Ofgem price cap · 14 GB regions · bill calculator
What will your UK energy bill cost in 2026?
The current Ofgem default-tariff cap is £1,862 a year for a typical dual-fuel home. We turn Ofgem's quarterly cap, the 14 regional variations, and the full price history into one clear answer, and a calculator that estimates your own bill.
Quick browse
Everything on PlainEnergyBills is built from Ofgem's published price cap, currently £1,862 for July – September 2026.
- GB regions
- 14
- Quarters of cap history
- 23
- UK suppliers profiled
- 20
- Data since
- 2019
Bill rank is not population rank
According to Ofgem's July – September 2026 default-tariff cap, the typical dual-fuel bill is £1,862. East Midlands is cheapest at £1,805 (#1 of 14 on bill) while London is largest (#1 of 14 on population) at £1,845 (bill rank #4). The GB typical is up 13% this quarter.
Where the 14 DNO boards sit
Exclusive cut of the 14 GB distribution boards by nation of the DNO territory. Wales-linked covers South Wales plus Merseyside & North Wales (a board that spans both). Orthogonal to the bill≠population dual above: a roster count, not a price rank.
Ofgem default-tariff price cap, last 12 quarters
Typical dual-fuel direct-debit bill (TDCV 2,700 kWh elec / 11,500 kWh gas). Latest: £1,862, July – September 2026. The 2023 energy-crisis peak of £4,279 falls outside this recent window - see the full quarterly history on the Trends page.
The Ofgem cap peaked at £4,279 in January – March 2023 during the energy crisis and now stands at £1,862 for July – September 2026, a change of 13% on the prior quarter. Source: Ofgem price cap decisions, published 2026-05-27.
The regional cost map
The cap is set separately for each of the 14 GB distribution regions. This heatmap shows how a typical bill varies across the country for July – September 2026 - East Midlands is cheapest at £1,805, Merseyside & North Wales dearest at £1,950, a £145 spread for identical usage.
Each tile is one of the 14 GB electricity distribution regions, shaded by typical annual dual-fuel bill under the Ofgem cap for July – September 2026 (£1,805 cheapest → £1,950 dearest). Source: Ofgem price cap.
Understand your bill
Understanding the Ofgem price cap
How the quarterly default-tariff cap is calculated and what it limits.
Unit cost vs standing charge
The two-part price: a per-kWh unit rate plus a fixed daily standing charge.
Reducing your bill
Switching, usage and efficiency, the three levers that actually move the bill.
Regional price differences
Why the 14 distribution regions are capped at different levels.
The standing-charge debate
Why fixed daily charges have climbed and who they hit hardest.
Price-cap trends
Quarter-by-quarter cap evolution, standing-charge growth and the regional gap.
Regions & research
Cheapest regions
East Midlands leads at £1,805 a year this period.
Most expensive regions
Merseyside & North Wales tops the table at £1,950 a year.
Standing-charge trajectory
How the fixed daily charge climbed across the price-cap era.
Cap quarterly evolution
£1,137 → £4,279 peak → £1,862 now.
Regional cost-gap analysis
What separates East Midlands from Merseyside & North Wales - a £145 gap.
The standing-charge rise
Why fixed daily charges jumped and how SoLR recovery drove it.
According to Ofgem, the default tariff cap has been reset every quarter since January 2019, when it launched at £1,137 a year for a typical dual-fuel household; it peaked at £4,279 in January 2023 during the energy crisis before falling back. Every price-cap figure on PlainEnergyBills is drawn from Ofgem's published quarterly decisions and public UK supplier registers, see our methodology for the full sources and method.
Download the GB regional Ofgem-cap extract: energy-bill-statistics.csv (same CSV as /statistics).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current Ofgem energy price cap?
For July – September 2026, the Ofgem default tariff cap is £1,862 a year for a typical dual-fuel household paying by direct debit - up 13% on the previous quarter. The cap is a limit on unit rates and standing charges, not a maximum bill, and is reset quarterly.
