Believe it or not if everyone in the UK switched on their kettles at the same time, there is only just enough available generating capacity to power them!
There are about 25 million kettles and - yes - if they were all switched on at the same time, there would be virtually no electricity for lighting, heating, refrigeration or for industry...
Whilst this is not a reason to panic, it does vividly demonstrate how the supply of electricity in the UK is carefully balanced with real-world demand through a wide range of complex and sophisticated mechanisms.
UK capacity is less than 76 gigawatts (GW) but maximum demand at any one time is about 63 GW so there is a "cushion" to allow for unexpected peaks or losses of supply at a given power station.
Demand varies considerably from day to day - indeed hour to hour - according to many factors, such as levels of daylight or darkness; temperature, mealtimes, even the popularity of TV programmes. Penalty shoot-outs at the end of football cup competitions can play havoc with the system - and a surge in demand as fans switch on their kettles after the match!
