Worth noting that TV pickup mostly _isn't_ caused by electric kettles:
> TV pickups [...] are a surge in demand caused by the flushing of toilets (leading to a surge at the pumping stations) and the opening of fridge doors by millions of people. There is a common misconception that the number one driver of TV pickup is the boiling of kettles. In fact, this only creates a pull on the local network for a short period of time until the water has boiled, and can therefore be managed relatively easily, whereas flushing the toilet causes a longer surge at the water and sewerage pumping stations, and opening the refrigerator lets the chilled air escape, causing the compressor to run.
Very interesting, thanks. At 1:22 "Power surges like this are unique to Britain. No other country in the world switches on so many kettles in so short a time." I'm not sure if that's true... I did some work for a power company in New Zealand about 14 years ago and this exact phenomenon was known there. Chip off the old block...
> TV pickups [...] are a surge in demand caused by the flushing of toilets (leading to a surge at the pumping stations) and the opening of fridge doors by millions of people. There is a common misconception that the number one driver of TV pickup is the boiling of kettles. In fact, this only creates a pull on the local network for a short period of time until the water has boiled, and can therefore be managed relatively easily, whereas flushing the toilet causes a longer surge at the water and sewerage pumping stations, and opening the refrigerator lets the chilled air escape, causing the compressor to run.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_pickup