Following an unseasonably warm December, we might be forgiven for forgetting that winter isn’t just an ‘end of year’ season, it’s with us right the way through ‘til February.

Following the mild Christmas, the cold snap the nation is currently facing will no doubt have us reaching for the thermostats and kettles. With colder temperatures comes a heightened level of electricity use, through both domestic applications and in business; especially when the drop in temperature arrives as suddenly as it has done this January.

National Grid’s TRIAD mechanism encourages generation during peak periods of energy consumption throughout the winter season. Usually three dates are selected, evenly spread across the December-February period as demand for energy use follows the temperature increases and decreases. However, this year we have experienced one of the warmest starts to the winter season in the past forty years, and consequently a delay to the start of what might be considered ‘winter consumption levels’.

Just as the warm temperatures have broken weather trends, the TRIADS may do the same and be awarded twice within the same month for the first time in many years.

If you export generated power to the grid by any means, ensure that your generation is operating as best it can be – because it could make the difference between receiving a payment or a bill at the end of the season.