Look Into EntityMap

The entities that Look Into (lookinto.co.uk) writes about, how they relate, and verbatim evidence from the pages that define them. Machine-readable version: entitymap.json (EntityMap v1.0).

Publisher: Look Into, published by Whito Ltd, company number 10918465. Generated 2026-10-20. Status: generator draft, under review.

Every quotation below is free to cite with attribution to Look Into and a link to its source page.

Who publishes this

Look Into

Organization · Also: lookinto.co.uk, LookInto

Look Into (lookinto.co.uk) is a UK publisher of dated household cost research: what things cost to buy, install and run in home energy, mobility, later-life care and home improvement. It is published by Whito Ltd.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“Look Into is UK household cost research: what things cost to buy, install and run in home energy, mobility, later-life care and home improvement, with the method, the capture date and the sources on the page. Alongside the research sits the products desk: one honest pick where we have already priced the job, costed per hour, per cook or per year, with the maker's claim checked against its own listing.”

About Look Into — published by Look Into

“Look Into is a publisher. We are not a broker, an installer or a regulated financial adviser, we are not affiliated with any company whose products we write about, and nothing on this site is regulated financial, legal or medical advice.”

Legal, company details and corrections — published by Look Into

“When you ask us to compare quotes, for example for solar panels, a stairlift or home care, we connect you with relevant UK providers. If you go on to request quotes, those providers may pay us an introduction or referral fee. You never pay anything for this, and you're under no obligation to accept any quote.”

How Look Into Makes Money — published by Look Into

Whito Ltd

Organization · Also: WHITO LTD

Whito Ltd is the private limited company, registered in England and Wales under company number 10918465, that publishes Look Into.

Same as: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10918465

Evidence from Look Into

“lookinto.co.uk is published by Whito Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 10918465. Registered office: 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU. Contact: hello@lookinto.co.uk”

Legal, company details and corrections — published by Look Into

“The same company publishes Whito, a UK business directory and research publisher, where Jacob puts out original studies on how businesses get found online. If you want to judge the standard of our research before trusting a number on this site, that work is free to read and every figure in it is traced to a source.”

About Look Into — published by Look Into

Jacob Whitmore

Person

Jacob Whitmore is the founder and editor of Look Into and a director of Whito Ltd. He builds the site's calculators and runs its cost indexes.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“Look Into is founded and edited by Jacob Whitmore and published by Whito Ltd, company number 10918465, registered in England and Wales. Jacob started Look Into in 2024 to fix a simple problem: most "best of" guides for the products Britain was suddenly buying were thin, out of date, or ranked by affiliate commission rather than merit, without ever saying so.”

About Look Into — published by Look Into

“Jacob sets the editorial direction: choosing which surging products to cover, deciding how each one is judged, and editing every guide before it goes live. He also builds the calculators and runs the cost indices, working from data that is published by somebody else and named and linked on the page it appears on. We do not test products. We say so on every guide, we rely on verified owner reviews, manufacturer specifications and running costs we derive from published wattages, and on each guide we also state what those sources could not settle of guesswork.”

About Look Into — published by Look Into

“Look Into is one person, Jacob Whitmore. There is no test lab here and no samples are taken from brands. Picks come from published manufacturer specifications, prices read at source on the day rather than from a search listing, and primary documents such as standards, regulator data and government guidance where they exist.”

How much does it cost to run? Appliance calculator at the October price cap — published by Look Into

Research catalogue and method

UK household cost research

Taxonomy · General term: UK household cost data

Look Into's catalogue of standing UK cost indexes and dated studies, each stating its capture date, method and sources, and free to cite with a link.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“We publish original cost research on UK household spending: energy, mobility and care, home improvement, and the consumer products people actually buy. Every index states when it was measured, what it was measured from, and when it will be revised. All of it is free to cite with a link.”

Look Into Research: dated UK cost indexes, free to cite — published by Look Into

“These are the series we commit to maintaining. The Always-On Load Index joined them on 26 September 2026. Each has one canonical URL, a stated method and a revision trigger. Everything else on this page is a study or a report that draws on them.”

Look Into Research: dated UK cost indexes, free to cite — published by Look Into

Look Into research method

Methodology

Look Into's desk-research method: figures from official sources, published specifications or retail listings read on a stated date, derived arithmetic shown on the page, and no hands-on product testing.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“We do not test products. We have not bought or used the things in these guides, we take no photographs of our own, and no guide on this site says otherwise. Every roundup carries a box stating it. The section below sets out what we publish instead, and why we think it is worth more than a testing claim we have not earned.”

Our Research & Cost Data Methodology — published by Look Into

“We cross-check what the maker publishes. We weigh manufacturer specifications, running costs we derive from published wattages at the current Ofgem cap rate, and a wide read of verified owner reviews, discounting suspicious or incentivised ratings. Where a maker publishes nothing we can compute from, we print no figure and say so.”

Our Research & Cost Data Methodology — published by Look Into

“We judge on what matters. Performance, value, running costs, noise, size and reliability, weighed for different needs and budgets. We say plainly when something isn't worth buying. Price is part of that. A cheap product is covered on the same terms as an expensive one, and where a £25 item beats a £150 one for most people the guide says so.”

Our Research & Cost Data Methodology — published by Look Into

Cost indexes and audits

UK Running Cost Index

Metric · Also: UK appliance running cost index

Look Into's standing index of what 26 household appliances cost to run per hour, per use and per year at the current Ofgem price cap. Every appliance figure elsewhere on the site is derived from it.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“The short answer. At the Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, electricity costs 26.32p per kWh, so an appliance drawing 1,000W costs 26.32p for every hour it runs. A 3kW kettle costs about 4p a boil and a 2.5kW tumble dryer about 99p for a 90 minute cycle. Standing charges add £308.46 a year on a dual fuel bill before anything is switched on. Fridges are the row most tables get wrong: the Energy Saving Trust puts a fridge freezer at around £80 a year, not the £692 a 24 hour wattage sum suggests. Figures from the Look Into UK Running Cost Index, revised 2 October 2026.”

