How to reduce your
electricity bill in 2026
Most UK households could cut their electricity bill by £200 or more per year through a combination of habit changes, smarter appliance use, and a better tariff. Here is where to start.
The biggest quick wins on your electricity bill are: eliminating standby waste (~£65/yr), switching to LED bulbs (~£65/yr), washing at 30 degrees (~£34/yr), and comparing your electricity tariff. Combined, these changes alone can save over £150 per year before touching anything else. The current Ofgem cap rate is 24.67p per kWh (Q2 2026).
How to reduce your electricity bill in 2026
Turn off appliances at the wall
Standby devices drain electricity around the clock. TVs, games consoles, set-top boxes, microwaves and laptop chargers are the worst offenders. Turning them off at the plug rather than leaving them on standby saves around £65 per year.
Switch every bulb to LED
LED bulbs use around 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last far longer. Lighting makes up roughly 11% of the average UK household electricity bill. Switching all bulbs to LED saves around £65 per year. The upfront cost is typically recovered within a few months.
Wash clothes at 30 degrees
Reducing your washing machine temperature from 40 to 30 degrees uses around 40% less electricity per wash. Combined with running one fewer load per week, this saves around £34 per year. Modern detergents clean effectively at 30 degrees for most everyday loads.
Use the tumble dryer less
The tumble dryer is one of the most expensive appliances to run, costing around £55 per year in electricity. Air drying on a clothes horse or outdoor line whenever possible eliminates this cost. If you do use the dryer, always run a full load and use the moisture sensor setting if available.
Turn lights off when leaving a room
Simply turning lights off when a room is empty saves around £25 per year. This is the easiest habit change on the list. Even with LED bulbs, leaving lights on in empty rooms wastes electricity unnecessarily.
Only boil the water you need
Overfilling the kettle wastes electricity heating water that is then left to cool. Only filling the kettle with the water you need saves around £10 per year. Small saving but zero effort required.
Run the dishwasher only when full
A dishwasher uses broadly the same electricity whether it is half full or completely full. Running it only when full and using an eco setting where available reduces electricity consumption without any sacrifice in convenience.
Use a microwave or air fryer instead of the oven
A microwave uses significantly less electricity than an oven for reheating food. An air fryer uses less than a full-size oven for smaller portions. If the oven is only needed for one item, using a smaller appliance that heats faster will use less electricity overall.
Charge phones and devices during the day
Phones only need around 3 hours to fully charge. Leaving them plugged in overnight charges them several times over. Charging during the day when you can monitor it avoids unnecessary overnight use. On an EV overnight tariff this matters less, but for standard tariff households every unit counts.
Switch to an EV overnight tariff (if you have an EV)
EV overnight tariffs offer electricity as low as 7.9p per kWh versus the standard 24.67p. For households with an electric vehicle, switching to an EV-specific tariff can save £200 to £500 per year on charging alone. Requires a smart meter and smart charger. See our EV energy tariff guide.
Get a smart meter for accurate billing
Smart meters eliminate estimated bills and give you real-time visibility of your electricity use in pounds and pence. Seeing usage in real time helps most households cut consumption by 3 to 5%. Installation is free from your supplier. See our smart meter guide for more.
Compare your electricity tariff
Switching from the standard variable rate to a competitive fixed deal is often the single biggest saving available. The current cap is 24.67p per kWh. Some fixed deals sit below this. Compare by postcode to see what is available for your home. Switching takes 5 working days and never cuts off your supply.
Saving estimates based on Energy Saving Trust figures and Ofgem Q2 2026 price cap rate of 24.67p/kWh. Individual savings will vary depending on usage patterns, household size and current habits. Last updated May 2026.
Why comparing your tariff matters most
All the tips above are worthwhile but none of them come close to the potential saving from switching to a cheaper electricity tariff. The standard variable rate is capped at 24.67p per kWh in Q2 2026. Some competitive fixed deals sit below this. On a typical household using 2,700 kWh of electricity per year, every 1p reduction in your unit rate saves around £27 per year. A 5p difference in unit rate is worth £135 per year — more than all the appliance tips combined.
The cap is also forecast to change in July 2026. Locking in a fixed deal now protects against that change. Comparing takes around 5 minutes and requires only your postcode and annual kWh usage. See our energy tariff comparison guide or use our energy bill calculator to check what you should be paying at current rates.
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Questions people ask
The biggest quick wins are eliminating standby waste (saves ~£65/yr), switching to LED bulbs (~£65/yr), washing at 30 degrees (~£34/yr), and comparing your electricity tariff. A cheaper tariff is often the largest single saving available, worth £150 to £400 per year for many households.
Leaving appliances on standby costs around £65 per year for a typical UK household. Standby devices can account for up to 10% of a typical electricity bill. Turning TVs, games consoles, and other devices off at the wall eliminates this cost.
Yes. LED bulbs use around 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Switching all bulbs to LED saves around £65 per year. Lighting accounts for roughly 11% of a typical UK household's electricity use, making it one of the easier and more effective changes to make.
Related energy guides
The biggest saving: a cheaper tariff
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