Best Smart Plugs with Energy Monitoring UK 2026

Do Smart Plugs Actually Save Money?

Let's be honest upfront: a smart plug doesn't magically reduce your electricity bill. It doesn't make your TV use less power. What it does is show you where the money goes — and once you can see it, you'll probably do something about it.

The average UK household wastes £50–£80 per year on standby power, according to the Energy Saving Trust. That's devices you think are "off" but are actually draining electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Your Sky box. Your games console in instant-on mode. Your TV's smart features keeping WiFi connected while you sleep.

A 4-pack of Tapo P110 plugs costs £32. If they help you identify and switch off even half your standby waste, they've paid for themselves within the first year. After that, it's pure savings.

For whole-house electricity monitoring (rather than individual appliances), see our best energy monitors UK guide.

The Standby Power Problem

Here's what's quietly draining your electricity right now:

Notice something? The biggest savings aren't in unplugging phone chargers (despite what every "save money" article tells you). They're in the entertainment setup — your TV, Sky box, and games console. A single smart plug on your TV power strip can monitor (and schedule) the lot.

What to Look for in an Energy Monitoring Plug

Not all smart plugs have energy monitoring — many just do on/off control. If you want to see what your appliances are costing you, look for these features:

Energy monitoring (the whole point)

You want real-time wattage (what the appliance is drawing right now) and kWh tracking (total energy used over time). The best apps also show estimated cost based on your electricity rate. Every plug on this list has this — but many cheap smart plugs on Amazon don't. Check before you buy.

Max load rating: 13A vs 16A

Most UK smart plugs are rated at 13A (2990–3120W), which handles everything except the most power-hungry appliances. If you want to monitor a fan heater, tumble dryer, or electric radiator, you need the TP-Link Tapo P115 at 16A (3680W). For TVs, games consoles, and chargers, 13A is plenty.

Matter: do you need it?

Matter is a new universal smart home standard backed by Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung. A Matter plug works with every platform — you're not locked into one ecosystem. If you use Apple HomeKit, you need either Matter or a HomeKit-specific plug. If you're all-in on Alexa or Google, standard WiFi plugs work fine and cost less.

Our advice: if the price difference is only £2–3 (like the Tapo P110 vs P110M), go Matter. If it doubles the price, don't bother unless you specifically need HomeKit.

App quality

You'll check the app every time you want to see energy data. The Tapo app is the best here — clean interface, clear energy charts, easy scheduling. The Meross app is decent but not as polished. Shelly is powerful but technical. Eve is beautiful but Apple-only.

Our Picks

Best Overall: TP-Link Tapo P110

The Tapo P110 is the default choice and it's not even close. At £8 per plug in the 4-pack, it's the cheapest energy monitoring plug on the market from a reputable brand. The Tapo app shows real-time power draw, daily/weekly/monthly kWh usage, and estimated costs. 3,000+ reviews at 4.6 stars — this is a proven product.

The plug is compact enough that it doesn't block adjacent sockets (a common problem with smart plugs). It connects via WiFi 2.4GHz — no hub needed. Setup takes about 2 minutes per plug via the Tapo app.

The only real limitation: no Matter or Apple HomeKit support. If you're in the Apple ecosystem, look at the P110M or Meross instead. For everyone else, this is the one.

Buy this if: you want the best value energy monitoring plug and use Alexa or Google Home.

Available as: Single (£12) | 2-Pack (£16) | 4-Pack (£32)

Best with Matter: TP-Link Tapo P110M

The P110M is identical to the P110 in hardware and app — same energy monitoring, same compact design, same 13A rating. The difference is Matter certification, which means it works with Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and any future Matter-compatible platform in addition to Alexa and Google.

At £14 (vs £12 for the standard P110), the £2 premium for Matter is a no-brainer if you think you might ever want cross-platform compatibility. The one caveat: energy monitoring data is currently only available through the Tapo app, not through the Matter protocol itself. So you still need the Tapo app installed.

Buy this if: you want the P110 but with Apple HomeKit support or future-proofing.

Best for High-Draw Appliances: TP-Link Tapo P115

Most smart plugs max out at 13A (2990W). The P115 handles 16A (3680W) — the highest on this list. That matters if you want to monitor a fan heater, portable radiator, tumble dryer, or anything else that draws over 3kW.

With 10,000+ reviews and 95% positive ratings, it's one of the most-reviewed smart plugs on Amazon UK. The energy monitoring is the same as the P110 — real-time watts, kWh tracking, cost estimates. No Matter or HomeKit, but for monitoring a high-draw appliance you probably don't need those.

