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UK Power Grid

Updated

How much power the country is using

National demand met by the transmission system, published every five minutes. It rises through the morning, peaks in the early evening, and falls away overnight.

At 19:20 GMT on 7 November 2026, electricity demand on Great Britain's transmission system was 35,724 MW, 8% lower than yesterday. Over the previous 24 hours it peaked at 38,853 MW and fell as low as 30,030 MW.

Demand now

35,724MW

8% lower than yesterday

At 19:20 · −2,247 MW in the last hour

24-hour peak

38,853MW

Reached at 19:20

24-hour low

30,030MW

Reached at 04:25

Swing across the day

8,823MW

Difference between peak and low

Demand over the last 24 hours

Megawatts drawn from the transmission system, sampled every five minutes.

View as table
Time Demand (MW)
19:20 38,853
19:25 38,734
19:30 37,740
19:35 37,450
19:40 37,325
19:45 37,186
19:50 36,939
19:55 36,581
20:00 36,462
20:05 36,304
20:10 36,030
20:15 35,874
20:20 35,830
20:25 35,752
20:30 35,562
20:35 35,450
20:40 35,260
20:45 35,131
20:50 34,939
20:55 34,778
21:00 34,913
21:05 34,589
21:10 34,344
21:15 34,158
21:20 33,983
21:25 33,856
21:30 33,537
21:35 33,282
21:40 33,238
21:45 33,218
21:50 33,270
21:55 32,985
22:00 32,754
22:05 32,705
22:10 32,440
22:15 32,393
22:20 32,324
22:25 32,234
22:30 32,102
22:35 31,892
22:40 31,800
22:45 31,626
22:50 31,586
22:55 31,245
23:00 31,536
23:05 31,551
23:10 31,571
23:15 31,560
23:20 31,402
23:25 31,505
23:30 31,342
23:35 31,386
23:40 31,277
23:45 31,098
23:50 30,998
23:55 30,927
00:00 31,087
00:05 31,148
00:10 31,000
00:15 31,070
00:20 30,934
00:25 30,850
00:30 30,892
00:35 31,008
00:40 31,151
00:45 30,985
00:50 30,927
00:55 30,696
01:00 30,646
01:05 30,586
01:10 30,492
01:15 30,546
01:20 30,531
01:25 30,563
01:30 30,638
01:35 30,638
01:40 30,573
01:45 30,520
01:50 30,468
01:55 30,436
02:00 30,714
02:05 30,932
02:10 30,835
02:15 30,772
02:20 30,676
02:25 30,547
02:30 30,676
02:35 30,725
02:40 30,621
02:45 30,562
02:50 30,484
02:55 30,440
03:00 30,354
03:05 30,345
03:10 30,363
03:15 30,365
03:20 30,312
03:25 30,229
03:30 30,341
03:35 30,126
03:40 30,179
03:45 30,143
03:50 30,123
03:55 30,100
04:00 30,433
04:05 30,383
04:10 30,189
04:15 30,114
04:20 30,072
04:25 30,030
04:30 30,205
04:35 30,190
04:40 30,254
04:45 30,306
04:50 30,320
04:55 30,382
05:00 30,350
05:05 30,380
05:10 30,441
05:15 30,523
05:20 30,568
05:25 30,581
05:30 30,671
05:35 30,771
05:40 30,856
05:45 30,916
05:50 30,988
05:55 31,146
06:00 31,408
06:05 31,670
06:10 31,665
06:15 31,728
06:20 31,865
06:25 32,000
06:30 32,130
06:35 32,337
06:40 32,600
06:45 32,643
06:50 32,743
06:55 32,804
07:00 32,961
07:05 33,037
07:10 33,047
07:15 33,012
07:20 33,065
07:25 33,157
07:30 33,061
07:35 33,060
07:40 33,102
07:45 33,247
07:50 33,293
07:55 32,950
08:00 32,873
08:05 32,883
08:10 32,952
08:15 33,035
08:20 33,133
08:25 33,129
08:30 33,047
08:35 33,081
08:40 33,133
08:45 33,155
08:50 33,263
08:55 33,282
09:00 33,636
09:05 34,140
