The demand flexibility service helps keep costs low whilst keeping the energy on the grid green & clean.
The National Grid tries to meet the electricity needs of all consumers and users with the cheapest source of electricity first. This helps keeps the costs down for everyone, and, as renewable sources of energy are consistently the cheapest, it's helping to make our energy supply cleaner and greener too.
When renewable energy sources are not sufficient to meet our energy demands, the National Grid has to rely on other sources of energy that become more expensive. However, during specific peak periods, instead of resorting to costly and polluting forms of energy like coal, it is actually more cost-effective to incentivise people to reduce their electricity usage (by receiving notifications and turning off non-essential appliances) or compensate small energy providers (such as individuals with batteries) around £2/kWh for the electricity they contribute to the grid.
For more information, check out the information on the National Grid page about this service here: Demand Flexibility Service