What’s the cost of electricity per kWh right now?

• Electricity usage is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh)
• Electricity currently costs 27.69 pence per kWh.
• It will cost 24.67p per kWh from April
• The Energy Price Cap determines the maximum cost of domestic energy
• Solar panels will reduce your energy bills by 70% on average (according to the Energy Saving Trust)

The current price of electricity is 27.69 pence per kilowatt-hour (kWh) following the change to the energy price cap on 1 January 2026.

This will change on 1 April 2026, electricity will cost 24.67p per kWh and gas 5.74p per kWh. Households will also pay a daily standing charge of 57.21p for electricity and 29.09p for gas. These rates are set under Ofgem’s latest Energy Price Cap, which changes every three months.

Compared to previous rates, this means the average household will save around £10 more per month.

In this guide, we’ll explain how electricity and gas prices are set, what the standing charge means, and how the price cap affects your bills, plus whether renewable energy might help you cut costs further.

How much does electricity cost per kWh?

According to Ofgem’s most recent announcement, the price of electricity will increase from 1 April to 30 June 2026 to 24.67p per kWh, a 7% decrease from 27.69p.

Below is the average price for energy if you pay by Direct Debit over the last three quarters. However, this price may vary slightly depending on your payment method and location.

*Data courtesy of Ofgem

UK consumer electricity prices kWh: Single-rate and multi-rate

The average cost of electricity varies by region and changes every three months once Ofgem announces a new price cap. 

Electricity standing charges and unit rates paid by Direct Debit, single rate

From 1 April 2026, the regional price cap for those who pay by Direct Debit and a single rate:

*Data courtesy of Ofgem

Electricity standing charges and unit rates paid by Direct debit, multi-rate 

If you pay different prices for the used electricity at different times of day, also known as a multi-rate and includes Economy 7 meters, this is what you’ll pay under the cap if you pay by Direct Debit:

*Data courtesy of Ofgem

How is energy cost determined in the UK?

The energy price cap largely determines the cost of domestic energy in the UK. 

The UK’s energy price cap and Energy Price Guarantee set a maximum price that energy suppliers can charge the average consumer for each kWh of energy they use. These ensure that prices for customers on default energy tariffs are fair. 

The price cap is set by Ofgem, the government’s energy regulator, and it changes every three months. 

It’s calculated using Typical Domestic Consumption Values (TDCVs) which give consumers an idea of the average energy use of different households. 

Even though the price cap is given as a set number, that number represents what the average household will pay. 

It’s not a set upper limit, and some people will pay less and some more, based on how much electricity they use – those who use less than the average household will pay less than the cap, and those who use more will pay more. 

The price cap also varies slightly by region, so the figures Ofgem releases at the start of each new price cap period are just averages.

What is the Spark Gap?

The Spark Gap is the name given to the difference between the price of electricity and gas. It’s often pinpointed as one of the main hurdles in the rollout of clean technology, especially heat pumps.

What is a kilowatt-hour?

A kilowatt-hour, kWh for short, is used to measure the amount of energy someone is using. You’ll most likely have seen it on your energy bills, as electricity providers charge customers based on how much electricity they use per kWh. 

For example, one kWh of electricity is enough to power a 100-watt lightbulb for 10 hours. 

Some might get kW and kWh mixed up, but they are different. A kW measures how much power an electric appliance consumes, while a kWh measures the energy an appliance has consumed over a period of time.

You can liken the two to looking at the speed of your car for a single moment (let’s say you’re doing 30 mph) and the total distance you’ve traveled over, say, an hour. The former (kW) is like your current speed, and the latter (kWh) is the total distance (total consumption) you’ve covered.

What is typical domestic consumption?

Ofgem determines how much energy the typical household uses by looking at historical averages. 

They consider different types of meters and high and low energy use to come up with the current average. Your actual consumption might be higher or lower than the estimates Ofgem gives. 

Ofgem’s average values are then used to estimate the annual amount charged to a typical household that pays by Direct Debit and is on a standard variable tariff. 

Courtesy of Ofgem.

Why are energy prices changing?

Recently, the government announced the funding for 2 environmental and social schemes will either end or be funded through general taxes starting in April 2026. As a result, customers will be able to save an average of £150 on energy bills.

What energy bill support is available? 

There are various government-backed schemes available to help some UK customers manage their energy bills, including: 

• Warm Home Discount: some low-income households or those on the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit can get £150 off their energy bills for winter 2025/2026, paid out as a credit between October and March
• Winter Fuel Payment: people born on or before 23 September 1958 can get between £200 and £300 to help pay their energy bills
• Cold Weather Payment: £25 for each seven days of very cold weather (zero degrees Celsius or below) between 1 November 2025 and 31 March 2026. Available for people on certain benefits
• Child Winter Heating Payment: available to help families in Scotland with severely disabled children with heating costs. The payment for winter 2025-2026 is £255.80

We often get asked about government grants for solar panels. For more information on what is available, read our dedicated guide.