What everything in your home costs to run right now — published by Look Into

“Every figure on this page is worked out from the Ofgem price cap in force today, 1 October to 31 December 2026. When Ofgem changes the cap, this page changes with it.”

What everything in your home costs to run right now — published by Look Into

“Cost per hour, per use and per year for 26 household appliances at the current Ofgem cap. Every appliance figure elsewhere on the site is derived from this page rather than recalculated.”

Look Into Research: dated UK cost indexes, free to cite — published by Look Into

“For councils and advice services: this table is available as a one page PDF for October to December 2026, free to reproduce on your own pages or in print with credit to Look Into. We reissue it within 72 hours of each price cap change. The next change is on 1 January 2027.”

What everything in your home costs to run right now — published by Look Into

Appliance running cost calculator

SoftwareProduct

Look Into's free calculator that prices heaters, electric blankets and dehumidifiers per hour, night, week and month at the current Ofgem electricity rate.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“From 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026, Ofgem's price cap sets the GB-average Direct Debit electricity unit rate at 26.32p per kWh. Pick heaters, electric blankets or dehumidifiers below, set the watts and the hours, and the calculator gives the cost per use, per week, per month and per season, with the kWh shown so every number can be checked. Standing charge is not included.”

How much does it cost to run? Appliance calculator at the October price cap — published by Look Into

“2kW heater, 4 hours, 60% duty: £1.26 per evening. 2000W x 4h x 0.6 / 1000 = 4.8kWh; 4.8 x 26.32p = 126.3p = £1.26 Run at nameplate the whole time (no thermostat) it is £2.11: 8kWh x 26.32p = 210.6p.”

How much does it cost to run? Appliance calculator at the October price cap — published by Look Into

“Duty cycle is the share of "on" time the appliance actually draws its rated watts. A heater's thermostat, a blanket's controller and a dehumidifier's humidistat all switch the element or compressor off once the target is reached. Our defaults (heaters 60%, blankets 70%, dehumidifiers 70%) are assumptions, not measurements. A plug-in energy meter gives you the real figure; enter it under "Measured watts".”

How much does it cost to run? Appliance calculator at the October price cap — published by Look Into

UK Always-On Load Index

Metric

Look Into's standing index of what a device left on all year costs, built on one figure: one watt drawn continuously costs £2.31 a year at the October 2026 price cap.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“The short version. One watt, left on all year, costs £2.31 at the October 2026 price cap. That single number prices everything in your house that never switches off.”

UK Always-On Load Index 2026: what a watt costs, left on all year — published by Look Into

“There are 8,760 hours in a year. A device drawing one watt continuously uses 8.76 kWh over those hours. At 26.32p per kWh, the Ofgem cap rate for electricity from 1 October to 31 December 2026, that is £2.31.”

UK Always-On Load Index 2026: what a watt costs, left on all year — published by Look Into

“Two things follow. The first is that the worst case is bounded: a compliant device cannot quietly cost you £50 a year sitting idle. The second is that the bound is wide. Between a 0.5W off mode and an 8W networked standby there is £17.30 a year of difference, and nothing on the box tells you which end your device is at.”

UK Always-On Load Index 2026: what a watt costs, left on all year — published by Look Into

Heat pump flow temperature cost index

Metric · Also: W35 footnote index

Look Into's index pricing the same air source heat pumps at 35°C and 55°C flow temperature, showing how the advertised W35 SCOP overstates running-cost savings against gas.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“Across five popular models the W35 SCOP averages 4.40 and the W55 SCOP averages 3.30. That is about a quarter less efficient, and it lifts the cost of heat from roughly 5.98p to 7.98p per kWh at the October 2026 price cap.”

Heat pump flow temperature and running cost: the W35 footnote (2026 index) — published by Look Into

“On a medium-use home the flow temperature alone swings the yearly saving against gas from roughly £300 at 35°C to under £100 at 55°C, on the very same appliance.”

Heat pump flow temperature and running cost: the W35 footnote (2026 index) — published by Look Into

“So the advertised number describes a system many buyers will not have on day one. The W55 number describes the one they will. Nobody puts a pound sign on the difference, so we did.”

Heat pump flow temperature and running cost: the W35 footnote (2026 index) — published by Look Into

Home Upgrade Payback Index

Metric

Look Into's ranking of eleven common UK home upgrades by simple payback period, using sourced 2026 costs, current grants and realistic annual savings.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“In 2026 the best-value home upgrade in Britain is loft insulation. It pays back roughly ten times faster than the double glazing advertised on every other billboard. As a rule, the cheaper and more boring the job, the better the maths.”

The Home Upgrade Payback Index 2026: what actually pays back, and what the industry oversells — published by Look Into

“The most heavily marketed upgrades have the worst payback. Whole-house double glazing pays back in 25 to 35 years on energy savings alone and external solid wall insulation in 20 to 45 years, against two to three years for loft insulation and about three for draught-proofing. Ranked by payback, the index runs close to the reverse of how hard each upgrade is sold.”

The Home Upgrade Payback Index 2026: what actually pays back, and what the industry oversells — published by Look Into

“Solar without a battery pays back in about nine and a half years; the battery pushes it past twelve. A 4kW system costing £6,000 installed returns £638 a year at the Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, a 9.4-year payback. The same system with a 5kWh battery at £10,000 returns £844 a year, an 11.8-year payback. The battery adds £206 a year for about £4,000, so it takes roughly 20 years to pay for itself, longer than most battery warranties run. Worked example from Look Into, Solar Panel Costs UK 2026.”

