The quickest ways to cut your home energy consumption are to heat your home on a timer instead of leaving it on low all day, air-dry clothes, switch devices off standby and wash at 30°C. The Energy Saving Trust puts the combined saving from its ten everyday tips at up to £313 a year in Great Britain.
Home energy consumption is the gas and electricity a household uses for heating, hot water, cooking, lighting and appliances, measured in kilowatt hours (kWh). It matters more than usual this winter: Ofgem’s price cap rose 4% on 1 October 2026 to £1,723 a year for a typical dual fuel home, even with VAT removed from electricity until 31 March 2027.
Ready to act rather than read? If you already know you are on a standard variable tariff, compare home energy prices and our comparison partner will show you the deals available for your postcode, including fixed tariffs priced below the cap. Prefer to understand where your energy goes first? Keep reading.
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How much energy does a UK home use?
A typical UK home uses 2,500 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas a year, according to the consumption values Ofgem has used to set the price cap since 1 July 2026. Ofgem calls these Typical Domestic Consumption Values and publishes low, medium and high bands so households can compare their own use.
| Ofgem band (from 1 July 2026) | Electricity a year (single rate meter) | Gas a year |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 1,600 kWh | 6,000 kWh |
| Medium (typical) | 2,500 kWh | 9,500 kWh |
| High | 3,800 kWh | 14,000 kWh |
Ofgem lowered these figures in its May 2026 review because households are using around 7% less electricity and 17% less gas than at its previous review in 2023. Many guides, including the earlier version of this one, still quote the 2023 figures of 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas.
To compare your own use, find the annual kWh figure on your energy account or bill, or read it from your smart meter’s in-home display. If you are well above the high band without electric heating or an electric car, the habits below are the first place to look.
Which everyday habits increase home energy consumption?
Seven common habits quietly push up home energy consumption, and most cost nothing to fix. Each is answered below as the question people actually ask.
Is it cheaper to leave the heating on low all day?
No, not for most homes with a gas boiler. Keeping the heating ticking over means the boiler works all day to hold a temperature nobody needs; a timer that brings it on about 30 minutes before you need it, and switches it off a little early to use the leftover warmth, uses less. It is one of the most persistent energy myths, at home and at work.
The exception is a well-insulated home with a heat pump, which runs most efficiently at a steady, low temperature. Whatever your system, turning the thermostat down by 1°C can cut heating costs by around 10%, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Is a dishwasher cheaper than washing up by hand?
Usually, if it is full and on its eco programme. Energy Saving Trust figures put hand-washing at about 4% of a household’s water use against 1% for dishwashers, and washing under a running hot tap uses far more hot water than a modern machine.
A half-empty or very old dishwasher loses that advantage. Run it only when it is full and skip the pre-rinse: the Energy Saving Trust says cutting one dishwasher run a week saves about £10 a year in Great Britain.
Does washing clothes at 30°C save money?
Yes. Modern detergents clean everyday loads at 30°C, and a cooler wash means less energy spent heating water. The Energy Saving Trust says washing at 30°C and doing one fewer wash a week saves around £26 a year in Great Britain.
How much do devices on standby cost?
About £45 a year for a typical home in Great Britain, which is what the Energy Saving Trust says you save by switching appliances off standby. TVs, games consoles, set-top boxes, smart speakers and chargers all draw power when idle, and most can be switched off at the wall without losing their settings.
Leave fridges, freezers and any recorder that needs power for scheduled recordings switched on. Every 10 watts that runs around the clock adds about 88 kWh a year, roughly £23 at the October 2026 cap rate of 26.32p per kWh. The pattern to notice: check your smart meter display in the early hours, when nothing should be running, and the number you see is your always-on load.
Where should a thermostat go?
On an inside wall, away from radiators, windows, direct sunlight, TVs and draughts, and not hidden behind furniture or curtains. A thermostat near a heat source switches the heating off too early, while one in a draught keeps it running longer than it needs to.
How much does a tumble dryer cost to run?
Multiply the kWh per cycle shown on its energy label by your unit rate. At the October 2026 cap rate of 26.32p per kWh, a cycle that uses 4 kWh costs about £1.05, and heat pump dryers use considerably less than vented or condenser models.
Tumble dryers are among the most energy-hungry appliances in the home. Drying clothes on a line or an indoor rack instead saves about £50 a year in Great Britain, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Are you on the right energy tariff?
Habits change how many units you use; your tariff decides what each one costs. Standing charges alone come to about £308 a year for a dual fuel home on the October 2026 cap, before a single unit is used, and Ofgem said in August that fixed tariffs were available at £100 or more below the October cap.
If your fixed deal has ended and you have rolled onto a standard variable tariff, comparing takes a few minutes. It is the one change on this list that can save more than all the habits combined.
How can you save energy at home?
The fastest ways to save energy at home cost nothing: heat on a timer, wash at 30°C, air-dry laundry, switch off standby, keep showers short and only boil the water you need. Conserving energy at home works best in this order.
First, fix your heating schedule. Set a timer around when you are actually home, turn the thermostat down by a degree, and turn down radiators in rooms you rarely use.
Second, cut your hot water use. Four-minute showers save about £45 a year, and topping up a thin hot water cylinder jacket saves about £45 more, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Third, tackle the always-on load. Switch devices off at the wall, check your overnight baseline on the smart meter display, and replace anything old that never really switches off.
