Energy tariffs

Your energy.
Better timed.

Understand your tariff, explore your setup and see how timing changes your estimated electricity costs.

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Smart energy meter showing today's electricity and gas cost, next to an energy-saving tips leaflet and houseplants
Energy systems lab

See what changes with your setup.

Choose your systems below. Your illustrative annual estimate updates instantly.

What's installed?

Select everything you want to explore.

National Grid stays selected — EV, solar and battery are modelled as additions to or discounts against a grid bill, not a standalone off-grid setup.

What do Smart Tariff and Smart Tech mean?

Smart Tariff: electricity prices vary by time of day.
Smart Tech: compatible controls schedule charging or storage around those prices.

Illustrative annual electricity cost
£960/year
Typical UK 3-bed home model.
National Grid supply £960

An illustration, not a supplier quote or guaranteed saving. Your usage, tariff and system size will change the result.

Discuss your energy setup →
How this estimate works

Each system is modelled independently against a typical UK 3-bed home's electricity use, not as a single combined simulation: National Grid supply is costed at around £960/year, EV charging adds around £540/year, solar saves around £350/year, and battery storage saves around £220/year.

Smart Tariff and Smart Tech interact with those figures rather than adding their own line, because that's how they actually work. With both selected, EV charging cost drops by around 65% (most charging shifted into a cheap off-peak window), compared with about 15% for a smart tariff on its own (partial, manually-timed off-peak charging). Battery storage gains a further £400/year when both are selected, reflecting tariff arbitrage — charging cheap and discharging at peak prices. A smart tariff with no EV or battery to shift adds a small £40/year, since a time-of-use tariff's peak rate is often higher than a standard flat rate.

The EV running-cost comparison uses a typical petrol cost of about £1,200/year for equivalent mileage.

This is an annual electricity-cost illustration, not an installation payback calculation — it doesn't include installation cost, grants, or how long equipment takes to pay for itself.

Timing matters.

Off-peak use helps only if the full tariff suits your routine.

Export has value.

Eligible solar exports earn payments through an export tariff.

Check compatibility.

Your meter, charger and battery need to support the chosen plan.

01 / Choose your tariff

Match the tariff to your routine.

Compare the whole bill, including peak rates and standing charges.

Illustration showing a flat-rate tariff falling short once you charge an EV overnight and export solar by day
Flat-rate tariffs

Why your standard tariff falls short

The same unit price throughout the day. Compare against time-of-use options using your actual usage.

What to check

Compare the full unit rate and standing charge against your actual usage, not just the headline price. Useful as a baseline to compare time-of-use or EV tariffs against.

Illustration of a time-of-use tariff clock showing cheaper overnight EV charging rates
Time-of-use tariffs

Cheaper off-peak, pricier at peak

Different prices at different times. Useful when you move electricity use into cheaper periods.

What to check

Check the exact off-peak and peak windows, the peak-rate price, and whether your meter and appliances can actually shift use into the cheaper window.

Illustration of a day/night tariff split showing the cheap overnight charging window used by EV-specific tariffs
EV tariffs

Built around EV charging

Plans designed around EV charging. Compare charging windows and the cost of the rest of your home's use.

What to check

Check the charging window length, whether your charger is compatible, and the standard rate charged for everything else in your home outside that window.

Illustration of solar panels exporting surplus power through the meter to the grid in exchange for payment
Export tariffs

Paid for what you send back

Get paid for eligible electricity sent to the grid. Compare export terms alongside your import tariff.

What to check

Check whether you're eligible (supplier size, export meter), whether the rate is fixed or variable, and the contract length before switching.

Compare tariff types at a glance
Tariff typeWorth exploring forCheck first
EV overnightCharging mostly at home overnightCharger compatibility, off-peak window length
Heat pumpHomes with a heat pump or electric heatingOff-peak windows across the day, standing charge
DynamicFlexible usage, solar or a battery to shift around pricingPrice caps, how often rates update, needs an in-home display or app
Solar exportHomes with solar panels or a batterySEG eligibility, export meter reading, fixed vs variable rate
02 / Solar export

Put surplus solar to work.

Use the electricity you need. An eligible export tariff pays for what you send back to the grid.

Explore solar & battery storage →
How export payments work

Your supplier (or a separate SEG supplier) pays you per kWh for electricity your solar panels or battery send back to the grid, based on your export meter reading.

Fixed or variable payments

Fixed rates pay the same amount per kWh for the length of your contract. Variable rates track wholesale prices and can pay more at times of high demand, but aren't guaranteed.

What you need

A smart meter (or an MCS-certified installer's export reading) to register for most SEG tariffs. We arrange this as part of every solar install.

Where a battery fits

Storing surplus solar and exporting it later, when demand and prices are higher, can increase export income — but not every export tariff pays the same for battery-sourced exports, so check the terms.

Read the official rules: Ofgem's Smart Export Guarantee guidance ↗

03 / Smart controls

Less manual scheduling.

Features depend on your equipment, tariff and compatible controls.

Schedule charging

Set your ready-by time and use supported off-peak charging.

Use solar first

Compatible chargers prioritise available surplus solar.

Time your battery

Schedule storage and discharge around your tariff.

Track your system

Review energy use and generation through supported apps.

Make sense of your setup.

Talk to us about EV charging, solar and battery storage.

Talk to our team →
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