Guides to household bills, meters, customer protections and energy use. Start with the subject you need; you do not need to read everything in order.
Understanding your bill
What is a kilowatt-hour (kWh)?
Understand the difference between power and energy, and how consumption is measured.
How to read a UK energy bill
Work through readings, rates, charges, payments and account balances.
What is a standing charge?
Learn what the daily charge means and how it differs from the price of the energy you use.
Why is my energy bill suddenly higher?
Separate changes in consumption, prices, estimates and account adjustments.
Energy price cap explained
Understand the domestic cap, the tariffs it covers and why it does not limit your total bill.
Quarterly energy price-cap changes explained
Learn when capped rates are reviewed and what to check when a billing period includes a change.
Meters and moving home
What is a smart meter and how does it work?
Learn about automatic readings, in-home displays, communications and common metering questions.
Moving house: energy meter readings
Keep a clear record of opening and closing readings when responsibility for a property changes.
Customer protections and supplier problems
Back-billing rules: your 12-month protection
Understand the conditions and exceptions affecting protection against certain older energy charges.
Supplier insolvency: SoLR and credit balances
Learn what happens after a supplier fails, including the distinction between household and business credit balances.
Fake energy-saving plugs: how to spot the scam
Examine unrealistic savings claims and understand the difference between genuine controls and misleading devices.
Understanding and reducing energy use
Why winter energy bills are usually higher
Explore heating demand, heat loss, daylight and other reasons consumption changes through the year.
Five household energy myths
Look at common misunderstandings about heating, thermostats, meters and the price cap.
Eight vampire appliances using electricity in your home
Understand standby consumption and when switching equipment off may be appropriate.
How to Keep Your Home Warm in Winter
Discover practical ways to keep your home warm in winter, reduce heat loss, improve insulation and manage heating costs with simple tips for UK households
What Is the UK Power Grid?
Discover how the UK power grid works, how electricity reaches your home, and the roles of NESO, National Grid and local network operators.