New UK battery subscription service targets soaring electricity bills by shifting household power use to cheaper overnight tariffs
Government research shows that energy bills remain one of the biggest concerns for UK households, particularly at this time of year when temperatures drop.
Wondrwall seeks to disrupt the market by changing When energy is purchased, rather than how much is used. The system is designed around a simple but effective idea: consume electricity at night when prices are lowest, then use this stored energy during the day when grid prices rise.
No upfront fees
For £35 a month, customers receive a professionally installed 12.8kWh home battery without paying anything up front. Wondrwall claims this can reduce annual electricity costs by up to £984, even if usage remains exactly the same.
Average household energy bills for gas and electricity remain between £1,700 and £1,850, with electricity prices still well above pre-2021 levels. Many consumers say they have already cut back as much as they can.
Under the current price cap, electricity typically costs between 28 and 30 pence per kWh, before fixed charges. Changing supplier may save small amounts, but in reality very few households see significant reductions.
“People have changed their rates, reduced them where they can and are still facing four-digit electricity costs,” said Daniel Burton, founder and CEO of Wondrwall Group. “This is why the focus is now shifting from who supplies the energy to when energy is purchased and used.
“Batteries are the obvious solution, but they can often be expensive. We are very pleased to be able to offer them to consumers at a low price, without any upfront costs, significantly reducing the barriers faced in the market to date.”
The “Energy Hack” 6p versus 30p
The subscription, called Battery PowrPlan (Wondrwall doesn’t like that last “e” it seems), combines AI-based power management software with the battery itself. Electricity is charged into the system overnight at off-peak rates and then used during daytime peak hours.
On some time-of-use tariffs, overnight electricity can be as low as 6.5p per kWh. This compares to peak rates of close to 30p.
An example based on Eon’s Next Drive tariff shows how the calculations work. A household using 10kWh per day would spend 65p to power their home from the battery, instead of £2.77 under the January 2026 price cap.
Over a year, this electricity cost would be £237.25 instead of around £1,011 on a standard tariff. If unused stored energy is exported back to the grid, additional credits further reduce costs.
In this model, exporting 1.5 kWh per day at 16.5 pence per kWh generates £90.34 per year. This brings the electricity bill down to £146.91.
Adding the annual subscription fee of £420, the total annual cost comes to £566.91, compared to £1,011.05 without the system.
How it works
To access these savings, you’ll need a smart meter and a time-of-use rate. Around two thirds of UK homes had a smart or advanced meter installed by March 2025, but uptake of variable tariffs remains low at the moment.
Despite widespread awareness of time-based pricing, only around 2.3% of households currently use modern time-of-use electricity rates, with confusion over how they work often cited as the main reason.
Wondrwall says education will be a key part of the rollout, with the battery acting as an automated way to make these rates usable without lifestyle changes.
Subscription fees are fixed for the duration of the contract, which lasts ten years, and are not linked to the CPI. Customers can surrender the contract, but the settlement cost is the same as the remaining contract value, so there is no financial benefit.
This long-term commitment won’t suit everyone, especially homeowners who aren’t sure whether to stay put or commit to a decade-long deal, even if the structure reflects the upfront cost of the battery and installation.
There are currently no plans to offer five- or ten-year prepaid subscriptions, which is a shame, but Wondrwall points out that removing large upfront costs is the whole point of the Battery PowrPlan. This allows households to save money from the first month rather than waiting years to break even, which is often the case with solar panels and other heavy-duty home energy improvements up front.
Traditional domestic battery systems can cost between £6,000 and £8,000 up front. By spreading costs over time and including maintenance, the new service lowers the barrier to entry.
The battery can be installed in a garage or outside and usually takes a day to install. Solar panels are not necessary, although solar energy can be stored if you have them.
At the end of the ten-year contract, ownership of the battery transfers to the owner.
Wondrwall claims to use the same batteries to provide flexibility services to the national grid. Payments from the latter help to subsidize the system without affecting household export rates.
“It’s about protecting households from volatility,” Burton said. “If homeowners can save several hundred dollars a year without changing their lifestyle, it makes sense at a time when energy costs remain a major source of stress.”
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