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EDF Heat Pump Tracker is a time based electricity tariff created for homes with heat pumps. It offers two discounted periods each day, allowing households to heat their property and hot water at a lower electricity price without facing a separate evening peak rate. The discounted periods run from 4am until 7am and from 1pm until 4pm. Electricity used during these six hours costs 10 pence per kilowatt hour less than EDF Standard Variable in the customer's region. During the remaining eighteen hours, electricity is charged at the regional EDF Standard Variable rate. The standing charge is also aligned with EDF Standard Variable. This guide was checked on 11 July 2026.
Heat Pump Tracker divides the day into two prices. The discounted price applies from 4am to 7am and again from 1pm to 4pm. The standard price applies at all other times. EDF sets the discounted price exactly 10 pence per kilowatt hour below its Standard Variable electricity rate for the customer's region. If the regional standard rate were 25.10 pence, for example, the Heat Pump Tracker rate would be 15.10 pence during the two reduced price periods. The tariff does not have a special expensive period. Electricity used between 4pm and 7pm remains at the ordinary regional day rate rather than being increased above it. This distinguishes Heat Pump Tracker from tariffs that fund cheaper periods through a higher evening peak.
The discounted rate is applied through the household smart meter. This means all electricity used during the two cheaper periods receives the reduced price. The benefit is not limited to the heat pump. A household can also operate an immersion heater, dishwasher, washing machine or home battery during the discounted hours where this can be done safely and conveniently. A heat pump will usually represent the largest flexible electrical load, but moving other consumption into the same periods can increase the total saving. The household should avoid creating an unnecessary demand spike by switching every large appliance on at exactly 4am or 1pm. Equipment should be scheduled according to the capacity of the electrical supply and the needs of the property.
Heat Pump Tracker is a flexible tariff rather than a fixed price product. Its standard unit rate and standing charge follow EDF Standard Variable prices in the customer's region. These prices are normally reviewed every three months when the Ofgem energy price cap changes. The 10 pence discount remains the same even when the underlying standard rate changes. If EDF Standard Variable rises from 25 pence to 28 pence per kilowatt hour, the discounted Heat Pump Tracker rate would rise from 15 pence to 18 pence. If the standard rate later falls to 23 pence, the discounted rate would fall to 13 pence. The tariff therefore gives customers access to future price cap reductions, but it also passes through price cap increases. From 1 July 2026, the Ofgem price cap increased to an annual headline figure of ยฃ1,862 for a typical dual fuel household under the former consumption assumptions. Actual electricity rates vary by region, meter type and payment method, so the precise Heat Pump Tracker prices must be checked against the customer's postcode.
The first reduced price period runs from 4am until 7am. This window allows the heat pump to warm the property before occupants begin their day. It can also be used to heat a domestic hot water cylinder before morning bathing and washing. The second period runs from 1pm until 4pm. This allows the heat pump to increase the building temperature before national electricity demand rises during the evening. A suitable control strategy may raise the indoor target temperature slightly during the discounted periods and reduce it outside them. This does not mean allowing the property to become cold. Heat pumps normally operate most efficiently when maintaining a stable temperature rather than repeatedly reheating a cold building. The aim is to move part of the heating demand rather than forcing all heat pump operation into six hours.
The afternoon window can be particularly useful because it ends immediately before the common 4pm to 7pm electricity peak. A well insulated home can retain some of the heat produced between 1pm and 4pm. The heat pump may then reduce its electrical demand during the early evening while the indoor temperature remains comfortable. The building itself acts as a limited thermal store. Floors, walls, furniture and the water in the heating system absorb heat and release it gradually. The effectiveness of this approach depends on the property. A modern, well insulated home may hold its temperature for several hours. An older building with substantial heat loss may cool more quickly and require continued heat pump operation. Heat Pump Tracker does not penalise this continued use with a special peak rate. Electricity needed after 4pm is charged at the normal regional day price.
EDF advertises a potential annual saving of up to ยฃ146 compared with its Standard tariff. The actual result depends on the amount of electricity the household moves into the discounted periods. The saving can be estimated simply because every qualifying unit receives a 10 pence discount. If a household uses 1,000 kilowatt hours during the discounted periods, the annual saving is approximately ยฃ100. If 1,460 kilowatt hours are used during those periods, the saving is approximately ยฃ146. A household shifting 2,000 kilowatt hours into the discounted periods would save around ยฃ200 compared with paying the full regional Standard Variable rate for the same units. These figures assume the household would otherwise use the same electricity at the standard rate. They do not include changes in total consumption caused by weather, heating settings or household behaviour.