Ofgem also requires energy suppliers to provide customers with a payment plan they can afford if they’re unable to pay their bills. All you have to do is contact them.

If you still can’t agree with your supplier, you can contact Citizens Advice or Advice Direct Scotland if you live in Scotland.

What can I do to reduce my energy costs?

There are also small changes you can make straight away to reduce your monthly bills. These include:

• Low-energy LED lighting: The average household has around 34 light bulbs, each using energy, and will spend about £77 on lighting each year. LED lighting uses 75% less energy than halogen lightbulbs, reducing the demand for electricity
• Check your appliances: When buying new appliances, choose energy-efficient appliances. According to the Energy Saving Trust, cooking, cooling or freezing and wet appliances (such as washing machines, dish washers, etc.) account for 13% of an average household’s energy consumption
• Switch to solar energy: Solar energy can save you between hundreds and thousands of pounds per year on your energy bills while reducing your carbon emissions. 
• Turning plugs off: Walk around your home (or office) and unplug anything that isn’t in use. This will ensure you’re not using excess electricity you don’t need to. 
• Install a smart meter: A smart meter will help you understand your electricity usage, allowing you to monitor your daily usage and react accordingly to reduce it.  

What are standing charges?

A standing charge is a fixed daily fee that appears on your energy bills each month. These charges are applied to cover the costs of things like maintaining the energy supply network, meter readings, and other services. 

Standing charges apply irrespective of how much energy you use, and are even applied if a building is empty and not consuming any energy.

Part of these charges include levies raised by the government to pay for initiatives like helping vulnerable households and reducing carbon emissions.

Electricity costs for different ways to pay

The cost of electricity varies based on how you pay and what type of tariff you are on. There are four types of tariffs:

• Standard variable tariff, or ‘default tariff,’ means the price of energy changes every time the price cap changes, usually every three months. You can also pay on receipt of a bill in the mail, which comes every three months
• A prepayment meter is a pay-as-you-go, where you top up your meter using a prepayment card purchased at various locations or online.
• People with fixed-rate tariffs will continue to pay the electricity cost they’ve agreed to pay until the end of their contract.
• Economy 7, or multi-rate, is an electricity tariff offering cheaper rates for off-peak hours and more expensive rates during peak hours.

Everyone must also pay a standing charge, which is a fixed daily amount you have to pay for energy, no matter how much you use.

How much have electricity prices increased over the past decade?

Since 2015, the price of electricity has increased by 54.6%, driven up sharply by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, both of which have put huge pressures on international energy markets. 

As the percentage of the UK’s electricity from renewables increases, electricity prices will become more stable.

Geopolitical crises like the war in Ukraine don’t affect electricity from UK renewables, which can make energy prices shoot up.

However, some renewables, such as solar and wind, are weather-dependent, so electricity prices could increase or decrease in the future depending on the weather. That’s why having electricity from a mix of different renewables is important.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2026, Ofgem, between 1 January and 31 March, set the energy price cap at £1,738 per year for a typical household.

Now, Ofgem has confirmed the energy price cap will decrease by 7% to £1,641 per year. You can check Ofgem’s handy guide to find out more about average gas and electricity usage.

To better understand how much electricity prices have increased over the past decades, check out the graph below.

Summary

• Ofgem determines how much energy is used by the typical household by looking at historical averages
• A kWh is used to measure the amount of energy someone is using
• Ofgem also requires energy suppliers to provide customers with a payment plan they can afford if they’re unable to pay their bills.
• If you still can’t agree with your supplier, you can contact Citizens Advice or Advice Direct Scotland if you live in Scotland
• The cost of electricity varies based on how you pay and what type of tariff you are on

Written By

Tamara Birch Newsletters and sponsored content editor

Tamara is a journalist with more than six years experience writing about environmental topics. This includes advising small businesses on cost-effective ways tom become more sustainable, from installing to solar panels and heat pumps and reducing waste. She has used her journalist and research skills to become highly knowledgeable on sustainable initiatives, issues, and solutions to help consumers do their bit for the environment – all while reducing monthly costs. Now, she’s using this experience to advise homeowners on the benefits of installing low-carbon technologies. She is also qualified in offering innovative initiatives to improve sustainability practices in businesses, from advertising to marketing and publishing.

Her passion for sustainability and eco-friendly solutions stems from a long obsession with nature and animals and ensuring they feel looked after. In her free time, Tamara enjoys reading fantasy novels, visiting the gym, and going on long walks in new areas.

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Maximilian Schwerdtfeger Content manager

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024 and became deputy editor in 2025. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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