The Great British Kettle Surge [Infographic]

Tom Simpkins https://www.energycontrols.co.uk 1m 233 #electricity

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

It’s no secret that a large percentage of the UK population love their tea, though few know of just how much energy the nation needs to fuel this cultural infatuation. The National Grid, the body that monitors and directs the UK’s electricity usage, knows this better than most, as they have coined the term ‘TV pickup’ for the frequent phenomenon that the country experiences when a massive surge of electricity is required across the nation.

This often occurs whenever there’s an immensely popular television event, such as the Olympics or a premiere of a hit show, and everybody fancies a hot cup of tea, often during an ad break or at the end of the broadcast. Otherwise known as the Great British Kettle Surge, the massive export of electricity from other nations is needed to ensure that fuses don’t blow and the lights stay on when millions of kettles are switched on at once. The sheer amount of electricity required has staggering comparisons, the likes of which put into perspective just how much the UK frequently exports energy.

To showcase this, Energy Controls has created this infographic that shines some light on just how much electricity the UK needs when going to put the kettle on, with facts and figures stretched back to the previous year, the past decade and even looking at some of the most popular televised events of all time.

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