The full breakdown: UK household electricity use
| Appliance | Annual kWh | Annual cost (24.5p) | % of typical bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric shower (8 min/day) | 438kWh | £107 | 15% |
| Tumble dryer (4×/week) | 520kWh | £127 | 18% |
| Washing machine (7×/week) | 365kWh | £89 | 12% |
| Dishwasher (daily) | 365kWh | £89 | 12% |
| Fridge freezer (A+++) | 200kWh | £49 | 7% |
| Oven (1 hr/day) | 365kWh | £89 | 12% |
| TV (4 hrs/day, 50" LED) | 219kWh | £54 | 7% |
| Kettle (5 boils/day) | 110kWh | £27 | 4% |
| Lighting (10 LEDs, 4 hrs) | 117kWh | £29 | 4% |
| Everything else | ~300kWh | £73 | 9% |
| Total | ~3,000kWh | ~£733 | 100% |
The surprising truth: it's not the lights
A standard LED bulb uses 8 - 10W. Leaving 10 lights on for 8 hours uses about 0.8kWh - roughly 20p.
Your tumble dryer, in a single one-hour cycle, uses 2.5kWh. More than those 10 lights all day.
The three biggest controllable costs are: tumble dryer, washing machine, and dishwasher - all of which have delay start functions, and all of which can be shifted to cheap overnight electricity windows.
How to reduce each major appliance
Electric shower (£107/year)
The single highest electricity draw in most UK homes. A 9kW shower running 8 minutes uses 1.2kWh. Four people showering daily: £428/year just from showers.
Fix: Reduce shower time by 2 minutes - saves 25%, around £107 for a family of four. A water-efficient showerhead reduces hot water volume and thus the heating demand.
Tumble dryer (£127/year)
High energy, easy to time-shift. On Octopus Agile overnight at 4p/kWh, a cycle costs 10p instead of 62p at peak.
Fix: Delay start to 1 - 4am using AgileAlert's cheapest window. Full guide →
Washing machine (£89/year)
Daily use, easy to shift. At 30°C overnight it costs under 3p per cycle.
Fix: Delay start overnight + switch to 30°C. Saves £70 - 90/year. Full guide →
Dishwasher (£89/year)
1.5kWh per cycle. At 4p/kWh overnight: 6p. At 35p peak: 52p.
Fix: Delay start to overnight. Use eco mode. Annual saving: £120 - 150.
Fridge freezer (£49/year)
Runs 24/7 - can't time-shift it. But you can ensure it's efficient:
- Set fridge to 3 - 5°C and freezer to -18°C (not colder)
- Keep away from ovens and direct sunlight
- A pre-2010 fridge uses 400 - 600kWh/year vs 150 - 200kWh for a modern A+++ model
Oven (£89/year)
An air fryer uses 50 - 70% less electricity for most everyday meals, with no preheating time needed.
Fix: Use an air fryer for weeknight meals. Annual saving: £60 - 90. Full comparison →
The fastest way to find what's costing you most
A smart meter in-home display shows real-time consumption in pounds and pence. Turn appliances on one at a time and watch the number jump - your biggest draws are immediately obvious.
No smart meter? A plug-in energy monitor (£8 - 15, e.g. Energenie EM191) measures any individual appliance.
The biggest lever: when you use it, not just how much
All of the above reduces electricity volume. But there's an equally powerful lever: when you use it.
On Octopus Agile, running your washing machine at 6pm costs 8 - 10× more than at 3am. Shifting your three biggest appliances to overnight saves £250 - 350/year without using a single unit less.
Check tonight's cheapest window for your region →