wrong way.

The MCS Foundation?

In the face of today’s climate emergency, we know that a carbon free future for UK homes is vital — for our communities, our country and our planet. This is a future where everyone has access to reliable and affordable renewable energy in homes that are warm and efficient. Making this happen as quickly as possible drives all our work.

Oh, okay.

The Times:

Households reluctant to let their energy suppliers vary the price of electricity throughout the day could be paying £375 more a year in bills, a charity has said.

Many households were unaware of or uninterested in deals that rewarded them for using electricity at windy and sunny times of day, when it is cheapest to generate, according to a report by the MCS Foundation. It said the shift to clean energy was being impeded by this lack of awareness.

Energy suppliers including Octopus and Ovo have started to offer “time-of-use” tariffs that charge customers different rates throughout the day. Octopus’s Agile tariff offers a different rate every 30 minutes, reflecting the half-hourly changes in the rate that the company pays for energy.

What could be more straightforward? Just watch the wind, and the sun, and the wind and the sun. Spoiler: there’s not a lot of sun at night.

Pre-modernity is a bargain, a bargain, I tell you.

Also:

Octopus has started notifying its customers to inform them that it will pay out if they reduce their energy during “saving sessions”.

And:

This year, households have paid £810 million for the National Energy Systems Operator (Neso) to turn off windfarms and turn on gas plants, because the grid has lacked the capacity to carry wind energy.

Neso has said that £10 billion a year would be needed for new power lines and batteries until 2030 to ensure that clean energy can flow from wind and solar farms to households.

That will be money well spent, doubtless.