Using the equivalent inclusion method (a method strongly related to the Hashin-Shtrikman variational principle) as a surrogate model, we propose a variance reduction strategy for the numerical homogenization of random composites made of inclusions (or rather inhomogeneities) embedded in a homogeneous matrix. The efficiency of this strategy is demonstrated within the framework of two-dimensional, linear conductivity. Significant computational gains vs full-field simulations are obtained even for high contrast values. We also show that our strategy allows to investigate the influence of parameters of the microstructure on the macroscopic response. Our strategy readily extends to three-dimensional problems and to linear elasticity. Attention is paid to the computational cost of the surrogate model. In particular, an inexpensive approximation of the so-called influence tensors (that are used to compute the surrogate model) is proposed.