OFGEM PRICE CAP · 2019–2026
Energy price cap history
Ofgem’s price cap started at £1,137 a year for a typical dual-fuel Direct Debit household in January 2019, peaked at £4,279 in Jan–Mar 2023, and is £1,723 for Oct–Dec 2026. Here is every cap period, as Ofgem announced it.
NOW
£1,723Oct–Dec 2026, +3.6%PEAK
£4,279Jan–Mar 2023 (households paid about £2,500)LOWEST
£1,042Oct 2020–Mar 2021NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT
25 Nov 2026for January–March 2027Typical bill at the capEnergy Price Guarantee, about £2,500Typical consumption changed
Every price cap since 2019
Changes are shown only where Ofgem gives the previous period on the same consumption basis. Rates are GB averages for Direct Debit; Ofgem published them from October 2021.
| Cap period | Typical bill (£/year) | Change | Electricity (p/kWh) | Electricity standing (p/day) | Gas (p/kWh) | Gas standing (p/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct–Dec 2026 | £1,723 | +£60 (+3.6%) | 26.32 | 54.83 | 7.97 | 29.68 |
| Jul–Sept 2026New typical use: 2,500 kWh electricity, 9,500 kWh gasRates source | £1,663 | +£186 (+12.6%) | 26.11 | 57.19 | 7.33 | 29.04 |
| Apr–Jun 2026Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,641 | −£117 (−6.7%) | 24.67 | 57.21 | 5.74 | 29.09 |
| Jan–Mar 2026Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,758 | +£3 (+0.2%) | 27.69 | 54.75 | 5.93 | 35.09 |
| Oct–Dec 2025Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,755 | +£35 (+2.0%) | 26.35 | 53.68 | 6.29 | 34.03 |
| Jul–Sept 2025Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,720 | −£129 (−7.0%) | 25.73 | 51.37 | 6.33 | 29.82 |
| Apr–Jun 2025Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,849 | +£111 (+6.4%) | 27.03 | 53.80 | 6.99 | 32.67 |
| Jan–Mar 2025Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,738 | +£21 (+1.2%) | 24.86 | 60.97 | 6.34 | 31.65 |
| Oct–Dec 2024Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,717 | +£149 (+9.5%) | 24.50 | 60.99 | 6.24 | 31.66 |
| Jul–Sept 2024Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,568 | −£122 (−7.2%) | 22.36 | 60.12 | 5.48 | 31.41 |
| Apr–Jun 2024Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,690 | −£238 (−12.3%) | 24.50 | 60.10 | 6.04 | 31.43 |
| Jan–Mar 2024Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,928 | +£94 (+5.1%) | 28.62 | 53.35 | 7.42 | 29.60 |
| Oct–Dec 2023New typical use: 2,700 kWh electricity, 11,500 kWh gasRates source | £1,834 | −£142 (−7.2%) | 27.35 | 53.37 | 6.89 | 29.62 |
| Jul–Sept 2023Rates source | £2,074 | −£1,206 (−36.8%) | 30 | 53 | 8 | 29 |
| Apr–Jun 2023Energy Price Guarantee: about £2,500 paidRates source | £3,280 | −£999 (−23.3%) | 51 | 53 | 13 | 29 |
| Jan–Mar 2023Energy Price Guarantee: about £2,500 paidRates source | £4,279 | +£730 (+20.6%) | 67 | 46 | 17 | 28 |
| Oct–Dec 2022Energy Price Guarantee: about £2,500 paidRates source | £3,549 | +£1,578 (+80.1%) | 52 | 46 | 15 | 28 |
| Apr–Sept 2022Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,971 | +£694 (+54.3%) | 28 | 45 | 7 | 27 |
| Oct 2021–Mar 2022Rates source (archived Ofgem page) | £1,277 | +£139 (+12.2%) | 21 | 25 | 4 | 26 |
| Apr–Sept 2021 | £1,138 | +£96 (+9.2%) | Not published | |||
| Oct 2020–Mar 2021New typical use: 2,900 kWh electricity, 12,000 kWh gas | £1,042 | −£84 (−7.5%) | Not published | |||
| Apr–Sept 2020 | £1,162 | −£17 (−1.4%) | Not published | |||
| Oct 2019–Mar 2020 | £1,179 | −£75 (−6.0%) | Not published | |||
| Apr–Sept 2019 | £1,254 | +£117 (+10.3%) | Not published | |||
| Jan–Mar 2019 | £1,137 | — | Not published | |||
GB average Direct Debit rates as Ofgem printed them: rounded to the nearest penny until September 2023, two decimal places from October 2023. Electricity rates include 5% VAT until 30 September 2026 and 0% VAT from 1 October 2026; gas includes 5% VAT. Ofgem did not publish GB average rates before October 2021. Rates for October 2021 to September 2022 and January 2024 to June 2026 come from Internet Archive captures of Ofgem pages, because Ofgem’s live page shows only the latest periods.
