Household energy prices
What energy costs in Britain
Official Ofgem energy price cap rates, what changes at the next cap, how prices differ by region, and what a typical household actually pays.
Right now
Current electricity and gas prices
Electricity unit rate
26.11p
per kWh, including VAT
Electricity standing charge
57.19p
per day, including VAT
Gas unit rate
7.33p
per kWh, including VAT
Gas standing charge
29.04p
per day, including VAT
Typical annual dual-fuel bill
£1,663
Ofgem's published figure for a household using typical amounts of energy (2,500 kWh electricity and 9,500 kWh gas a year), paying by direct debit.
- Cap period
- 1 Jul – 30 Sept 2026
- Payment method
- Direct Debit
- VAT
- Included (5%)
- Geography
- England, Scotland & Wales
The price cap limits the unit rate and standing charge suppliers can charge on covered default tariffs. It does not cap your total bill: the more energy you use, the more you pay.
Source: Ofgem, Final levelised cap rates model (Annex 9) v1.10 · July 2026 - September 2026.
Next cap
What happens to energy prices next?
| Current | From 1 October | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity unit rate | 26.11p | 26.32p | +0.21p |
| Electricity standing charge | 57.19p | 54.83p | −2.36p |
| Gas unit rate | 7.33p | 7.97p | +0.64p |
| Gas standing charge | 29.04p | 29.68p | +0.65p |
| Typical annual bill | £1,663 | £1,723 | +£60 |
Announced rates for 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026, direct debit, single-rate electricity, England, Scotland & Wales average, including VAT. Source: Ofgem Annex 9 v1.11.
Regions
Energy prices where you live
Energy prices by region
| East Midlands | 25.10p | 53.60p | 7.19p | 28.78p | £1,611 |
| North West | 26.13p | 47.61p | 7.24p | 29.17p | £1,621 |
| London | 26.35p | 44.78p | 7.50p | 29.52p | £1,642 |
| Midlands | 25.33p | 59.71p | 7.27p | 29.06p | £1,648 |
| Eastern | 26.38p | 53.94p | 7.26p | 28.70p | £1,651 |
| Southern | 26.42p | 49.70p | 7.53p | 28.53p | £1,661 |
| Northern | 25.22p | 64.29p | 7.28p | 29.15p | £1,663 |
| Northern Scotland | 26.42p | 57.55p | 7.23p | 29.22p | £1,664 |
| Yorkshire | 25.30p | 64.38p | 7.27p | 29.12p | £1,664 |
| South East | 26.67p | 54.45p | 7.39p | 28.63p | £1,672 |
| Southern Scotland | 25.85p | 64.17p | 7.23p | 29.24p | £1,674 |
| South Wales | 26.33p | 57.84p | 7.42p | 29.30p | £1,682 |
| Southern Western | 26.39p | 57.89p | 7.48p | 28.68p | £1,686 |
| N Wales and Mersey | 27.66p | 70.76p | 7.28p | 29.42p | £1,748 |
Cheapest region
East Midlands
£1,611 a year
Most expensive region
N Wales and Mersey
£1,748 a year
Difference
£138/year
Typical dual-fuel household
Typical annual cost uses Ofgem's typical consumption values, single-rate electricity and direct debit, including VAT. Region names are Ofgem's own charge restriction regions.
History
How energy prices have changed
Each point is one Ofgem cap period (direct debit, England, Scotland & Wales average, including VAT). Coverage starts with the earliest Annex 9 workbook Ofgem currently publishes.
Your bill
What are you actually paying for?
Wholesale energy
The cost of buying the gas and electricity you use. This is the largest part of a typical bill and the main reason prices move between cap periods.
Networks
Building and maintaining the pipes, wires, pylons and substations that carry energy to your home, plus the cost of balancing the system.
Operating costs
What it costs suppliers to run: billing, metering, customer service and the cost of debt from unpaid bills.
Policy costs
Government schemes charged through bills, such as support for low-income households and funding for low-carbon generation.
VAT
Domestic energy is charged at a reduced VAT rate of 5%, applied to everything above.
Standing charge
A fixed daily amount you pay for each fuel, whatever you use. It mainly covers network and metering costs and the cost of supplier failures.
The price cap is built from these components. Ofgem sets an allowance for each one, then converts the total into a unit rate and a standing charge for every region.
Calculator
What will you actually pay?
Leave a box empty to use Ofgem's typical household usage. Rates used are for the England, Scotland & Wales average, look up your postcode above to use your own region.
Estimated annual cost
£–
- Monthly equivalent
- £–
- Energy you use
- £–
- Standing charges
- £–
- Estimate at next cap
- £–
Uses Ofgem capped direct debit rates for 1 Jul – 30 Sept 2026, including VAT and standing charges. The next-cap estimate uses the announced rates for 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.
Questions
Energy price questions
What is the energy price cap?
It is a limit set by Ofgem, Britain's energy regulator, on the price suppliers can charge households on standard variable and other default tariffs. It caps the price per unit of energy (kWh) and the daily standing charge for both gas and electricity.
Does the price cap cap my bill?
No. The cap limits rates, not totals. The widely quoted figure is what a household using typical amounts of energy would pay over a year. Use more energy and you pay more; use less and you pay less.
What is a standing charge?
A fixed daily amount you pay for each fuel even if you use nothing. It covers the cost of keeping your home connected: the wires and pipes, meter maintenance, and the cost of taking on customers when a supplier fails.
Why do energy prices vary by region?
The cost of running the local network differs across Britain, and those costs are passed on where they arise. Ofgem therefore sets a separate cap for each of 14 charge restriction regions, so unit rates and standing charges differ depending on where you live.
Are electricity and gas prices going up?
The direction changes each quarter. This page shows the current cap and, when Ofgem has published it, the next cap alongside the change in pence and pounds, so you can see exactly which way prices are moving.
Does Northern Ireland use the Ofgem price cap?
No. The Ofgem price cap covers England, Scotland and Wales only. Northern Ireland has a separate energy market regulated by the Utility Regulator, with its own suppliers and price controls.
How often does Ofgem change the cap?
Every three months. Cap periods run from January, April, July and October, and Ofgem normally announces the new rates around a month before each one begins.