The Home Upgrade Payback Index 2026: what actually pays back, and what the industry oversells — published by Look Into

UK Standing Charge Postcode Report

Metric

Look Into's regional analysis of gas and electricity standing charges across Great Britain's fourteen regions, updated at each Ofgem price cap.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“Before a British household uses a single unit of gas or electricity, it pays an average of £308 a year in standing charges under the price cap running from 1 October to 31 December 2026. Where you live decides how much: under the July to September cap, the most recent period for which Ofgem has published regional rates, a household in Merseyside and North Wales paid £366 a year in standing charges while an identical household in London paid £271, a postcode penalty of almost £95 a year for the same wires and pipes. This report compiles the regional data to show exactly who pays what.”

The UK Standing Charge Postcode Report — published by Look Into

“Ofgem confirmed the regional rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026 on 26 August 2026. The cheapest region is London at 73.12p a day combined, or £266.89 a year, and the dearest is Merseyside and North Wales at 97.74p a day, or £356.75 a year: a gap of 24.62p a day, or £89.86 a year, for the same fixed charge on a dual fuel direct debit.”

The UK Standing Charge Postcode Report — published by Look Into

“The electricity standing charge has more than doubled since 2021. It has climbed from 24.89p a day in October 2021 to 57.19p under the July to September 2026 cap, a rise of 130%. Combined gas and electricity standing charges went from about £186 a year to £315 over the same period. Historical rates are from published price cap histories; the trend and its causes are set out in the House of Commons Library briefing Energy standing charges (CBP-10339, 2026).”

The UK Standing Charge Postcode Report — published by Look Into

UK Cost of Care Index

Metric

Look Into's index of UK care home fees by region, set against state pension, house values and the means-test thresholds in each nation.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“A self-funded residential care place in the UK now costs an average of £1,298 a week, or £67,496 a year. To work out what care really costs families in 2026, we combined the latest regional fee data with the official means-test thresholds, benefit rates and average house prices. The figures show wide regional gaps and a state safety net that meets only a small share of the bill.”

The UK Cost of Care Index 2026 — published by Look Into

“The state pension barely touches the bill. The full new State Pension of £230.25 a week covers just 17.7% of an average residential placement. The remaining £1,068 a week, close to £55,500 a year, has to come from savings, property or other income.”

The UK Cost of Care Index 2026 — published by Look Into

“Home care is cheaper, but only up to a point. At the £32.14 an hour benchmark rate, a care home works out cheaper once someone needs more than about 40 hours of home care a week, or roughly 5.8 hours a day. Below that, staying at home usually costs less.”

The UK Cost of Care Index 2026 — published by Look Into

UK Stairlift Price Index

Metric

Look Into's consolidated benchmark of UK stairlift prices: straight, curved, reconditioned and rental, the price spread between national suppliers, and ten-year cost of ownership.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“The average UK stairlift costs about £3,900 across all types, according to a 2025 Which? survey. A typical new straight stairlift is about £2,400 installed, and a new curved stairlift about £5,500.”

UK Stairlift Price Index 2026 — published by Look Into

“List prices for a comparable standard straight stairlift vary by about 65% between national brands (from around £2,000 to around £3,322), so comparing quotes can save a buyer roughly £1,000 to £1,300.”

UK Stairlift Price Index 2026 — published by Look Into

“Over 10 years, the real cost of owning a new straight stairlift is about £4,100 once servicing, batteries and removal are added, which is roughly 70% more than the headline purchase price.”

UK Stairlift Price Index 2026 — published by Look Into

Mobility Cost Index

Metric · Also: Mobility & Later-Life Cost Index

Look Into's index of typical UK prices for later-life mobility equipment and home adaptations, alongside whether each item qualifies for VAT relief and a Disabled Facilities Grant.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“The costliest mistake in later-life kit is not choosing the wrong scooter. It is paying full retail when a 20% VAT exemption and a grant of up to £30,000 were sitting there unclaimed. Ask those two questions before you sign anything.”

The Mobility Cost Index 2026: what later-life kit really costs, and why the sticker price is rarely the price to pay — published by Look Into

“A reconditioned stairlift does the identical job as a new one for around a quarter less: £1,000 to £2,500 for a reconditioned straight lift (£1,700 on average) against £1,500 to £3,500 new (£2,300 on average), and most firms fit it with the same warranty and servicing. For a straight staircase, where the rail is a standard part, there is very little argument for buying new. The same holds for scooters and powered chairs, where lightly used models from a proper dealer come checked and guaranteed.”

The Mobility Cost Index 2026: what later-life kit really costs, and why the sticker price is rarely the price to pay — published by Look Into

“The mobility market runs on two things families are rarely told they can skip: the VAT they are exempt from, and the grant nobody pointed them to. A sticker price is a starting bid, not a verdict.”

The Mobility Cost Index 2026: what later-life kit really costs, and why the sticker price is rarely the price to pay — published by Look Into

Coffee Cost-Per-Cup Index

Metric

Look Into's index pricing 13 ways to make a cup of coffee at home, from instant to pod and bean-to-cup machines, including the electricity to heat the water.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“Made at home, a mug of coffee costs anywhere from 6.1p to 77.7p this month, depending on how you make it. Instant is the cheapest. A Nespresso Vertuo mug pod is the dearest home option, at about 13 times the price of instant and three times a mug from a bean-to-cup machine on supermarket-grade beans. We priced 13 ways of making a cup on Amazon UK on 18 September 2026, with electricity at the rate that applies from 1 October.”

Coffee Cost-Per-Cup Index 2026: 13 ways to make a cup, priced — published by Look Into

“At two cups a day, instant costs about £45 a year, a bean-to-cup machine on budget beans about £118, Nespresso's own Original pods about £348 and Vertuo mug pods about £567. A £295 bean-to-cup machine pays for itself against Nespresso's own pods in under a year. Against £9.99-for-40 compatible pods it takes over two and a half years. Prices checked 18 September 2026.”