09:10 34,165
09:15 34,233
09:20 34,242
09:25 34,142
09:30 34,129
09:35 34,158
09:40 34,111
09:45 34,100
09:50 34,187
09:55 34,488
10:00 34,709
10:05 34,849
10:10 34,975
10:15 35,059
10:20 35,004
10:25 34,898
10:30 34,837
10:35 34,903
10:40 34,868
10:45 34,844
10:50 34,818
10:55 34,740
11:00 34,518
11:05 34,353
11:10 34,281
11:15 34,208
11:20 34,072
11:25 34,072
11:30 33,908
11:35 33,798
11:40 33,653
11:45 33,668
11:50 33,730
11:55 33,696
12:00 33,973
12:05 33,996
12:10 34,103
12:15 34,199
12:20 33,988
12:25 33,828
12:30 33,911
12:35 34,117
12:40 33,905
12:45 33,870
12:50 33,885
12:55 33,845
13:00 33,652
13:05 33,233
13:10 33,388
13:15 33,513
13:20 33,407
13:25 33,376
13:30 33,547
13:35 33,688
13:40 33,520
13:45 33,567
13:50 33,487
13:55 33,415
14:00 33,465
14:05 33,441
14:10 33,420
14:15 33,598
14:20 33,456
14:25 33,376
14:30 33,303
14:35 33,305
14:40 33,453
14:45 33,422
14:50 33,433
14:55 33,367
15:00 33,568
15:05 33,559
15:10 33,524
15:15 33,594
15:20 33,681
15:25 33,785
15:30 34,207
15:35 34,144
15:40 34,217
15:45 34,356
15:50 34,460
15:55 34,542
16:00 35,597
16:05 35,422
16:10 35,407
16:15 35,492
16:20 35,713
16:25 35,691
16:30 36,644
16:35 36,804
16:40 37,069
16:45 37,223
16:50 37,546
16:55 37,778
17:00 38,109
17:05 38,320
17:10 38,393
17:15 38,348
17:20 38,430
17:25 38,367
17:30 38,684
17:35 38,538
17:40 38,471
17:45 38,411
17:50 38,359
17:55 38,352
18:00 38,358
18:05 38,134
18:10 37,998
18:15 38,048
18:20 37,971
18:25 37,853
18:30 37,833
18:35 37,692
18:40 37,580
18:45 37,406
18:50 37,331
18:55 37,004
19:00 36,495
19:05 36,263
19:10 36,149
19:15 35,928
19:20 35,724
What this means

This is the electricity Great Britain draws from the transmission system, measured in megawatts. One megawatt is roughly enough for a few hundred homes at once, so the numbers here run into the tens of thousands.

The shape repeats daily: a trough in the small hours, a climb as the country wakes, and a peak in the early evening when people get home, cook, and turn the lights on. Weather moves the whole curve - today is 1.7°C colder than the seasonal average, which pushes demand up.

It counts demand met by large power stations and interconnectors only. Electricity generated and used behind the meter - rooftop solar, most notably - reduces this figure rather than adding to it, which is why sunny afternoons can look deceptively quiet.

Common questions

How much electricity does Great Britain use?

It depends when you ask. On a cold winter evening, demand on the national grid can top 40 GW. During lockdown in 2020, it fell to around 13.4 GW.

When is electricity demand highest?

Usually early evening, when people get home and start cooking. It's lowest in the small hours. A cold snap pushes the whole day's demand up.

Why does rooftop solar lower the demand figure?

Because the national grid can't see it. Power from a roof gets used in the house or nearby, so all the grid notices is that less electricity is being asked for. That's why a sunny afternoon can look oddly quiet.