Before you start
- A recent electricity bill
- Access to your meter (or smart meter display or app)
Method 1 Understand your bill and usage
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Step 1: Find your unit price
Look at your bill for the price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and any daily standing or service charge. This tells you what each unit saved is worth.
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Step 2: Read your meter
Take a meter reading on the same day each week, or check your smart meter display or supplier app, to see how much you use and spot sudden jumps.
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Step 3: Check for estimated bills
If your bill is marked “estimated”, send an actual meter reading to your supplier so you pay only for what you use.
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Step 4: Find the big users
Appliances that heat or cool, such as heaters, air conditioners, water heaters, ovens, kettles, tumble dryers and irons, use the most power. Old fridges and freezers run all day.
Method 2 Heating, cooling and hot water
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Step 1: Adjust the thermostat
Turning heating down by just 1°C, or setting air conditioning 1–2°C higher (around 24–26°C), cuts usage noticeably with little loss of comfort.
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Step 2: Only heat or cool rooms you use
Close doors, turn off heaters or radiators in empty rooms, and use timers so systems switch off when you’re out.
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Step 3: Use fans
A ceiling or standing fan uses a fraction of the power of air conditioning.
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Step 4: Cut hot water use
Shorter showers, a water-efficient shower head, and setting your water heater to a sensible temperature (around 60°C for stored hot water, for hygiene) save energy. Turn off electric water heaters when not needed, if your system allows.
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Step 5: Keep heat in or out
Seal draughts around doors and windows, close curtains at dusk in winter, and draw blinds in the heat of the day in summer.
Method 3 Use appliances smarter
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Step 1: Wash at 30°C and run full loads
Most of a washing machine’s energy goes on heating water. Use full loads, eco programmes and lower temperatures.
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Step 2: Dry clothes outside
Tumble dryers are among the hungriest appliances. Air-dry when you can, and clean the lint filter when you do use it.
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Step 3: Boil only what you need
Fill the kettle with just the water you need.
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Step 4: Cook efficiently
Use lids on pans, match the pan to the hob ring, and use a microwave, slow cooker or air fryer for small meals instead of the full oven.
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Step 5: Look after the fridge
Set the fridge to 3–5°C and the freezer to −18°C, keep the door seals clean, don’t put hot food inside, and defrost the freezer when ice builds up.
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Step 6: Run the dishwasher full
Use the eco programme with full loads.
Method 4 Lighting and standby
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Step 1: Switch to LED bulbs
LED bulbs use far less electricity than old incandescent or halogen bulbs and last many years.
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Step 2: Turn lights off
Switch off lights in empty rooms and use daylight when you can.
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Step 3: Cut standby waste
TVs, consoles, set-top boxes and chargers draw power when on standby. Use a power strip to switch them off at the wall at night, except things that need to stay on, such as the router or freezer.
Method 5 Check your tariff and supplier
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Step 1: Compare deals
Where you can choose your supplier, compare tariffs at least once a year on an approved comparison service.
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Step 2: Consider time-of-use tariffs
If your supplier offers cheaper night or off-peak rates, run the dishwasher, washing machine and any EV charging at those times.
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Step 3: Check for help
Many countries and suppliers offer discounts, grants for insulation, or support schemes for people on low incomes or with medical needs. Ask your supplier.
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Step 4: Prepaid meter users
Buy units only from official vendors or your supplier’s app, check your meter shows the correct tariff, and keep your token receipts.
Troubleshooting
My bill suddenly jumped
Check whether it’s based on an estimated reading, whether the unit price changed, or whether a new or faulty appliance (such as a water heater with a stuck thermostat) is to blame.
My prepaid units run out too fast
Record the meter balance each morning to find which day or appliance uses most, and check your meter is on the right tariff with your supplier.
I think my meter is faulty
Contact your supplier and ask for a meter test. Don’t open or adjust the meter yourself.
Frequently asked questions
What uses the most electricity at home?
Usually heating and air conditioning, water heating, tumble dryers, ovens, kettles and old fridges or freezers.
Does unplugging chargers really save money?
Individually very little, but TVs, consoles and other devices on standby add up across a year.
Is it cheaper to leave heating on low all day?
Generally no. Heating only when you need it, using a timer, usually uses less energy.
Summary
Learn your unit price and read your meter, then tackle the biggest users first: heating, cooling, hot water and large appliances. Small habits such as 30°C washes, air-drying, LED bulbs, switching off standby and sealing draughts add up, and checking your tariff each year makes sure you pay a fair price.