Coffee Cost-Per-Cup Index 2026: 13 ways to make a cup, priced — published by Look Into

“Heating 250ml of water from 15°C to boiling takes 0.0247kWh, which is 0.65p at the October to December 2026 cap rate of 26.32p a kWh. Machines use more than this, for warm-up and standby, but none of the makers here publish an energy figure per cup, so we have not guessed one. Even at several times the water figure, electricity is a small share of every row except instant.”

Coffee Cost-Per-Cup Index 2026: 13 ways to make a cup, priced — published by Look Into

UK Home Security Value Index

Metric

Look Into's index pricing the cheapest hardware that covers the routes burglars actually use, according to ONS Crime Survey data, against the cost of alarm kits.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“The headline: the hardware covering the routes burglars actually use costs £90.44. The cheapest alarm kit we have priced is £149.99. ONS analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales finds burglars enter through a door around 70% of the time and a window around 30%, and that roughly three in five domestic burglaries happen between 6pm and 6am. Every item below addresses one of those three facts.”

UK Home Security Value Index 2026: what it costs to secure the doors burglars actually use — published by Look Into

“Through a door about 70% of the time and a window about 30%, according to ONS analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales. That is the single most useful fact in home security, and it is the one most product marketing skips.”

UK Home Security Value Index 2026: what it costs to secure the doors burglars actually use — published by Look Into

“What this index does not do: it does not claim a given item reduces your risk by a given amount. No such figure exists in the published data, and any site quoting one has invented it. What the ONS data supports is where burglars enter and when, and this index prices the response to that. It also does not include fitting. A mortice deadlock is a locksmith job for most people, and that cost varies too much by area to average honestly.”

UK Home Security Value Index 2026: what it costs to secure the doors burglars actually use — published by Look Into

Subscription Tax Index

Metric · Also: the subscription tax

Look Into's 36-month cost index for smart home devices that need a paid plan, such as video doorbells, DIY alarms and robot vacuums, including the month the plan overtakes the device price.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“Ring and Google both charge a plan before you can watch recorded doorbell video back. Over 36 months, Ring's cheapest plan costs 1.9 times its £79.99 doorbell, and the monthly plan payments pass the doorbell's price in month 17. We call that the overtake month. eufy stores video locally with no fee. For alarms, human monitoring is where the money goes: Yale's £36-a-month Secure Pro overtakes its £229.99 kit in month 7. Robot vacuums rarely have a subscription, but the maker's own parts schedule on a eufy X10 Pro Omni costs £209.94 to £419.88 over three years.”

The subscription tax: Ring's £4.99 plan overtakes its £79.99 doorbell in month 17 — published by Look Into

“The catch. The cheapest plan covers one device. Add a second Ring camera and you need Ring Multi at £79.99 a year, which takes a Ring doorbell's three-year total to £319.96. And without a plan, Ring gives you no recorded playback, which is the thing most people buy a video doorbell for.”

The subscription tax: Ring's £4.99 plan overtakes its £79.99 doorbell in month 17 — published by Look Into

“The overtake month is the first month in which the monthly plan payments add up to more than the device price.”

The subscription tax: Ring's £4.99 plan overtakes its £79.99 doorbell in month 17 — published by Look Into

UK At-Home Beauty Device Cost Index

Metric

Look Into's index costing at-home IPL devices and LED masks per session in year one and over three years, against salon prices.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“The headline: at-home IPL does not beat the salon in year one. Spread over twelve sessions, the four IPL devices priced here cost £28.33 to £51.05 a treatment. The NHS puts a course of salon laser at £40 to £400 for four to six sessions, which works out at £6.67 to £100 each. The cheapest device sits inside the salon range, not under it. What changes the sum is year two, when the device costs nothing more and the salon bills you again.”

UK At-Home Beauty Device Cost Index 2026: what IPL and LED masks really cost per session — published by Look Into

“Every mask here costs under £2 a session in its first year, and the cheapest is 29p. The frequency does the work: a £299.99 mask used three times a week (£1.92 a session) is better value per use than a £339.99 IPL device used monthly (£28.33). The dearest IPL device in this index costs roughly 177 times more per session in year one than the cheapest mask.”

UK At-Home Beauty Device Cost Index 2026: what IPL and LED masks really cost per session — published by Look Into

“The NHS states plainly that the results of laser hair removal are not permanent. They last from weeks to months, and regular sessions are needed to achieve and maintain the effect. Every "permanent hair removal" claim in this category is running against that. It also means the honest way to price an IPL device is as an ongoing commitment rather than a one-off purchase, which is exactly what the three-year column above is doing.”

UK At-Home Beauty Device Cost Index 2026: what IPL and LED masks really cost per session — published by Look Into

UK Student Kit Index

Metric

Look Into's annual index pricing a fixed 20-item student room kit and reading the total against the maintenance loan.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“The UK Student Kit Index prices the same 20-item student room kit every year and reads the total against the maintenance loan. This is the first edition. The 2026 UK student kit costs £569.11. Kitting out a student room takes 15.8% of the first maintenance loan instalment for a new student living away from home outside London.”

UK Student Kit Index 2026: what it costs to kit out a student room — published by Look Into

“The loan arrives in three instalments. A new student living away from home outside London can get up to £10,830 in 2026/27, so the first instalment is about £3,610. The full kit takes 15.8% of that payment before rent or food. At the London rate it is 12.1%, and living at home it is 18.7%.”

UK Student Kit Index 2026: what it costs to kit out a student room — published by Look Into

“The basket is fixed at these 20 products, identified by ASIN. Prices are captured in one session through Amazon's Creators API and recorded as returned, with no averaging and no waiting for offers to end. The capture dates are set before prices are seen. This edition was captured on 30 August 2026; from 2027 the index prices the basket on 1 July, 1 August and 1 September each year.”

