Best energy-monitoring smart plugs for tracking and cutting your electricity bill
See exactly what's costing you money, appliance by appliance
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With the October price cap rise pushing bills up again, the fastest way to find savings is to see exactly where your electricity is going. Energy-monitoring smart plugs sit between your appliance and the wall socket, track real-time wattage and cost, and send it to an app so you can spot the drains - old fridges, tumble dryers, standby telly boxes - and act on it. This guide covers the main types worth considering so you pick the right one for your home rather than just the most popular listing.
Standard Wi-Fi energy-monitoring smart plug
The all-rounder: plugs into any 3-pin socket, connects to your home Wi-Fi, and logs usage and estimated cost per appliance through an app. Good starting point if you just want to identify your biggest electricity users.
Best for: Anyone starting out who wants one or two plugs on obvious culprits like a fridge-freezer or washing machine
See options on AmazonHeavy-duty 16A energy-monitoring smart plug
Standard smart plugs are usually rated to 13A, which is fine for most things but not ideal for continuous high-draw appliances like kettles, space heaters or tumble dryers. A plug rated for higher continuous load is the safer choice for these.
Best for: Monitoring kettles, heaters, tumble dryers and other high-wattage appliances
See options on AmazonCompact or mini energy-monitoring smart plug
A slimmer, low-profile design that doesn't block the second socket on a double wall plate. Useful if you're monitoring several appliances in a crowded kitchen or behind furniture.
Best for: Tight sockets, double wall plates, or behind the sofa/TV unit
See options on AmazonMulti-gang energy-monitoring extension lead
Instead of one plug per appliance, this tracks several devices plugged into one extension, which is handy for entertainment setups or home office equipment where you want a combined usage total rather than per-item detail.
Best for: Monitoring a TV, console and set-top box together, or a desk/office setup
See options on AmazonStandalone plug-in energy monitor (no app needed)
For anyone who doesn't want another app or doesn't trust Wi-Fi smart plugs near sensitive electronics, this type shows wattage and running cost on a small built-in display instead, with no internet connection required.
Best for: Privacy-conscious buyers or anyone wanting a simple no-app reading
See options on AmazonWhole-home clamp-on energy monitor
Rather than one appliance at a time, this clips onto the cable at your fuse box or meter and reports your whole house's live usage. It won't tell you which specific appliance is responsible, but it's useful for tracking overall consumption trends day to day.
Best for: Households wanting a single overview of total home electricity use rather than per-appliance detail
See options on AmazonZigbee or Z-Wave energy-monitoring smart plug
If you already run a smart home hub (rather than standalone Wi-Fi devices), a Zigbee or Z-Wave plug integrates into that existing ecosystem and avoids adding yet another separate app to check.
Best for: Households with an existing SmartThings, Home Assistant or similar hub setup
See options on AmazonOutdoor-rated energy-monitoring smart plug
Standard smart plugs are indoor-only. An IP-rated outdoor version lets you safely monitor things like pond pumps, outdoor lighting or an EV trickle charger without exposing an indoor-rated plug to the weather.
Best for: Garden pumps, outdoor lights, sheds and garages
See options on AmazonEnergy-monitoring smart plug with scheduling and automation
Beyond just showing usage, this type lets you set schedules or automatically switch appliances off after a set time or cost threshold, turning monitoring into actual savings rather than just data.
Best for: Anyone who wants to automatically cut standby power on things like chargers or dehumidifiers
See options on AmazonBuying tips
- Check the maximum rated load (usually 13A or 3kW) before plugging in a kettle, heater or tumble dryer - exceeding it is a fire risk.
- Most Wi-Fi smart plugs only work on 2.4GHz networks, not 5GHz, so check your router supports this or has a dedicated 2.4GHz band.
- Monitoring data is only as useful as what you do with it - start with your biggest suspected drains (fridge, freezer, electric heating, tumble dryer) rather than every socket in the house.
- If you want a single combined view of your whole home rather than appliance-by-appliance, a clamp-on whole-home monitor will suit you better than multiple individual plugs.
- Look at what app or platform the plug uses day to day, not just at setup, since you'll be checking it regularly to actually cut usage.
- An energy-monitoring smart plug shows you the pence-per-hour cost, but your actual saving depends on you changing habits based on what it tells you - it won't lower your bill on its own.
None of these will lower your bill by themselves - the saving comes from what you do once you can actually see where the pence are going. Start with one or two plugs on your biggest suspected culprits, check the readings over a week, and you'll usually spot at least one easy change before your first full billing cycle is up.