A heat pump moves heat rather than creating all of it directly from electricity. Its efficiency is often described using a seasonal performance factor. A seasonal performance factor of 3 means that the system delivers approximately three units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed across the season. A home requiring 12,000 kilowatt hours of useful heating and hot water with a seasonal performance factor of 3 would use roughly 4,000 kilowatt hours of electricity for the heat pump. If 40 per cent of that consumption could be placed inside the discounted periods, 1,600 kilowatt hours would receive the 10 pence reduction. This would create an estimated annual saving of ยฃ160 compared with the regional Standard rate. The real performance depends on outdoor temperature, flow temperature, radiator or underfloor heating design, hot water production and the quality of the installation.
Tariff savings depend on the heat pump control strategy. A badly configured system may operate inefficiently even when electricity is cheap. Running the heat pump at an unnecessarily high flow temperature can reduce efficiency and increase total consumption. Weather compensation can help by adjusting the heating water temperature according to outdoor conditions. Lower flow temperatures generally allow the heat pump to work more efficiently, provided the radiators or underfloor heating system can deliver enough heat. Customers should not repeatedly switch the heat pump completely off to chase cheap periods. A steady operating pattern with modest adjustments is often more effective than allowing the property to cool and then demanding a rapid recovery. The installer or heat pump manufacturer should provide guidance on scheduling, weather compensation and hot water settings.
EDF states that Heat Pump Tracker is available to customers with a heat pump regardless of the equipment's make or model. The heat pump does not need to have been installed by EDF. The household must have a compatible smart meter that sends electricity readings every thirty minutes. Half hourly data allows EDF to determine how much electricity was consumed during each discounted window and how much was used at the standard rate. The customer must also pay by Direct Debit. New EDF customers normally join EDF Standard Variable first while the supplier completes the account transfer and checks the smart meter connection. The account can then be moved onto Heat Pump Tracker once the technical requirements are confirmed.
Heat Pump Tracker has no exit fee. A customer can move to another EDF tariff or switch supplier if the tariff no longer suits the household. There is no financial leaving charge attached to the current product. This flexibility is useful because heat pump consumption can be difficult to predict before the system has operated through a complete winter. A customer may discover that another time based tariff better matches the property, particularly where the household also has an electric vehicle, solar panels or battery storage. The absence of an exit fee allows the tariff to be tested without the same early leaving risk associated with many fixed products.
FreePhase Static and FreePhase Dynamic provide seven cheaper overnight hours from 11pm until 6am. They also apply a higher red price from 4pm until 7pm. Heat Pump Tracker provides only six discounted hours, but it does not impose an expensive red period. The remaining electricity is charged at the regional Standard Variable rate. FreePhase may be attractive to a highly flexible household with an electric vehicle and battery capable of avoiding most evening imports. Heat Pump Tracker may be easier for a household whose heating must continue during the evening. The best option depends on the amount of electricity used in each time period, not simply on the lowest advertised rate.
GoElectric currently offers seven overnight hours at 6.99 pence per kilowatt hour from 11pm until 6am. It is aimed at electric vehicle owners and has a higher daytime rate determined by the regional quotation. A household with both a heat pump and an electric vehicle should compare the complete annual cost of both tariffs. GoElectric may produce larger savings where the vehicle and a home battery consume substantial electricity overnight. Heat Pump Tracker may suit a home needing cheap heating both before breakfast and during the afternoon. The calculation should include heat pump consumption, vehicle mileage, charger losses, daytime household use and standing charges.
Solar panels may reduce electricity imports during the 1pm to 4pm discounted period, particularly in spring and summer. This means the afternoon tariff discount may be used less when solar generation is strong. During winter, solar generation is lower and heating demand is higher, making the afternoon discount more valuable. A home battery can charge during either reduced price window and support the property later. The financial benefit depends on battery efficiency and the difference between the discounted and standard rates. Because the price difference is exactly 10 pence per kilowatt hour, battery losses must be considered. A battery with 90 per cent round trip efficiency will return less energy than it absorbs. Using the battery to shift electricity may still be worthwhile, but the saving per unit will be lower than the full 10 pence difference after losses and battery wear are included.
Heat Pump Tracker is best suited to households that already have a heat pump and can schedule a meaningful share of heating and hot water production between 4am and 7am and between 1pm and 4pm. It is especially useful where the property can retain heat after the afternoon period without requiring very heavy operation during the evening. The tariff may be less valuable where the heat pump already receives most of its electricity from solar panels during the afternoon, or where household routines prevent demand from being moved into either discounted window. It may also be outperformed by an electric vehicle tariff where overnight car and battery charging dominate total electricity use. EDF Heat Pump Tracker offers a straightforward discount rather than a complex wholesale pricing model. The customer receives 10 pence off the regional standard rate during six known hours each day, faces no additional peak rate and can leave without paying an exit fee. Its true value depends on heat pump efficiency, building heat loss, control settings and the amount of electricity that can be moved into the two discounted periods without reducing comfort.
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