UK Student Kit Index 2026: what it costs to kit out a student room — published by Look Into

UK Bottle Insulation Claims Audit

Metric

Look Into's audit of the hours-hot and hours-cold claims of five major insulated bottle brands, read at source, finding that none stated a test condition.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“The finding: we read the insulation claim on five major brands at source, and not one stated a single test condition. No starting temperature. No room temperature. No fill level. No threshold for when a drink stops being cold. The numbers are real in the sense that the brands publish them. They are not comparable with each other in any meaningful way.”

UK Bottle Insulation Claims Audit 2026 — published by Look Into

“This is an audit of published claims. It is not a thermal test and we have not timed any bottle. Nothing here says which bottle performs best, because nothing published lets anyone say that.”

UK Bottle Insulation Claims Audit 2026 — published by Look Into

“There is a live proposal to create one. ISO/NP 8442-10, "Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs, Cutlery and table holloware, Part 10: Requirements for Stainless steel vacuum container", would set requirements and test methods for stainless steel vacuum containers for domestic use, including insulation performance for both heat and cold.”

UK Bottle Insulation Claims Audit 2026 — published by Look Into

Home Battery Usable Capacity Audit

Metric

Look Into's audit of maker datasheets for 20 home battery product lines sold in the UK, comparing the capacity in the product name with the usable energy the maker prints.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“We read the maker datasheets for 20 home battery product lines sold in the UK on 15 September 2026. In 10, the number in the product name is higher than the usable energy the same maker prints, in at least one size. Three print no usable figure at all. The name-to-usable gap ran from 1.4% to 10.2%. Only 2 of the 20 lines publish how much capacity is guaranteed at the end of the warranty.”

10 of 20 home batteries put a bigger number in the name than you can use — published by Look Into

“One maker labels one figure three ways. Tesla's 13.5 kWh is "Usable Battery Energy" in the Powerwall 3 datasheet, "Nominal Battery Energy" in its UK install manual, and "rated capacity" in its warranty.”

10 of 20 home batteries put a bigger number in the name than you can use — published by Look Into

“The name-to-usable gap is our arithmetic: (name figure minus usable) ÷ name figure.”

10 of 20 home batteries put a bigger number in the name than you can use — published by Look Into

UK Demand Index

Metric

Look Into's weekly index of UK search interest in the products it covers, ranked by seven-day change in Google Trends, with every figure linked to its query.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“We track UK search interest in the products we write guides about, and rank them by how far that interest moved over the last seven days against the seven days before. Every figure links to the Google Trends query that produces it, so you can check it yourself.”

What is trending in the UK: week to 15 October 2026 — published by Look Into

“Google Trends reports relative search interest on a 0 to 100 index, not a count of searches. A term is only ever compared with itself unless we say otherwise.”

What is trending in the UK: week to 15 October 2026 — published by Look Into

“Change: the mean of the second seven days against the mean of the first seven days, to one decimal place.”

What is trending in the UK: week to 15 October 2026 — published by Look Into

Terms Look Into coined

Unstated limit

ProprietaryTerm · General term: stated limitations of a product review

Look Into's term for the part of a product verdict that the reviewer's own work could not settle; every Look Into roundup carries a box stating it.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“We call that gap the unstated limit, and closing it is the one thing on this site that we do and our competitors do not.”

Our Research & Cost Data Methodology — published by Look Into

“Every product verdict has a limit: the part the reviewer's own work could not settle. A test in a climate chamber cannot tell you how a machine sounds in your bedroom. Two weeks with a heater cannot tell you whether it survives a second winter. The limit always exists. What almost never happens is a review stating it.”

Our Research & Cost Data Methodology — published by Look Into

“Thirteen of the fifteen claim hands-on testing. Three say how many units they tested. One says what its testing could not tell you.”

Our Research & Cost Data Methodology — published by Look Into

Postcode penalty

ProprietaryTerm · General term: regional price difference

Look Into's term for the extra a household pays for the same service purely because of the region it is in: about £95 a year on energy standing charges and about £25,000 a year on nursing care.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“There is a £95-a-year postcode penalty on standing charges. Under the July to September 2026 cap, combined daily standing charges ranged from 74.30p in London to 100.18p in Merseyside and North Wales. Over a year that is £271.20 against £365.66, a £94.46 gap before either household has boiled a kettle. Regional rates are the Ofgem price cap tables compiled by MoneySavingExpert and cross-checked against Ofgem's published averages. Ofgem had not published regional rates for the October cap when this page was last checked.”

The UK Standing Charge Postcode Report — published by Look Into

“There is a postcode penalty worth about £25,000. The same nursing care costs £1,759 a week in London against £1,264 in the North East. That 39% gap adds up to £25,740 a year for identical care, and residential fees show the same spread.”

The UK Cost of Care Index 2026 — published by Look Into

“The postcode lottery is almost entirely an electricity story. Gas standing charges barely vary, from 28.53p to 29.52p a day across all fourteen regions, a spread of under £4 a year. Electricity ranges from 44.78p a day in London to 70.76p in Merseyside and North Wales, a £94.83 annual gap driven by regional electricity distribution network charges. Same Ofgem cap tables as finding 2.”

The UK Standing Charge Postcode Report — published by Look Into

Standing charge first call

ProprietaryTerm · General term: fixed energy costs deducted from a fuel payment

Look Into's term for the part of the Winter Fuel Payment already spent on standing charges before any heat is bought: £153.81 over the 182 days from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“There are 182 days between 1 October 2026 and 31 March 2027. Held at those rates, the standing charges alone come to £153.81. We call this the standing charge first call, the part of the payment that is spoken for before a radiator is turned on.”

