Bill rank is not population rank
According to Ofgem's July – September 2026 default-tariff cap, Merseyside & North Wales ranks #14 of 14 GB distribution regions by typical dual-fuel bill (cheapest = #1) at £1,950, and #13 of 14 by approximate population (largest = #1). The cheapest region is East Midlands, not the largest (London).
Why does Merseyside & North Wales's cap differ from other regions?
Every region in Great Britain pays a different energy price cap, and the reason is the local distribution network rather than anything a household does. Roughly a quarter of a typical bill goes to building and maintaining the poles, cables, substations and meters that deliver power to the door, and that cost is recovered from the homes connected to it. Where the network is long and the population sparse, a large fixed infrastructure cost is shared between relatively few customers, so the per-household charge is higher; where demand is dense and the network compact, the same cost is spread much more thinly. Ofgem sets the cap separately for each of the 14 distribution regions every quarter to reflect those differences, which is why two identical households using exactly the same amount of gas and electricity can still face noticeably different annual bills depending only on where they live. The figure shown above is the typical, medium-usage estimate for Merseyside & North Wales under the current cap; a household that uses more or less than the typical amount will see its bill scale up or down from there.
Peers vs Merseyside & North Wales
Exclusive cut of all 14 GB distribution regions relative to Merseyside & North Wales’s typical dual-fuel bill. Orthogonal to the bill≠population dual above: peer counts only, not ordinals restated as percentages.
Ofgem cap plate
Board D · Merseyside & North Wales £1,950 · 14th/14
CLEAR-GAP · DNO-SPMANWEB · WALES-LINK · SPARSE-DEAR · ABOVE-AVG · CODE-D
- CLEAR-GAP Clear gap
- DNO-SPMANWEB SP Manweb
- WALES-LINK Wales-linked board
- SPARSE-DEAR Smaller · dearer half
- ABOVE-AVG Above GB average
- CODE-D Ofgem region D
Nearest board: South West England (£61 apart)
Instrument codes from this board’s Ofgem default-tariff cap position (gap to nearest peer · DNO family · nation board · bill≠population dual · vs GB average · region letter), not a switching recommendation.
Cap neighbourhood around Merseyside & North Wales
Cheapest and dearest poles plus the boards nearest Merseyside & North Wales on the July – September 2026 dual-fuel cap. Full 14-region board: rankings.
Merseyside & North Wales typical annual dual-fuel bill is £1,950 for July – September 2026, ranked 14th of 14 GB regions.
Where Merseyside & North Wales sits among all 14 GB regions
Typical dual-fuel bill bands under the current Ofgem cap. Merseyside & North Wales is marked; cheaper is lower on the inventory.
Merseyside & North Wales vs all regions by typical dual-fuel bill
Where this region's July – September 2026 typical bill sits among every GB distribution region
1,950 14th of 14 the highest of 14 regions
Regions, banded by typical dual-fuel bill (£/yr)
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more regions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source Ofgem default-tariff price cap · July – September 2026
Merseyside & North Wales in the national picture
Where Merseyside & North Wales sits among the 14 GB regions for July – September 2026 - shaded by typical bill, with Merseyside & North Wales ringed.
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, July – September 2026.
What makes up the bill in Merseyside & North Wales
Strip the £315 GB-average standing charge out of Merseyside & North Wales's £1,950 typical total and £1,635 is left over for energy use at the region's own network-adjusted rates.
How this breakdown is calculated
A typical bill has two parts: the energy you use (per-kWh unit rates) and standing charges (a fixed daily fee you pay before using any energy). Figures use Ofgem's GB-average rates for July – September 2026 on medium usage (2,700 kWh electricity / 11,500 kWh gas). The same GB-average composition applies nationwide; Merseyside & North Wales's bill differs mainly through network charges in the unit rates (see the Ofgem cap plate above).
For informational purposes only, this page does not constitute financial advice. Figures are sourced from Ofgem's published default-tariff cap for July – September 2026. Compare the 14-region board on the rankings, estimate a usage-adjusted figure with the calculator, or read the regional-price guide.
Nationwide regions with similar cap context
Three peer lenses for Merseyside & North Wales, each excluding this distribution region: typical bill under the July – September 2026 cap, connected population scale, and shared distribution-network operator where the data supports it.
Similar typical bill
Nearest other regions by Ofgem typical dual-fuel bill (£1,950 here).
Similar population scale
Nearest other regions by approximate connected population (1.6m here).
Region facts
- Typical dual-fuel bill (July – September 2026): £1,950/year
- Ofgem distribution region: D
- Approx. population: 1.6 million
- Cost rank: 14th of 14 (1 = cheapest)
SP Manweb operates this network. It carries the highest typical bill of any GB region, a result of the highest distribution-network charges anywhere, spread thin across a dispersed rural-Welsh and Merseyside area.
Sources
- Ofgem default tariff cap - July – September 2026
- Ofgem energy price cap (regional charges), Merseyside & North Wales network costs sit inside this board.
- Regional figure derived from Ofgem's per-region cap rate; see our methodology for detail.