Government research shows energy bills remain one of the biggest concerns for UK households, especially at this time of year as temperatures drop.
Wondrwall is looking to disrupt the market by shifting when energy is bought, rather than how much is used. The system is designed around a simple but effective idea: draw in electricity overnight when prices are at their lowest, and then use that stored power during the day when grid prices spike.
No upfront costs
For £35 a month, customers receive a professionally installed 12.8kWh home battery with nothing to pay upfront. Wondrwall claims this can reduce annual electricity costs by up to a very specific £984, even if usage stays exactly the same.
Average household energy bills for gas and electricity remain in the £1,700 to £1,850 range, with electricity prices still far above pre-2021 levels. Many consumers say they’ve already cut back as far as they can.
Under the current price cap, electricity typically costs between 28p and 30p per kWh, before standing charges. Switching suppliers can shave off small amounts, but in reality very few households see notable reductions.
“People have switched tariffs, cut back where they can, and still face four-figure electricity costs,” said Daniel Burton, founder and group CEO of Wondrwall. “That’s why attention is shifting from who supplies energy, to when energy is bought and used.
“Batteries are the obvious solution but can often be expensive. We are really pleased that we are able to offer them to consumers at a low price with no up front costs whatsoever, massively reducing the barriers faced in the market until now.”
The 6p vs. 30p “Energy Hack”
The subscription, called Battery PowrPlan (Wondrwall is not keen on the latter “e” it seems), combines AI-based energy management software with the battery itself. Electricity is charged into the system overnight on off-peak tariffs, then used during daytime peak hours.
On some time-of-use tariffs, overnight electricity can drop as low as 6.5p per kWh. That compares with peak rates close to 30p.
An example modelled on Eon’s Next Drive tariff shows how the maths works. A household using 10kWh per day would spend 65p to power the home from the battery, instead of £2.77 under the January 2026 price cap.
Over a year, that electricity cost would total £237.25 instead of roughly £1,011 on a standard tariff. If unused stored energy is exported back to the grid, additional credits reduce costs further still.
In this model, exporting 1.5kWh per day at 16.5p per kWh generates £90.34 annually. That brings the electricity bill down to £146.91.
Adding the £420 annual subscription fee brings the total yearly cost to £566.91, compared with £1,011.05 without the system.
How it works
To access these savings, you’ll need a smart meter and a time-of-use tariff. Around two-thirds of UK homes had a smart or advanced meter installed by March 2025, but adoption of variable tariffs remains low at the moment.
Despite widespread awareness of time-based pricing, only about 2.3%of households currently use modern time-of-use electricity tariffs, with confusion around how they work often cited as the main reason.
Wondrwall says education will form a key part of the rollout, with the battery acting as an automated way to make these tariffs usable without lifestyle changes.
The subscription fee is fixed for the duration of the contract, which runs for ten years, and isn’t linked to CPI. Customers can buy out the contract, but the settlement cost of doing so is the same as the remaining contracted value, so there’s no financial benefit.
That long-term commitment won’t suit everyone, particularly houseowners unsure about staying put or locking into a decade-long arrangement, 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 stresses that removing large upfront costs is the whole point of the Battery PowrPlan. It allows households to save from month one rather than waiting years to breakeven, which is often the case with solar panels and other upfront-heavy home energy upgrades.
Traditional home battery systems can cost £6,000 to £8,000 upfront. 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 outdoors and typically takes a day to fit. Solar panels aren’t required, although solar energy can be stored if you have them.
At the end of the ten-year agreement, ownership of the battery transfers to the homeowner.
Wondrwall says it uses the same batteries to provide grid flexibility services to the National Grid. Payments from these help subsidise the system without affecting household export rates.
“This is about protecting households from volatility,” Burton said. “If homeowners can lock in savings of several hundred pounds a year without changing how they live, that’s meaningful at a time when energy costs remain a major source of stress.”
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waynewilliams@onmail.com (Wayne Williams)
