Big Electricity Consumers (major industry) can buy electricity at about 7c/kWH... (24/7 - flat rate).
I understand that The Power Stations crank out electricity all day long at a fairly steady rate... Then the retailers devise ways to maximise profits!
From wiki
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_load_power_plantEconomics
Power plants are designated baseload based on their low cost generation, efficiency and safety at rated output power levels. Baseload power plants do not change production to match power consumption demands since it is more economical to operate them at constant production levels. Use of higher cost combined-cycle plants or combustion turbines is thus minimized, and these plants can be cycled up and down to match more rapid fluctuations in consumption. Baseload generators, such as nuclear and coal, often have very high fixed costs, high plant load factor and very low marginal costs. On the other hand, peak load generators, such as natural gas, have low fixed costs, low plant load factor and high marginal costs.[7] Typically baseload plants are large and provide a majority of the power used by a grid. Thus, they are more effective when used continuously to cover the power baseload required by the grid.
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Base load power plant usage
Nuclear and coal power plants may take many hours, if not days, to achieve a steady state power output.
On the other hand, they have low fuel costs.[9] Because they require a long period of time to heat up to operating temperature, these plants typically handle large amounts of baseload demand. Different plants and technologies may have differing capacities to increase or decrease output on demand: nuclear plants are generally run at close to peak output continuously (apart from maintenance, refueling and periodic refurbishment), while coal-fired plants may be cycled over the course of a day to meet demand.[citation needed] Plants with multiple generating units may be used as a group to improve the "fit" with demand, by operating each unit as close to peak efficiency as possible.