What the Winter Fuel Payment buys in heating at the October 2026 cap — published by Look Into

“At the October 2026 price cap, a £200 Winter Fuel Payment buys 2,509 kWh of gas or 760 kWh of electricity. A £300 payment buys 3,764 kWh of gas or 1,140 kWh of electricity. Standing charges take £153.81 of it first, before any energy is used at all.”

What the Winter Fuel Payment buys in heating at the October 2026 cap — published by Look Into

Always-on blank

ProprietaryTerm · General term: undisclosed standby power

Look Into's term for the missing figure on most electrical products: where on the legal standby-power scale the device actually sits.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“What almost no product tells you is where on that scale it actually sits. We call that the always-on blank.”

UK Always-On Load Index 2026: what a watt costs, left on all year — published by Look Into

“UK law caps how much a device may draw when it is doing nothing. Off mode and ordinary standby are capped at 0.5W. Standby with a display is capped at 1W. Networked standby, the mode a router or a smart speaker sits in every hour of the year, is capped at 2W for most equipment and 8W for high network availability kit such as routers. A device sitting at that 8W ceiling costs £18.45 a year to do nothing.”

UK Always-On Load Index 2026: what a watt costs, left on all year — published by Look Into

“Some makers publish a maximum. TP-Link's EU datasheets give 11.5W for a Deco X10 mesh unit and 15W for a Deco X55, both measured with the power adapter. A maximum is a ceiling, not a running cost: the real draw is lower by an amount the datasheet does not state.”

UK Always-On Load Index 2026: what a watt costs, left on all year — published by Look Into

Per-hour trap

ProprietaryTerm · General term: running cost per unit of output

Look Into's term for the way a pence-per-hour running-cost claim hides cost per job: the dehumidifier cheapest per hour can be the dearest per litre of water removed.

Evidence from Look Into

“We call this the per-hour trap: the machine that is cheapest per hour is the dearest per litre of water removed, and a pence-per-hour claim cannot show it. Every running-cost claim in the 39 listings we read is per hour.”

Best dehumidifiers UK 2026: ranked by what a night costs to run — published by Look Into

“Rank by the night and the smaller machines win. Rank by the litre and the Arete One 25L wins at 15.7p, because it removes twice the water of the 12L for 1.8 times the power. If the room is wet enough to keep a machine running for hours, the per-litre column decides the bill. If the machine only has to top the room off, the night is the better guide. Thirty nights on the Arete One 12L at the ceiling comes to £9.54; on the DD8L's laundry setting, £41.06.”

Best dehumidifiers UK 2026: ranked by what a night costs to run — published by Look Into

“Mini dehumidifiers that use a Peltier plate look cheapest of all. One in the bestseller list, a 22.5W unit sold under the finade name, costs 4.7p a night at the October rate, about a seventh of the Arete One 12L. Its listing says it removes up to 500 ml a day at 30°C and 85% humidity; its own title says 400 ml. At those tropical conditions each litre costs 28.4p to 35.5p. Meaco's figure for the Arete One 12L at 30°C and 80% works out at 10.3p.”

Best dehumidifiers UK 2026: ranked by what a night costs to run — published by Look Into

Cold-room penalty

ProprietaryTerm · General term: dehumidifier efficiency loss at low temperature

Look Into's term for the extra cost of removing water with a compressor dehumidifier in a cold room: a litre costs 2.3 times as much at 10°C as at 20°C on the same machine.

Evidence from Look Into

“Call it the cold-room penalty. Same machine, same 60% humidity, and a litre of water costs 42.1p to remove at 10°C against 18.2p at 20°C. That is 2.3 times as much, because a compressor works badly in cold air, and on the 25L the penalty is 2.5 times. If you are deciding where to put the machine, that is the figure that matters: run it in the heated part of the house, not in an unheated garage.”

Best dehumidifiers UK 2026: ranked by what a night costs to run — published by Look Into

“The capacity in a dehumidifier's name is measured in tropical test conditions. Meaco publishes an extraction table for each of its machines, and the only line on the Arete One 12L's table that reaches 12 litres is 30°C at 80% humidity. At 20°C and 60% humidity, closer to a heated British room in winter, the same machine pulls out 5.23 litres a day.”

Best dehumidifiers UK 2026: ranked by what a night costs to run — published by Look Into

Evaporation floor

ProprietaryTerm · General term: minimum drying energy per load

Look Into's term for the minimum energy needed to dry a load of washing by evaporation: 1.22 kWh, or 32p a load at the October 2026 cap, whatever the heated airer's wattage.

Evidence from Look Into

“The evaporation floor is 1.22 kWh, or 32p a load at the October cap. That is the energy the water needs, and nothing that dries by evaporation beats it.”

Best heated airers UK 2026: ranked by cost per dry load — published by Look Into

“A heated airer cannot dry a load of washing for less than about 32p at the October price cap. Not a 202W one, not a 1,800W one, not one with a cover. That figure is set by the water in your laundry, and no amount of low-energy branding moves it. What the wattage changes is how long you wait, and we read 49 listings on 20 September 2026 to find out how many sellers explain that. Twelve quote a running cost. All twelve quote it per hour. Three say how many hours.”

Best heated airers UK 2026: ranked by cost per dry load — published by Look Into

“Watts set the speed, not the price. 220W for eight hours and 1,800W for one hour cost the same, because they deliver the same energy.”

Best heated airers UK 2026: ranked by cost per dry load — published by Look Into

“Of 49 heated airers on Amazon UK, 16 publish no wattage at all. Six of those still quote a price per hour, so there is no way to check it.”

Best heated airers UK 2026: ranked by cost per dry load — published by Look Into

Claim-control gap

ProprietaryTerm · General term: energy-saving claim without controls

Look Into's term for the distance between an electric heater sold on saving energy and a heater fitted with the thermostat or timer that could save it.

