National Grid faces criticism after leaving the lights on

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GV of the National Grid headquarters in Warwick, England taken at approximately 7.30pm on October 29, 2014. The National Grid announced that energy supplies will be at an all time low this winter, however just 24 hours after the announcement, they continue to leave their headquarters fully lit once all the staff have gone home. See NTI story NTIPOWER. National Grid have admitted that Britain could face a series of �brownouts� this winter that would dim household lights. Britain faces its greatest risk of power shortages in almost a decade, following the closure of coal-fired power stations to meet EU carbon targets. The gap between winter supply and demand for electricity will be 4.1 per cent � the lowest level in eight years. However, this safety margin would be wiped out for some periods in December and January in the event of an extreme cold snap.



It seems like a case of 'do as we say, not what we do', for the National Grid.

Just one day after warning that the UK faces its tightest energy crunch in eight years and may be forced to resort to emergency measures to keep the lights on, a photographer snapped this remarkable shot last night of the National Grid headquarters with seemingly every light left on (including in the car park).

The picture snapped by James Robinson at 19:30 last night, well outside normal working hours. He told The Mirror: "It's ridiculous. This huge building is lit up like a Christmas tree. It's a real kick in the teeth when they announce our lights might be dimmed while they are leaving theirs on at night.'

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Britain facing blackout threat

The picture will embarrass the National Grid, which on Wednesday published a report warning that it could be forced to pay factories to shut down and rely on supply reserves from mothballed power stations should the winter prove particularly severe.

The report added that it expected capacity margin - the gap between total electricity generating capacity and peak demand - of just 4.1%, the narrowest since 2006/7.

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Ofgem Urge Calm Over Power Blackouts
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'Office was full'

Responding to criticism that stemmed from the photograph, the National Grid insisted its HQ was in use 24 hours a day, seven days week.

It told The Mirror that the building in Warwick had "many energy conserving measures, including sensor controlled lighting which turns off automatically if a room is empty."

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