UK homes halve gas cooking as ivie app cuts energy use

Chameleon Technology reported a sharp fall in home energy use among UK households using its ivie smart meter app, with gas cooking energy almost halving in December 2025 compared with the same month a year earlier.

The analysis, based on anonymised data from more than 48,000 households that used the app in both December 2024 and December 2025, found total household energy consumption fell 5.5% year on year. The comparison covers a winter month that includes the Christmas period.

The data breaks down consumption by household activity, including cooking and heating, and tracks electricity and gas use separately.

Kitchen changes

Gas cooking showed the largest reduction, down 48.6% in December 2025 compared with December 2024.

The figures suggest households changed how, and when, they use gas appliances. Chameleon linked the shift to cost-of-living pressures and the continued focus on managing household bills.

Lower spend also coincided with lower consumption. Combined electricity and gas spend across the households analysed fell from £6.35 million to £5.93 million, alongside a reduction of more than 2.4 million kWh in energy use.

Heating down

Heating use also fell across both fuels. Gas heating dropped by around 6% year on year for the month, while electric heating declined by nearly 9%.

The moves suggest households reduced demand even during a period when temperatures are typically lower and time at home can rise due to holidays. The reductions were smaller than the fall in gas cooking, but still contributed to the overall drop in consumption.

Energy use for entertainment fell 11% over the period. Lighting and refrigeration also declined, though Chameleon did not provide exact percentages. Always-on devices recorded a slight reduction, but remain a continuing source of household energy use.

App insight

Chameleon markets the ivie app as a tool that illustrates exactly where energy is being consumed within the home, rather than simply displaying total usage. The app provides what it terms "Activity Insights", which categorises energy consumption to give users a granular breakdown.

The company also states that households can predict upcoming bills and receive personalised insights based on their specific home and daily routines. Chameleon did not provide specific details regarding the bill-prediction methodology used in its analysis.

Kyle Brown, Chief Commercial Officer at Chameleon Technology, noted that the figures reflect genuine reductions in energy consumption rather than lower bills resulting solely from fluctuations in market prices.

"What's really striking is that people aren't just spending less because of price changes, they're genuinely using less energy. Even in December, with homes full for Christmas and colder weather, we're seeing households cook less with gas, heat their homes more efficiently, and make different day-to-day choices."

He also linked the changes to the availability of more detailed information about household energy use.

"People don't waste energy on purpose," Brown said. "When you can see where you're using the most energy, rather than just one large number, households can make small changes that add up. That's exactly what ivie empowers users to do, which this data backs. With the right tools and information, cutting energy use is possible, even in the middle of winter."

Market reach

Chameleon supplies in-home displays used by energy customers and says more than 20 million people in Great Britain have access to its display technology-more than a third of homes.

The company is based primarily in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, with operations in France and Hong Kong. It has worked in smart energy devices since 2010, according to company information.

The dataset covers app users active in both comparison months, creating a consistent cohort for the year-on-year measurement. However, the results reflect the behaviour of households using a smart meter app, rather than the wider population.

Chameleon plans further work on household consumption patterns using ivie data, alongside continued development of its in-home display products and the ivie app.