Buy this if: you specifically need to monitor something that draws over 3kW.

Best for Apple HomeKit: Meross Smart Plug (Matter)

If you're an Apple household, the Meross Matter plug is the sweet spot. It works with HomeKit, Alexa, Google, and SmartThings — all via Matter. At £13 per plug in the 2-pack, it's roughly half the price of the Eve Energy.

Energy monitoring is accurate — real-time watts and historical kWh via the Meross app. The plug works offline via Matter local control, which means it keeps working even if Meross's servers go down. That's a genuine advantage over pure WiFi plugs.

The Meross app isn't as polished as Tapo's — the energy charts are more basic and the interface feels a generation older. But the cross-platform compatibility makes up for it.

Buy this if: you use Apple HomeKit and want energy monitoring without paying Eve prices.

Available as: Single (£15) | 2-Pack (£25)

Best for Home Assistant: Shelly Plus Plug UK

If you run Home Assistant, you already know why Shelly is on this list. Local API, MQTT support, REST API, zero cloud dependency. The plug auto-discovers on your network and feeds real-time power data straight into your dashboards without relying on any manufacturer's servers.

The colour-changing LED is a nice touch — it shifts from green to red based on how much power the connected device is drawing. You can see at a glance whether your appliance is active, on standby, or off. Build quality is noticeably better than the budget Tapo plugs — the housing feels solid.

At £27 it's more than double the Tapo P110's price. That's the Home Assistant tax — you're paying for local control, open APIs, and independence from cloud services. For most people, the Tapo is the better buy. For HA users, there's nothing better.

Buy this if: you run Home Assistant and want local, cloud-free power monitoring.

Best Premium / Privacy: Eve Energy (Matter, Thread)

The Eve Energy costs 3–4x what a Tapo P110 costs, so let's be clear about what you're paying for: privacy and Thread.

Eve uses Thread mesh networking instead of WiFi. That means it doesn't clog your WiFi network, it acts as a Thread mesh router (improving your smart home network), and it works even if your internet goes down. There's no Eve cloud — zero. No account, no registration, no data collection. Your energy data stays on your devices.

For Apple Home users, the killer feature is that energy monitoring data appears directly in the Apple Home app. No separate manufacturer app needed. You can see real-time power and historical usage alongside your other HomeKit devices. No other plug does this.

The 2500W max load is lower than the competition — avoid using it with high-draw appliances. And you need a Thread border router (HomePod Mini or Apple TV 4K) in your home. If you don't have one, this plug won't work at all.

Buy this if: privacy is non-negotiable, you're deep in the Apple ecosystem, and you have a HomePod Mini or Apple TV 4K.

What You Don't Need

• Don't monitor your fridge or freezer. They're always on and there's nothing you can do about it. If you switch off a fridge with a smart plug and forget to turn it back on, you'll waste far more in spoiled food than you'd ever save in electricity.
• Don't buy Zigbee plugs unless you already have a Zigbee hub. Zigbee plugs (like SONOFF's Zigbee range) need a separate gateway to work. WiFi plugs connect directly to your router — much simpler.
• Don't spend £40 on an Eve unless you need Thread. The Tapo P110M gives you Matter and HomeKit for £14. The Eve's Thread mesh and privacy features are genuine advantages, but they're £26 of genuine advantages that most people don't need.
• Don't buy a plug without energy monitoring. Basic smart plugs (like the Tapo P100) only do on/off — no watt or kWh tracking. Always check the listing says "energy monitoring" before buying.

How to Use Energy Monitoring Plugs Effectively

Step 1: Monitor for 48 hours before changing anything

Plug a monitor into your TV setup (TV + soundbar + games console + streaming stick on a power strip) and leave it for 2 days. Don't change your behaviour — just watch. You'll probably be surprised at how much power the setup draws when everything is "off".

Step 2: Identify your phantom loads

Look for devices drawing more than 5W in standby. Games consoles in instant-on mode (10–15W) and Sky boxes (17W) are the usual suspects. That's £26–£38/yr each for a feature most people don't need.

Step 3: Set schedules

Instead of remembering to switch things off, create a schedule. TV setup off at midnight, on at 6pm. Home office equipment off at 6pm, on at 8am. The smart plug handles it automatically — you never think about it again.

Step 4: Combine with a cheap electricity tariff

If you're on a time-of-use tariff like Octopus Go or Intelligent, schedule high-draw appliances (washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher) to run during the cheap overnight period. A P115 plug on the washing machine + a schedule = laundry that costs half as much to run.