Homes & buildings
Practical energy for UK homes: efficient buildings, home renewables, appliances and the habits that cut bills and carbon.
9 explainers3 news stories
Explainers
Boiler Upgrade Scheme 2026: grants, eligibility and how it works
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a government grant towards the cost of replacing fossil-fuel or electric heating with a heat pump or, in limited rural cases,…
Insulation grants in the UK (2026): loft, cavity wall and solid wall
If you are looking for a loft insulation grant in late 2026, the main route in England is now the Warm Homes: Local Grant, run through local councils. The Great…
Off-grid living in the UK: can a typical home become energy-independent?
The short answer: yes for electricity, at a cost. Off-grid living in the UK is achievable for lights and appliances if you oversize your solar array and battery…
Zero-energy buildings: what net zero homes and offices really mean
A zero-energy building is one whose annual energy use is balanced by renewable energy it generates on or near the site. There is no single legal definition of…
Energy-positive buildings: homes and offices that make more power than they use
An energy-positive building produces more energy than it consumes over a defined period. The term covers homes and offices that export surplus power to the…
Cool roofs and reflective surfaces: cooling buildings and boosting solar
Cool roofs work by reflecting sunlight that a dark roof would absorb. That keeps the roof, the rooms beneath it and, if enough roofs are treated, the…
Which appliances use the most electricity? UK running costs explained
Appliances accounted for about 67.5% of UK domestic electricity use in 2025, by our calculation from government (DESNZ) figures, making them the largest use of…
How to save energy at home: practical tips for UK households
If you are looking for how to save energy at home, the most effective starting point is understanding what your energy bill pays for and where your energy goes.…
Renewable energy at home: what works in a UK house
Renewable technology for the home is available, but there is no single solution. The best choice depends on your roof, your garden, your insulation and your…
Key terms
Glossary →- Coefficient of performance (COP and SCOP)
- The ratio of heat a heat pump delivers to the electricity it uses; SCOP is the same ratio averaged over a whole heating season.
- Economy 7
- An electricity tariff with two unit rates: a cheaper rate for seven hours, usually at night, and a higher rate for the rest of the day.
- Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)
- A Great Britain scheme that requires larger energy suppliers to fund insulation and heating upgrades for low-income homes. ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026 with no successor obligation.
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
- A certificate that rates how energy efficient a building is on a scale from A (best) to G (worst), with recommendations for improving it.
- Heat network
- A system of insulated pipes that carries heat from a central source to several buildings or homes, also called district or communal heating.
- Heat pump
- An electric device that moves heat from the outside air, the ground or water into a building, delivering more heat energy than the electricity it uses.
- Home battery storage
- A rechargeable battery installed in a home to store electricity from solar panels or the grid and use it later, usually in the evening.
- MCS certification
- The UK quality scheme for small-scale renewable systems such as solar panels, heat pumps and home batteries, covering products, installers and installations.
- Smart meter
- A gas or electricity meter that records how much energy you use in short intervals and sends the readings to your supplier automatically.
- Time-of-use tariff
- An electricity tariff that charges different unit rates at different times of day, so power is cheaper when demand is low or supply is plentiful.
- Warm Homes Plan
- The UK government's programme of grants, loans and other support to upgrade homes with insulation, heat pumps, solar panels and batteries, replacing supplier-funded schemes such as ECO4.
Calculators
All tools →Electricity cost calculator
What an appliance or heater costs to run per hour, day, month and year at the current price cap rate.
EPC rating running costs
What homes in each EPC band, A to G, really use in gas and electricity, and what that costs a month at today’s price cap.
Off-grid solar calculator
Size panels and a battery to run a UK home without the grid, month by month, and see the winter gap a generator or wood stove would have to fill.
Gas meter units to kWh
Turn a gas meter reading (m³ or ft³) or therms into kilowatt-hours and pounds, using the official UK formula.