Households could get discounts on electricity bills if they use less energy at peak times.
National Grid hopes to roll out a scheme where people can save cash if they avoid high-power activities, such as cooking or charging electric cars, when demand is high.
The move follows a trial where Octopus Energy offered incentives for 100,000 customers who reduced consumption.
Reducing your energy bill a little by switching on appliances at a "cheaper" time of day is not, as Octopus boss Greg Jackson says, life changing. Nor is it a new idea.
But any way to keep costs down will be looked at with interest by consumers who are only seeing their bill go one way at the moment - and that's up.
It has long been the selling point of smart meters, that this kind of thing is made easier is monitor and reward when suppliers have a minute-by-record of your energy use.
But there will be some safety concerns. For example, a fire caused by a faulty washing machine or tumble dryer is more of a risk to life if it occurs in the middle of the night, when everyone at home is upstairs asleep, than it would during the day.