Fourth, change how you use your appliances. Fill the dishwasher and the kettle only as far as you need, wash at 30°C and air-dry where you can. The practical takeaway: the habits that heat water or air, in the shower, washing machine, dryer and kettle, are where everyday savings add up fastest.
| Action | Typical saving a year (Great Britain) |
|---|---|
| Professional draught-proofing for windows and doors | £55 |
| Line or rack drying instead of tumble drying | £50 |
| Switching appliances off standby | £45 |
| Keeping showers to four minutes | £45 |
| Topping up a hot water cylinder jacket to 80mm | £45 |
| Fitting a chimney draught excluder | £45 |
| Washing at 30°C and one fewer wash a week | £26 |
| Fitting a kitchen tap aerator | £20 |
| Not overfilling the kettle | £10 |
| One fewer dishwasher run a week | £10 |
| Swapping one bath a week for a four-minute shower | £10 |
| Turning lights off when you leave a room | £7 |
Source: Energy Saving Trust, Quick tips to save energy at home, updated 28 September 2026.
How can you make your home more energy efficient?
Making your home more energy efficient means keeping heat in and using less energy for the same jobs: draught-proofing, insulation, better heating controls, LED lighting and, for some homes, a heat pump. Start with the free habits above, then draught-proofing, then insulation; habits show up on your next bill, while bigger upgrades pay back over years.
Your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), the rating every home needs when it is sold or let, lists the improvements that would make the biggest difference to yours. If you want greener energy as well as less of it, it is also worth reading about switching to a renewable tariff.
Help with the cost depends on where you live. In England, the government’s Warm Homes Plan, published on 21 January 2026, brings together grants and low-cost loans for insulation, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump in England and Wales.
The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026, so older guides that point you to it are out of date. In Scotland, Home Energy Scotland offers free, impartial advice on grants and loans.
What is happening to home energy prices this winter?
Ofgem’s price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 is £1,723 a year for a typical dual fuel household paying by Direct Debit, up 4% on the summer. The cap limits unit rates and standing charges, not your total bill, so what you pay still depends on how much you use.
| Fuel (Direct Debit average) | Unit rate | Daily standing charge |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity (no VAT from 1 October 2026) | 26.32p per kWh | 54.83p |
| Gas | 7.97p per kWh | 29.68p |
Electricity carries no VAT from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, which the government says saves a typical household about £45 a year; our guide to 0% VAT on electricity explains who else qualifies. Around 6 million households are also eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, and Ofgem announces the January to March 2027 cap on 25 November 2026.
For the full breakdown, see the latest energy price cap. If bills are already a worry, our guide on help if you are struggling to pay energy bills covers the support available, and if you run a business too, the same principles apply to cutting energy use at work this winter.
Compare home energy with Green Light
At Green Light Consultancy Group, we help households compare gas and electricity through our comparison partner, alongside the business energy work we are known for. Enter your postcode and usage, and you will see the tariffs available for your home, including fixed deals that may beat the price cap.
If your current tariff is already competitive, the comparison will show it, and we will tell you so. The Green Light team is happy to talk you through the options before you switch.
Frequently asked questions
How much energy does the average UK home use?
A typical UK home uses 2,500 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas a year, under the consumption values Ofgem has used since 1 July 2026. Low users sit around 1,600 kWh of electricity and 6,000 kWh of gas, and high users around 3,800 kWh and 14,000 kWh.
What uses the most energy in a home?
Heating and hot water use the most energy in most UK homes. Among electrical appliances, the Energy Saving Trust says washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers together account for about 14% of a typical energy bill.
Is it cheaper to leave the heating on low all day?
No, not for most homes with a gas boiler. Heating on a timer, so it comes on shortly before you need it, generally uses less energy than keeping the house warm all day. Well-insulated homes with heat pumps are the exception, because heat pumps run most efficiently at a steady, low temperature.
Does switching appliances off at the wall save money?
Yes. The Energy Saving Trust estimates a typical home in Great Britain saves about £45 a year by switching appliances off standby. Leave fridges, freezers and any recorder that needs power for scheduled recordings switched on.
How can I reduce my energy bill without spending money?
Use a heating timer, turn the thermostat down by 1°C, wash at 30°C, air-dry clothes, keep showers to four minutes and switch devices off standby. The Energy Saving Trust puts the combined saving from its ten quick tips at up to £313 a year in Great Britain. After that, check whether a fixed tariff is cheaper than the one you are on.
Does a smart meter save energy?
No, not on its own. A smart meter shows what you use and what it costs, which makes waste such as a high overnight baseline easy to spot, but the saving comes from the changes you make.
What is the energy price cap from October 2026?
From 1 October to 31 December 2026, Ofgem’s price cap is £1,723 a year for a typical dual fuel household paying by Direct Debit, a 4% rise. The average electricity unit rate is 26.32p per kWh with a daily standing charge of 54.83p, and gas is 7.97p per kWh with a daily standing charge of 29.68p.
Are there grants to make my home more energy efficient?
Yes. In England, the Warm Homes Plan provides grants and low-cost loans for insulation and low-carbon heating, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards a heat pump in England and Wales. Low-income households may also get £150 off their electricity bill through the Warm Home Discount, and households in Scotland can get free advice from Home Energy Scotland.
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