- Households on standard tariffs will pay an extra £19 a year to use their oven[1] and £16 more for their shower compared with those on the cheapest fixed deals from July[2]
- Using a 2kW oven for an hour costs households on fixed deals 42p, but will cost more than 52p for those on price-capped tariffs[1]
- Fixed deal homes pay £517 for their annual heating bill, compared with £605 for those with standard tariffs – an additional £87 a year[3]
- Bethan Bruma, 49, from Wales, is on a fixed tariff and uses her smart meter to keep track of how much she spends on powering her appliances
- Meanwhile, midwife Joanne Haden, 50, knows she’s paying over the odds on her standard tariff, but blames ‘laziness’ for not getting a fixed deal
- Uswitch.com urges households to check the best deal available to them, with some fixed deals currently £323 a year cheaper than the predicted July price cap.
Energy bill-payers on standard tariffs are paying over the odds every time they use household appliances. They will be forking out an extra £19 a year just for using the oven compared with those on the cheapest fixed deals from July[1], reveals new research by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
With the price cap predicted to increase 12% to £1,837 on 1 July, households on standard tariffs will pay 25% more to use their electrical appliances than those on the cheapest available fixed deals[4].
This means that households who are still on a standard tariff in July will pay an additional 16p per use of the tumble dryer, adding up to an additional £16 over the course of a year[5]. The extra cost of showering adds another £16 to the household bill annually[2], while cooking in the air fryer will bump up the electricity bill by another £11 a year compared to the cost for a household on a fixed deal[6].
Table: Difference in costs for households with fixed deals and standard tariffs
| Fixed tariff | Fixed tariff | Standard tariff | Standard tariff | Difference | Difference | ||
| Appliance | Power | Single use or for one hour | Annual use | Single use or for one hour | Annual use | Single use or for one hour | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heating (gas) | - | - | £517 | - | £605 | - | £87 |
| Oven | 2kW | 42p | £76 | 52p | £94 | 10p | £19 |
| Tumble dryer | 3kWh per cycle | 63p | £65 | 78p | £82 | 16p | £16 |
| Electric shower | 7.5kW | 21p | £65 | 26p | £82 | 5p | £16 |
| Air fryer | 1.4kW | 29p | £43 | 37p | £54 | 7p | £11 |
| Fridge/freezer | 233kWh per year | - | £49 | - | £61 | - | £12 |
| Dishwasher | 0.79kWh per cycle | 17p | £43 | 21p | £54 | 4p | £11 |
| Washing machine | 0.7kWh per cycle | 15p | £31 | 18p | £38 | 4p | £8 |
| Kettle | 3kW | 0.9p | £7 | 1.1p | £9 | 0.2p | £2 |
Source: Uswitch.com
The higher cost of gas for households on standard tariffs also adds up. With the average home using 8,625kWh of gas for heating every year, a household on a standard tariff from July will pay £605 for heating compared with £517 for a home on the cheapest fixed deal – an extra £87 annually[3].
Teacher Bethan Bruma, 49, from Wales, loves her fixed tariff and uses her smart meter to keep an eye on her savings. Her fixed tariff means “one less thing to stress about”.
Meanwhile, midwife Joanne Haden, 50, from the West Midlands, blames “laziness” for still being on a standard tariff. Price increases do concern her, and she knows she could save on a fixed tariff. She tries to be sensible with energy use, but her four young kids often leave lights on.
Fixed deal: Bethan Bruma
Standard tariff: Joanne Haden
The difference between a standard tariff and fixed deal is particularly stark for homes that use more energy. A high-use household would pay £2,209 a year for its energy on the cheapest fixed deal currently available, but £2,592 annually on a standard tariff – an extra £384 a year[7].
Table: Cost of energy for low-use, medium-use and high-use households
| Household type | Cheapest current fixed deal | Predicted July rates for standard tariffs | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low use (e.g., single-person household or flat) | £1,156 | £1,321 | £166 |
| Medium use (eg. small family in a three-bedroom home) | £1,585 | £1,837 | £256 |
| High use (eg. larger family in a four-bedroom house) | £2,209 | £2,592 | £384 |
Source: Uswitch.com
Uswitch.com is calling on households to see how much they could save by seeing what deals are available online.
Ben Gallizzi, an energy expert from Uswitch.com, comments: “Every time you use an electrical appliance in your home from July, it’s likely to cost you 31% more if you’re on a standard tariff than someone who’s snapped up the cheapest fixed deal.
“These extra costs add up, and it could mean you’re wasting £87 a year on your heating bill, plus an additional £19 annually to use your oven, and £16 more a year just to shower.
“Take a moment to check online to see what deals are available to you. The best fixed deals available at the moment are £323 cheaper than the predicted July price cap.
“You can also track your usage and how much you're spending on energy every day with the Uswitch app.”
See if you can save by comparing energy deals at Uswitch.com
For more information
Rianna York | Energy PR Manager
rianna.york@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Research conducted online by Opinium, 16th - 24th December 2025, among 2,000 UK residents, weighted to be nationally representative.
1. Electricity unit rates: Standard tariffs 26.16p/kWh versus 20.99p/kWh on Outfox Energy Fix'd Dual Apr26 12M v6.0. Using a 2kW oven for one hour costs 26.16 x 2 = 52p on a standard tariff versus 20.99 x 2 = 42p on this fixed deal. Respondents were asked ‘Thinking about these appliances, on average, how many hours a week do you use each of these appliances?” The average answer for an oven was 208.2 minutes a week. Total oven energy costs for a year: Standard tariff - 26.16 x 2kW x 208.2 / 60 x 52 = £94. For fixed deal - 20.99 x 2kW x 208.2 / 60 x 52 = £76. Difference - £94 - £76 = £19.
2. Previous research reveals average shower length is eight minutes, and people have six showers a week. See table for calculations.
3. A medium-use household consumes 11,500kWh of gas a year. Assuming that 75% of household gas use is used for heating, this means 8,625kWh of gas is used for heating. See table for calculations.
4. Standard tariff electricity unit rate is 26.16. Fixed deal rate is 20.99. The difference between the two is 26.16 - 20.99 = 5.17p/kWh. 6.23p/kWh/ 20.99 = 24.6%. Standard tariff electricity unit rates are 31% higher than the cheapest fixed deal’s electricity unit rates.
5. Households use tumble dryers twice a week on average. See table for calculations.
6. Respondents were asked ‘Thinking about these appliances, on average, how many hours a week do you use each of these appliances?” The average answer for an air fryer was 170.6 mins a week. See table for calculations.
7. Ofgem’s high-use household assumes 17,000kWh of gas and 4,100kWh of electricity.