The importance of Communities in balancing the grid in the renewable transition
Jan 10, 2025
Brightly wants to build a Community to help with smart energy use.
As our world transitions more and more energy production into renewable resources and becomes more energy-conscious, we’re facing a unique opportunity to transform how we use electricity. By encouraging people to adopt off-peak electricity usage, we can create a win-win scenario: reduced energy bills for individuals and a less strained, more sustainable energy grid for everyone.
However, achieving this shift in behaviour requires more than just individual effort. It’s about building a community of like-minded people who are excited about saving money, can learn from each other, share tips, make a collective impact, and create new groups of friends in the process.
Here’s why we believe creating this community matters and how you can get involved.
Why focus on off-peak electricity use?
While electricity demands have always fluctuated throughout the day, with peak hours — typically in the evening — putting the most stress on the grid, the increase in renewable electricity production has put the need for correct grid balancing into sharp focus.
Energy providers have always used day/night tariffs to try to incentivise night use, making it cheaper than day use, however, with more energy produced by wind and solar, they had to adapt their rates and peak/off-peak times as well. During peak times, energy is often more expensive and may rely on less sustainable sources, such as fossil fuels. Off-peak hours, on the other hand, are times when demand is low, leading to cheaper and greener electricity.
New “Smart Tariffs” are meant to help with these challenges, but users find this change very hard and difficult to navigate on their daily base. Brightly’s community wants to help users close that gap and switch to off-peak usage, which has tangible benefits:
Lower Bills: making full use of newer “off-peak” rates will help users save money by adjusting when they use energy-intensive appliances.
Environmental Impact: by helping users shift demand, we aim to reduce the reliance on carbon-intensive power plants, which often kick in to meet peak demand.
Grid Stability: using electricity during off-peak times helps ease the strain on the energy grid, leading to fewer outages and more efficient energy distribution.
The Power of Community
Habits and behaviours are very difficult to change. We all have things we do in our daily routine that can be done better, but we don’t look into optimising every aspect of our lives. But shifting any habits is easier — and more fun — when you’re part of a community.
Together, we can:
Share tips and success stories about lowering bills and improving energy efficiency.
Advocate for better off-peak incentives from energy providers.
Learn about Smart Home innovations and apps that can help users track and optimise energy use.
Alert the community about new rates and tariffs.
By joining forces, we can inspire others to adopt sustainable practices, creating a ripple effect that benefits our wallets and the planet.
Tips and Tricks to optimise energy use
By highlighting practical tips, users can have an easier path to change behaviours: here are some examples of tips to help maximise off-peak electricity usage:
Timers for appliances: Schedule the dishwasher, washing machine, or dryer to run during off-peak hours, typically late at night or early morning.
Invest in a Smart Thermostat: These devices can optimise heating and cooling schedules to match off-peak times without compromising comfort.
Charge EVs Wisely: Electric vehicle owners can save significantly by scheduling the charge of their cars when rates are lower.
Batch Activities: Combine energy-intensive activities, like cooking or running multiple appliances, during off-peak hours.
Monitor Your Usage: Use tools or apps to track real-time energy consumption and identify opportunities to save.
Do you have more tips to add? Get in contact with us!
Join Brightly today
We believe that saving money and helping the environment don’t have to be complicated. It starts with small changes and grows through shared knowledge and collective action.
Join our community of energy-savvy individuals today and take the first step toward smarter, more sustainable electricity use!
Let’s make a difference — together.
