Know what you use, keep £150-£300 a year

Ofgem’s Typical Domestic Consumption Values are the standard benchmark. A medium UK home uses around 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas per year. A small flat sits closer to 1,800 kWh and 8,000 kWh, while a large 5-bed detached can run to 4,100 kWh and 17,000 kWh. Your actual usage is on every annual statement.

Yes. Every UK energy supplier must offer you a smart meter at no upfront cost, as part of the rollout coordinated by Smart Energy GB. The installation and the in-home display (IHD) are both free. You will see no separate charge on your bill, though network costs are bundled into your unit rate and standing charge as normal.

Yes, and the maths is unusually clear. A 100W incandescent bulb burning 3 hours a day costs roughly £35/yr at current electricity prices. A 10W LED giving the same light output costs around £3.50/yr. Over a typical 25,000-hour LED lifespan you save about £200 per bulb, even after the LED’s £2 to £5 purchase price.

The biggest wins are draught-proofing (windows, doors, letter boxes, loft hatches), setting the thermostat to 18 to 20°C rather than 22°C, using TRVs to turn radiators down in unused rooms, and closing curtains at dusk to trap heat. A hot water bottle is cheaper than running the heating all evening, and bleeding the radiators keeps the boiler from working harder than it needs to.

Economy 7 is a two-rate electricity tariff that charges a cheaper unit rate for around seven off-peak overnight hours (typically 00:30 to 07:30). It is worth it if you can shift at least 40% of usage to those hours, usually via a storage heater, an EV charger or a hot-water immersion timer. For most modern gas-centrally-heated homes with no EV, a single-rate fixed tariff works out cheaper.