UK electricity demand, live
Britain's grid is supplying 33.3 GW right now. The grid is relaxed (19/100).
Live data, updated .
Electricity demand vs forecast
GW, last 48 hours and the day ahead
- Day-ahead forecast
- Demand
- Forecast
the numbers
Day-ahead forecast typically off by about 1.7 GW (last 30 days)
dashed over the past is what was forecast a day before. this is grid-level demand, so rooftop solar is not counted
More on demand →Spare capacity: room to spare
spare capacity, next 24 hours
the numbers
what could still be generated beyond demand, after allowing for breakdowns. the official name is de-rated margin
More on demand and spare capacity →Grid stress: how much strain
0 calm, 100 strained
- Spare margin (40%)14.2 GW spare, after breakdowns0
- Price (30%)£212/MWh52
- Frequency (20%)63 mHz off 50, five-minute average9
- Import reliance (10%)1.2 GW net import12
each bar is how hard that factor is pushing, 0 to 100
How the stress score works →Reading the demand chart
The solid line is the demand the transmission grid has carried; dashed lines show forecasts. Over the past, the faint dashed line is what was forecast a day ahead, so you can see how close it was. We measure that error every day on the forecast accuracy page.
The strain score is our own reading, not an official one. It blends spare capacity, frequency, price and reliance on imports; see how it is worked out.
Common questions
How much electricity does the UK use?
Demand on Britain's transmission grid usually runs from under 20 GW on summer nights and sunny middays to 40 GW or more on winter evenings. This page shows the live figure and the last 48 hours.
When is electricity demand highest?
On weekday evenings in winter, roughly 5pm to 7pm, when lighting, cooking and heating overlap. Demand is lowest in the early hours of summer mornings and around midday on sunny days, when rooftop solar covers part of it.
Why doesn't the figure include rooftop solar?
Rooftop and small solar panels feed local networks, not the transmission grid, so when the sun shines they reduce the demand the national grid sees. That is why grid demand dips around midday on sunny days.
What is spare capacity?
Spare capacity, or margin, is how much more power could be made available than is needed, after allowing for breakdowns and the weather. NESO publishes a forecast for each half-hour. A thin margin is one sign the grid is under strain.