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Once we have generated the electricity we have to get it from the power station to the socket, so that we can use it. We can move electricity all over the country using a huge network of wires. It's a bit like moving water down a pipe. The trouble is, like water, electricity is very powerful. And if we move too much of it too quickly, it can be very dangerous.
So for the first part of its journey from the power station to our homes, we carry electricity on big high wires high above the ground supported by big towers called pylons. At this stage the electricity is still very powerful. Once the electricity gets a bit nearer to where it is needed we need to turn the pressure, or voltage, down a little (a bit like turning down a tap). We do this at an electricity substation where the electricity comes in under a very high voltage and leaves at a lower, safer, more useable voltage.
The electricity is carried from the substations into our homes down cables buried underground.This means that they are out of the way and that the electricity can be carried along quickly and safely.
 These cables, or wires, come right into our homes, usually near the front door, and are then carried under the floor or across the ceiling or through the wall, to all the electric switches and electric sockets in our homes.
 Along the way they pass through an electricity meter which measures how much electricity we are using. Every few months someone from the electricity company comes along to our homes to read the electricity meter to find out how much electricity we have used. Then they send us a letter asking us to pay for it.
That is called an electricity bill.
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