Why the figures are not directly comparable
The typical bill is a cap level priced at a typical amount of energy, and Ofgem has changed that amount three times. Each change moves the typical bill without changing any price:
- From 1 January 2019: 3,100 kWh electricity, 12,000 kWh gas a year.
- From 1 April 2020: 2,900 kWh electricity, 12,000 kWh gas a year.
- From 1 October 2023: 2,700 kWh electricity, 11,500 kWh gas a year.
- From 1 July 2026: 2,500 kWh electricity, 9,500 kWh gas a year.
Unit rates and standing charges do not depend on that basis, so they are the fairer comparison. Two more things change the rates themselves: electricity has carried 0% VAT since 1 October 2026 (5% before), and Ofgem published rates rounded to the penny until September 2023.
The Energy Price Guarantee
From 1 October 2022 to 30 June 2023 the government’s Energy Price Guarantee limited what households paid: a typical dual-fuel Direct Debit bill of about £2,500 a year. The cap level was higher in those periods, but households were charged the lower guarantee rates. The cap peaked at £4,279 in Jan–Mar 2023. From July 2023 the cap fell below the guarantee, so households paid the cap again.
How unit rates have moved
Since October 2023, when Ofgem started publishing rates to two decimal places, the GB average electricity unit rate has ranged from 22.36p to 28.62p per kWh, and gas from 5.48p to 7.97p. Today’s electricity rates by region →
Frequently asked questions
What was the highest energy price cap?
£4,279 a year for a typical dual-fuel Direct Debit household, from 1 January 2023 to 31 March 2023. Households did not pay that level: the government’s Energy Price Guarantee held a typical bill at about £2,500 from October 2022 to June 2023.
What was the lowest energy price cap?
£1,042 a year, from 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021, measured at the typical consumption values used then (2,900 kWh electricity, 12,000 kWh gas).
When did the energy price cap start?
Ofgem’s default tariff cap started on 1 January 2019 at £1,137 a year for a typical dual-fuel Direct Debit customer. It changed every six months until September 2022 and has changed every three months since October 2022.
Can I compare the typical bill across years?
Only with care. Ofgem has changed the typical consumption it uses three times, most recently to 2,500 kWh electricity, 9,500 kWh gas from 1 July 2026, which lowers the typical bill without changing any price. Unit rates and standing charges are the better comparison, and the 0% VAT rate on electricity from October 2026 also affects comparisons.
What is the price cap now?
From 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026, £1,723 a year for a typical dual-fuel Direct Debit household, with electricity at 26.32p per kWh and gas at 7.97p per kWh. Ofgem will announce the next cap by 25 November 2026.
About these figures
Each typical bill is the figure Ofgem announced for that period, at the consumption values in force then. Where Ofgem later restated a figure on a new basis, the change column uses the restated figure. Cap levels are maximums for default tariffs, not what every household paid.
Sources
- Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges ↗Current and previous period rates.
- Ofgem: default tariff cap and price cap letters and summaries, 2019–2026 ↗Each period’s typical bill. Every document used is linked from the table on this page.
- Ofgem: typical domestic consumption values decision, 2020 (PDF) ↗Consumption bases before and after April 2020.
- Ofgem: energy price cap will rise by 4% from October 2026 ↗Latest change, and the earlier typical consumption basis.
Last updated 12 October 2026. Figures are dated benchmarks taken from the sources above. How we use sources →