Most energy saving advice starts by suggesting a purchase. Smart plugs, a new thermostat, solar panels, a battery. Some of those are worthwhile eventually. None of them should be first, because the two changes with the best return — being on the right tariff and running large loads at the right time — cost nothing and are frequently worth more than the hardware.
Do them in order and the hardware decision becomes clearer and smaller.
What changed in 2026
- Time-of-use tariffs spread. More households gained access to plans with meaningful price differences between peak and off-peak, which made load shifting worth real money.
- Smart meter data became more accessible. Half-hourly consumption data available through utility portals or apps made it possible to see where usage actually goes without buying monitoring equipment.
- Export rates fell further. Declining payment for exported solar shifted the calculation toward self-consumption, which changed how systems should be sized.
- Heat pump running costs got clearer. With more installations in service, real-world efficiency data replaced manufacturer estimates in household planning.
The order that works
| Step |
Cost |
Typical impact |
| 1. Review and switch tariff |
Free |
Often the largest single saving available |
| 2. Shift large loads off peak |
Free |
Substantial on a time-of-use plan |
| 3. Read your actual consumption data |
Free |
Reveals where the money goes |
| 4. Fix heating and cooling settings |
Free |
Largest load in most homes |
| 5. Address insulation and draughts |
Low to moderate |
Reduces the largest load structurally |
| 6. Replace the worst appliances |
Moderate |
Only worth it for genuinely old, heavy users |
| 7. Solar and storage |
High |
Sensible once demand is optimized |
The reason step seven comes last is not that it is a bad investment. It is that sizing generation and storage to unoptimized consumption means buying a larger system than you need, permanently. Reduce and shift first, then size hardware to the reduced profile.
Where the load actually is
Standby power gets disproportionate attention. Modern devices draw very little idle, and unplugging phone chargers is close to a rounding error. The loads that matter are the ones that produce heat or move it: space heating and cooling, water heating, ovens and hobs, tumble dryers.
Look at your consumption data rather than guessing. Most utilities now expose half-hourly readings, and the shape tells you more than any general advice — a large overnight baseline suggests something running you have not accounted for, while sharp evening spikes point at cooking and heating.
Once you know the shape, shifting is straightforward. Dishwashers and washing machines have delay timers. Water heating can often be scheduled. Electric vehicle charging is the single biggest shiftable load in any household that has one, and moving it entirely to off-peak hours is usually the largest saving available on a time-of-use plan.
Only after that does storage make sense, and it should be sized to your optimized evening load rather than your current unoptimized one — the sizing method in home energy storage assumes you have done this work first.
Common mistakes
- Buying hardware before checking the tariff. The free change often beats the expensive one.
- Chasing standby power. Real but small. The big loads are thermal.
- Sizing solar or storage to current consumption. Optimize first, then size, or you overbuild permanently.
- Ignoring the consumption data you already have. It is more informative than any general guidance about typical households.
- Assuming a smart thermostat saves money by itself. It saves money by changing behaviour; without a schedule change it does little.
FAQ
Is a time-of-use tariff always better?
No. If your consumption is concentrated in peak hours and cannot be shifted, a flat rate may cost less. Compare using your actual half-hourly data rather than an estimate.
How much can shifting realistically save?
It depends entirely on the peak-to-off-peak spread on your tariff and how much of your load is shiftable. Households with electric vehicles or electric water heating have the most to gain.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than gas?
It depends on the electricity-to-gas price ratio where you live and on the system's real efficiency in your home. Run the numbers locally rather than accepting a general claim.
Should I get a home battery?
Only after tariff and load optimization, and only if the tariff spread or outage risk justifies it. The economics are covered in detail separately.
Where to go next
For the hardware step once you have done the free ones, read home energy storage and best home battery backup systems. For the chemistry behind those systems, sodium-ion batteries explained.