Voice Assistant for Alexa

• In the app, tap the menu icon labelled ‘more’ at the bottom-right of the screen
• Select Skills & Games
• Tap the magnifying glass to search for the ‘National Grid’ skill
• Select the skill and tap ‘enable to use’
• To find out the best time to use electricity in your area, ask Alexa 'Open National Grid'

Voice Assistant for Google

• Open the Google Home app
• At the top right, tap your account
• Verify that the google account shown is the one linked to your speaker or display
• In search, look for the ‘National Grid’ voice skill
• Once you've found it, click 'enable'
• To find out the best time to use electricity in your area, ask your Google Assistant to 'Open National Grid

This voice skill has been developed to help everyone in Great Britain take advantage of zero-carbon energy. The skill will tell you the best time to use electricity by searching for the lowest possible carbon intensity time periods in your region. It will also tell you about the mix of zero carbon energy sources that sit behind the ‘when to plug in’ recommendation and serve up a series of fun facts so you can learn more about the amazing transformation of the electricity system that is currently underway.

Zero carbon energy produces no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. It is generated from renewable sources including onshore wind, offshore wind, solar and water, as well as from nuclear power stations. While it's not a renewable energy source, nuclear is a ‘clean’ source of energy as it produces no carbon dioxide emissions or greenhouse gases of any kind and so produces electricity with a low carbon intensity. The voice skill will encourage you to plug in to take advantage of this.

The voice assistant is powered by carbonintensity.org.uk, a carbon intensity forecasting tool built by the National Energy System Operator (NESO), The Environmental Defense Fund Europe, The University of Oxford, and WWF.

The API uses machine learning and sophisticated power system modelling to forecast the carbon intensity and electricity generation mix for Great Britain.

It pulls data from large power stations, wind and solar generation, and the electricity we bring in from Europe via interconnectors that run under the sea, and balances that with electricity demand from consumers, businesses, and industries.

Carbon intensity varies by hour, day, and season due to changes in both electricity supply and demand. The forecast is based on an AI that predicts weather patterns to make sure energy providers can manage where we are getting our energy from and how much is needed.

It isn’t only the weather in Great Britain that can affect the forecast, but also the weather in countries across Europe such as France where we share electricity via interconnectors. The amount we can bring in from these areas depends on the conditions that drive up energy demand in those places, e.g. cold and wet weather.

Great Britain continues to draw more and more power from zero carbon sources, meaning that there are ever-increasing opportunities during the day for people to use electricity with a low-carbon intensity – not just at night. 

In short, yes! Every green action helps and net zero won’t be possible without everyone’s input, but the biggest impact of all comes from system transformation. The energy sector has undergone huge change over the last decade or so. There has been a massive shift from using coal to generate electricity – which resulted in lots of carbon dioxide emissions as the coal was burned – to using ‘clean’ forms of generation such as renewable wind and solar power.

However, there is much more that needs to be done, because transforming Great Britain’s energy system will enable other sectors such as transport and construction to reduce their emissions also. Here are some examples of significant changes needed over the next decade:

• Increase capacity for clean electricity generation by quadrupling offshore wind generation by 2030, to ensure we can meet growing demand from homes, businesses and transport with low carbon supply.
• Reinforce the electricity network so it is ready for the predicted rapid growth in electric vehicles and in low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps.
• Develop supply and demand of hydrogen gas, which is a cleaner fuel type, especially with industrial users.
• Develop and implement technology to capture carbon emissions, particularly from gas powered electricity generation and industrial processes.
• Increase energy efficiency measures to make homes more insulated and to reduce wasted energy.

As a nation, we are making excellent progress and we have the technology and know-how to deliver what needs to be done. Everyone – from Government, to the energy regulator Ofgem, to businesses and individuals – has an important role to play in making it happen.

Our calculations show that if one million Brits used the app and switched to using their washing machine when the electricity in their area was produced by cleaner energy sources, we could collectively help save 76,650 tonnes of CO₂ each year: equivalent of taking a whopping 36,500 cars off the road. By using tumble dryers at cleaner times, we could see a huge 164,250 tonnes of carbon saved, which is the equivalent to taking more than 78,000 cars off the road.

These statistics are calculated per number of people using the appliances, the frequency of use and the average power rating to work out the potential amount of CO₂ emissions reduced if moving to the lowest emissions hours (100g/kWh CO₂).