How is the price cap calculated?
Ofgem sets the cap quarterly. Wholesale energy is the largest component (typically half to two-thirds of the bill), followed by network/distribution costs (about a fifth) and supplier operating costs plus an allowed margin. Wholesale costs are derived from forward gas and electricity market prices over a defined observation window before each announcement.
Does the price cap apply to fixed-rate deals?
No. The cap applies only to standard variable tariffs (the default if you have never switched or your fixed deal ended). Fixed-rate deals can be priced above or below the prevailing cap; switching to a competitive fixed deal is the main way to escape quarterly cap volatility.
Why are standing charges so high?
Daily standing charges rose steeply through the energy crisis and remain near record highs, the electricity standing charge alone is 57.19p/day this period. The rise reflects Supplier-of-Last-Resort cost recovery from the 2021–22 supplier failures plus network and policy costs. Ofgem has consulted on standing-charge reform.
Why does my region cost more than London?
Distribution-network costs vary by region, so the cap is set separately for each of the 14 GB distribution regions. The cheapest region this period is East Midlands (£1,805) and the most expensive is Merseyside & North Wales (£1,950) - a gap of £145 a year for identical usage.
About this data
How PlainEnergyBills works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainEnergyBills is a plain-language reference for the UK Ofgem energy price cap. We turn Ofgem's quarterly default-tariff cap, the 14 GB distribution-region variations, and Ofgem's Typical Domestic Consumption Values into one clear, calculable answer, with every figure traceable back to its official publication.
Editorial process
- Source. Download the current Ofgem cap announcement as soon as it is published.
- Verify. Parse cap levels, standing charges, and the 14 regional schedules straight into our config database; every figure is source-cited to its publication URL, never typed in by an editor.
- Publish. Render at request time from the config database, no hardcoded numbers, then add plain-language explainers and the bill calculator so readers can check our record against the original Ofgem notice.
Editorial independence & corrections
The PlainEnergyBills editorial process is independent and accepts no payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from any energy supplier. Found an inaccuracy or out-of-date figure? Contact us via the contact page, material corrections are processed within 7 business days. See our methodology for the full source list and refresh cadence.
Frequently asked
What is the current Ofgem energy price cap?
For July – September 2026, the Ofgem default tariff cap is £1,862 a year for a typical dual-fuel household paying by direct debit - up 13% on the previous quarter. The cap is a limit on unit rates and standing charges, not a maximum bill, and is reset quarterly.
How is the price cap calculated?
Ofgem sets the cap quarterly. Wholesale energy is the largest component (typically half to two-thirds of the bill), followed by network/distribution costs (about a fifth) and supplier operating costs plus an allowed margin. Wholesale costs are derived from forward gas and electricity market prices over a defined observation window before each announcement.
Does the price cap apply to fixed-rate deals?
No. The cap applies only to standard variable tariffs (the default if you have never switched or your fixed deal ended). Fixed-rate deals can be priced above or below the prevailing cap; switching to a competitive fixed deal is the main way to escape quarterly cap volatility.
Why are standing charges so high?
Daily standing charges rose steeply through the energy crisis and remain near record highs, the electricity standing charge alone is 57.19p/day this period. The rise reflects Supplier-of-Last-Resort cost recovery from the 2021–22 supplier failures plus network and policy costs. Ofgem has consulted on standing-charge reform.
Why does my region cost more than London?
Distribution-network costs vary by region, so the cap is set separately for each of the 14 GB distribution regions. The cheapest region this period is East Midlands (£1,805) and the most expensive is Merseyside & North Wales (£1,950) - a gap of £145 a year for identical usage.
Every figure on PlainEnergyBills is rendered directly from Ofgem source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Homepage figures are request-time reads from the current Ofgem default-tariff-cap row and the 14-region schedule. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July – September 2026.