Evidence from Look Into

“The last row is the finding. We call it the claim-control gap: the distance between a heater sold on saving you energy and a heater fitted with the one control that could. Nine of the 24 heaters marketed on energy efficiency have no thermostat at all, which means they run at full wattage from the moment you switch them on until the moment you remember to switch them off. Six of the 35 have neither a thermostat nor a timer.”

Best electric heaters UK 2026: ranked by what they cost to run — published by Look Into

“The short answer. At the October 2026 cap rate of 26.32p per kWh, a 2kW plug-in heater costs 52.6p an hour and a 650W oil-filled radiator costs 17.1p. Heater type changes nothing. Wattage sets the cost, and a thermostat is the only feature that lowers it, because it is the only one that switches the heater off.”

Best electric heaters UK 2026: ranked by what they cost to run — published by Look Into

Damp turn

ProprietaryTerm · General term: seasonal shift in UK search demand

Look Into's term for the week UK search demand switches from moving air (fans) to removing water (dehumidifiers and heated airers); in 2026 it landed in the week of 16 August.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“We call that switch the damp turn: the week UK search demand stops being about moving air and starts being about removing water. In 2026 it landed in the week of 16 August.”

What is trending in the UK: week to 15 October 2026 — published by Look Into

“Put tower fan, dehumidifier and heated airer into one Google Trends query for Great Britain and you get all three on the same scale. Re-run on 16 October 2026 over the previous twelve months, the last week fans led dehumidifiers was the week of 9 August 2026, at 19 against 13. Dehumidifiers led the next week at 14 against 8 and have stayed ahead since: 25 against 3 in the week of 13 September, and 30 against 2 in the week of 4 October, the widest gap since the turn. Heated airer went from 1 to 8 on the same scale over the same period.”

What is trending in the UK: week to 15 October 2026 — published by Look Into

Concepts

Standing charge

Concept

The fixed daily charge on a UK gas or electricity bill, paid whether or not any energy is used. At the October to December 2026 cap the GB average combined charge is 84.51p a day, or £308.46 a year.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“Standing charges cost £308 a year before a household uses any energy. From 1 October to 31 December 2026 the GB average combined standing charge is 84.51p a day, made up of 54.83p for electricity and 29.68p for gas. Over a year that is £308.46. Under the July to September cap it was 86.23p a day, or £314.74. Capped rates from Ofgem's price cap announcement of 26 August 2026; annual figures are the daily charge multiplied by 365, calculated by lookinto.co.uk Research.”

The UK Standing Charge Postcode Report — published by Look Into

“A dual fuel household on a standard variable tariff pays 54.83p a day for the electricity connection and 29.68p a day for the gas connection. That is 84.51p a day, or £308.46 a year, charged whether the house is occupied or empty, whether the heating is on or the fuse box is off. Under the cap that ran from July to September 2026 the same connections cost £314.74 a year in standing charges before a unit is used; the October rates trim that by £6.28.”

What everything in your home costs to run right now — published by Look Into

“The lowest users pay the highest share. Standing charges make up about 17% of a typical dual-fuel bill, but for the lowest-consuming quarter of households they are 32% or more of the electricity bill, which is why campaigners call them a poll tax on energy. Both figures are from the House of Commons Library briefing Energy standing charges (CBP-10339, 2026).”

The UK Standing Charge Postcode Report — published by Look Into

Seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP)

Concept · Also: SCOP

A heat pump's seasonal efficiency: units of heat produced for each unit of electricity drawn across a heating season, measured under EN 14825 at 35°C (W35) and 55°C (W55) flow.

Evidence from Look Into

“SCOP stands for seasonal coefficient of performance. A SCOP of 4 means the pump gives out four units of heat for every unit of electricity it draws across a heating season. It is measured to a European standard, EN 14825, at a set of conditions that includes the flow temperature: the temperature of the water the pump sends to your radiators.”

Heat pump flow temperature and running cost: the W35 footnote (2026 index) — published by Look Into

“Every air source heat pump sold in the UK carries two efficiency figures: a SCOP measured at 35°C flow (W35) and one at 55°C (W55). The number in the adverts is almost always the higher W35 one.”

Heat pump flow temperature and running cost: the W35 footnote (2026 index) — published by Look Into

Break-even SCOP

Concept

The heat pump efficiency at which running costs equal a 90% gas boiler: the electricity rate divided by the cost of a useful kWh from gas, about 2.97 at the October 2026 cap.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“There is a single number that tells you whether a heat pump is cheaper to run than a gas boiler at today's prices. Divide the electricity rate by the effective cost of a useful kWh from gas: 26.32p divided by 8.86p gives 2.97. Any heat pump running above a SCOP of about 2.97 is cheaper to run than a 90% gas boiler at the October 2026 cap. Below it, gas wins.”

Heat pump flow temperature and running cost: the W35 footnote (2026 index) — published by Look Into

“The break-even point sits at a SCOP of about 3.0. Below it a gas boiler is cheaper to run. Above it the heat pump pulls ahead. A properly sized and commissioned air source heat pump in a reasonably insulated home sits comfortably on the right side of that line.”

Heat Pump vs Gas Boiler: Which Is Cheaper in 2026? — published by Look Into

Rules, schemes and grants

Ofgem energy price cap

Regulation · Also: energy price cap, default tariff cap

The quarterly limit Ofgem sets on unit rates and standing charges for default energy tariffs in Great Britain. For 1 October to 31 December 2026 it is £1,723 a year for a typical dual-fuel direct debit home.

Evidence from Look Into

“Ofgem confirmed the October to December 2026 price cap on Wednesday 26 August. From 1 October a typical dual-fuel household paying by direct debit is capped at £1,723 a year, £60 more than the £1,663 running now, a rise Ofgem puts at 4%. Gas caused all of it. Electricity is close to flat only because VAT came off it.”

