What are the current Ofgem energy price cap unit rates for electricity and gas?

Full answer

The Ofgem energy price cap sets a maximum unit rate -- the price per kilowatt hour (kWh) of energy actually used -- that suppliers can charge customers on a default or standard variable tariff, reviewed and updated every three months. For the April-June 2026 cap period, the maximum unit rate is 24.67p per kWh for electricity and 5.74p per kWh for gas, figures which apply UK-wide (excluding Northern Ireland, which has its own separate regulator) and represent the average cap level, since exact regional rates can vary slightly by area due to differences in network costs. Electricity costs more than four times as much per kWh as gas, which is why homes with gas central heating typically find their heating costs far lower than homes relying on electric heating, even though electricity is often used more efficiently by modern appliances. To estimate a typical annual bill, Ofgem combines these unit rates with assumed average consumption figures for a medium-use household (based on data such as 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas a year) and adds the daily standing charges, arriving at the widely quoted £1,641 typical annual dual-fuel bill for a household paying by direct debit under this cap period -- though any individual household's actual bill depends entirely on their own consumption, which can be significantly higher or lower than the typical assumption. It's important to understand that the cap limits the rate per unit, not the total bill: a household that uses twice the assumed average consumption will pay roughly twice as much as the £1,641 typical figure, even though they remain fully within the price cap, because the cap does not place any ceiling on total spending, only on the price charged for each unit consumed and the standing charge applied each day. Comparing unit rates between suppliers on default tariffs is largely pointless since they are all bound by the same capped rate, but customers can still find savings by switching to competitively priced fixed-term tariffs, which are not directly bound by the cap and can sometimes undercut it, particularly when wholesale prices are expected to rise in future cap periods. Use the energy bill calculator to estimate your annual cost based on your own usage.

Try the calculator

More answers

• How often does Ofgem review and change the energy price cap?
• What is the standing charge in the Ofgem energy price cap and why do I pay it?