Energy price cap October 2026: confirmed at £1,723 a year — published by Look Into

“The four capped rates are 26.32p per kWh for electricity with a 54.83p daily standing charge, and 7.97p per kWh for gas with a 29.68p daily standing charge, averaged across Great Britain for direct debit customers. Below we take the £1,723 apart line by line so you can see which half of your bill moved, and by how much.”

Energy price cap October 2026: confirmed at £1,723 a year — published by Look Into

“The cap limits unit rates and standing charges, not your total bill. Ofgem says around 35% of households, about 11 million, are on fixed tariffs and see no change until their fix ends.”

Energy price cap October 2026: confirmed at £1,723 a year — published by Look Into

“Ofgem's cap for October to December 2026 is £1,723 a year for a typical dual-fuel home paying by Direct Debit. £308.46 of that is standing charge, 17.9% of the bill, paid before a kettle boils. The other £1,415.15 buys 2,500 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas. At typical use, the real price of a typical kWh of electricity is 34.33p, not 26.32p. At half the typical use it is 42.33p.”

£308 before you switch anything on: what the £1,723 price cap really buys — published by Look Into

Winter Fuel Payment

Service

The UK government's annual heating payment to people over State Pension age: £200 or £300 for winter 2026 to 2027, or £100 or £150 for care home residents.

Evidence from Look Into

“For winter 2026 to 2027 the payment is £200 or £300 depending on date of birth, and £100 or £150 for people living in a care home. It is paid automatically to most people over State Pension age. If your income is over £35,000 HMRC recovers it, through your tax code or a Self Assessment return.”

What the Winter Fuel Payment buys in heating at the October 2026 cap — published by Look Into

“The Winter Fuel Payment is set in pounds. Heating is priced in pence per kilowatt hour, and that price changed on 1 October 2026. So the question worth asking is not how much the payment is, which GOV.UK answers in a line, but how much heating it pays for.”

What the Winter Fuel Payment buys in heating at the October 2026 cap — published by Look Into

Electricity VAT cut 2026

Regulation · Also: 0% VAT on domestic electricity

The removal of VAT from UK household electricity bills from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Gas keeps its 5% VAT, and the rate returns on 1 April 2027 unless extended.

Relations

Evidence from Look Into

“From 1 October 2026 the government has removed VAT from household electricity bills. The 0% rate is funded for six months, to 31 March 2027.”

The electricity VAT cut, in pounds: what October 2026 saves and the April 2027 cliff — published by Look Into

“There is a cliff on 1 April 2027. If the cap does not move, electricity still rises about 5% that day, because the VAT comes back. At today's rate 26.32p a unit becomes 27.64p.”

The electricity VAT cut, in pounds: what October 2026 saves and the April 2027 cliff — published by Look Into

“The cut is electricity only. The government puts the saving at about £45 a year for a typical home. Gas keeps its 5% VAT.”

The electricity VAT cut, in pounds: what October 2026 saves and the April 2027 cliff — published by Look Into

Commission Regulation 1275/2008

Regulation · Also: standby power regulation

The ecodesign regulation, retained in UK law, that caps the standby and off-mode power electrical equipment may draw.

Evidence from Look Into

“Standby power in the UK is governed by Commission Regulation 1275/2008, retained in UK law after EU exit with amendments applied to 31 December 2020. It sets hard ceilings, and they are lower than most people assume.”

UK Always-On Load Index 2026: what a watt costs, left on all year — published by Look Into

“High network availability equipment, HiNA in the regulation, means kit that has to keep the network up: routers, network switches, wireless access points. That is why it gets the loosest ceiling. The 8W limit has applied since 1 January 2017, down from 12W when networked standby was first regulated in 2015. The 2W limit for everything else has applied since 1 January 2019, down from 6W in 2015 and 3W in 2017.”

UK Always-On Load Index 2026: what a watt costs, left on all year — published by Look Into

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

Service · Also: BUS

The government grant of £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump in England and Wales, or £9,000 for off-gas-grid homes from 21 July 2026, paid through an MCS-certified installer.

Evidence from Look Into

“The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) gives £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump in England & Wales, rising to £9,000 for off-gas-grid homes from 21 July 2026. Scotland offers up to £9,000 plus an interest-free loan. Check eligibility.”

Heat Pump Grants UK 2026: The Boiler Upgrade Scheme — published by Look Into

“You currently need a fossil-fuel system (e.g. a gas or oil boiler) or electric heating without a heat pump. The grant is paid through your MCS-certified installer, who applies on your behalf.”

Heat Pump Grants UK 2026: The Boiler Upgrade Scheme — published by Look Into

Disabled Facilities Grant

Service · Also: DFG

The main public grant for home adaptations in the UK, paid by councils: up to £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales and £35,000 in Northern Ireland.

Evidence from Look Into

“The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is the main public funding for home adaptations in the UK, from a grab rail or ramp to a stairlift, walk-in bath or full bathroom conversion. This page brings the current limits, funding and delivery figures into one independent reference, with our own read on what the numbers mean for someone applying in 2026. It is a guide, not financial advice; your council decides each application.”

Disabled Facilities Grant 2026 — published by Look Into

“The maximum grant is £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales and £35,000 in Northern Ireland, the figure the Housing Executive gives (GOV.UK still shows £25,000). Scotland uses a separate Scheme of Assistance.”

Disabled Facilities Grant 2026 — published by Look Into

“LookInto analysis: the average award of about £7,536 is only a quarter of the £30,000 cap, so most adaptations are modest, such as a stairlift, a ramp or a level-access shower rather than a major rebuild. At that average, the £723 million budget is enough to fund roughly 96,000 adaptations a year, against the 58,606 completed in 2023/24.”

Disabled Facilities Grant 2026 — published by Look Into