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Energy & bills · Bill history · Great Britain · Jan–Mar 2019–Oct–Dec 2026

Is energy still dearer than before the crisis?

Yes, in cash and after inflation. On one consumption basis the cap was £979 in Apr–Sep 2021, peaked at £3,582 in Jan–Mar 2023 and is £1,723 for Oct–Dec 2026. In Sep 2026 prices the latest comparable period is about 35% above 2021.

Evidence last reviewed 3 October 2026

1. In real terms

The cash chart on the main energy page shows the cap at £1,723 for Oct–Dec 2026, against £979 in Apr–Sep 2021. Prices in general have also risen since 2021, so part of that increase is inflation. Restating every period in Sep 2026 prices removes it.

After inflation, how far has the cap come down?

After inflation, the cap is still about 35% above its 2021 level

Ofgem’s cap at one typical consumption (2,500 kWh electricity, 9,500 kWh gas), dual fuel, direct debit, restated in Sep 2026 prices using CPI.

Great Britain cap; UK consumer prices · Jan–Mar 2019 to Oct–Dec 2026
£ a year, Sep 2026 prices£0£2,000£4,00020192020202120222023202420252026£1,723
Adjusting for general inflation shrinks the rise but does not remove it. In today’s prices the cap peaked at £4,084 in Jan–Mar 2023; the latest comparable period, Oct–Dec 2026, is £1,723, against £1,281 in Apr–Sep 2021. Energy is therefore dearer relative to other things households buy than it was before the crisis. The deflator is an average basket, so for households that spend more of their budget on energy the squeeze is larger.

Great Britain cap; UK consumer prices · Jan–Mar 2019 to Oct–Dec 2026 · Site calculation from official statistics

Show the workings — After inflation, the cap is still about 35% above its 2021 level
Geography:
Great Britain cap; UK consumer prices — Default tariffs, direct debit
Measure:
£ a year in Sep 2026 prices (real terms)
Period:
Jan–Mar 2019 to Oct–Dec 2026
Status:
Site calculation from official statistics
Calculation:
UK Facts calculation: each period’s cap × (CPI Sep 2026 ÷ CPI in the period’s first month). CPI all items, series D7BT. Cap from Ofgem, Energy price cap (default tariff) levels — Annex 9, levelised cap levels.
Compare with:
Apr–Sep 2021: £1,281 in Sep 2026 prices
Not included / breaks:
The latest cap period, Oct–Dec 2026, starts after Sep 2026 (the latest CPI month), so it is shown in Sep 2026 prices without further adjustment. CPI includes energy itself, so in 2022–23 part of the deflator’s rise was the energy shock — real-terms comparisons around the peak understate how much energy rose relative to other prices.

Source: ONS, Consumer price inflation (MM23), series D7BT (all items), D7DT (electricity), D7DU (gas) (released 16 September 2026).

View the data as a table
Cap periodCash, £/yrSep 2026 prices, £/yr
Jan–Mar 20199451281
Apr–Sep 201910391392
Oct 2019–Mar 20209791303
Apr–Sep 20209671284
Oct 2020–Mar 20218991187
Apr–Sep 20219791281
Oct 2021–Mar 202210931386
Apr–Sep 202216732009
Oct–Dec 202229723394
Jan–Mar 202335824084
Apr–Jun 202327623053
Jul–Sep 202317661944
Oct–Dec 202316411792
Jan–Mar 202417231888
Apr–Jun 202415201641
Jul–Sep 202414141522
Oct–Dec 202415431647
Jan–Mar 202515611662
Apr–Jun 202516551726
Jul–Sep 202515411598
Oct–Dec 202515761625
Jan–Mar 202615841636
Apr–Jun 202614771498
Jul–Sep 202616631677
Oct–Dec 202617231723

2. The cap, the price guarantee and the £400

At its peak the cap was not what households paid. From 1 October 2022 the government’s Energy Price Guarantee limited the unit rates suppliers could charge, so that a typical household paid about £2,500 a year on the consumption assumptions then in use, and paid suppliers the difference. It was kept at £2,500 until the end of June 2023. Separately, every household received a £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount in six monthly instalments from October 2022 to March 2023.

The two show up differently in the statistics. ONS treats the price guarantee as a subsidy that lowered prices, so it is in the consumer price index below; it treats the £400 as a payment to households, so it is not. Neither is deducted from Ofgem’s cap.

What were households actually charged?

Under the price guarantee, the prices households paid flattened while the cap soared

Consumer price indices for domestic electricity and gas, UK, monthly, 2015 = 100. These measure prices charged across all tariffs and payment methods, including the Energy Price Guarantee.

United Kingdom (includes Northern Ireland, unlike the cap) · January 2019 to Sep 2026
Index, 2015 = 100010020030020192020202120222023202420252026195162
When the cap rose sharply in October 2022 and again in January 2023, the electricity index rose from 204 in September 2022 to 239 in October and then barely moved, because the government’s Energy Price Guarantee capped the prices suppliers could charge and paid them the difference. The comparison shows why the cap’s peak is not what households paid. The limit: these indices cover the UK and every tariff type, so they are not directly comparable with the Great Britain default-tariff cap.

United Kingdom (includes Northern Ireland, unlike the cap) · January 2019 to Sep 2026 · Accredited official statistics

Show the workings — Under the price guarantee, the prices households paid flattened while the cap soared
Geography:
United Kingdom (includes Northern Ireland, unlike the cap) — Household purchases of electricity and mains gas, all tariffs
Measure:
Index, 2015 = 100
Period:
January 2019 to Sep 2026
Status:
Accredited official statistics
Calculation:
As published by ONS (series D7DT and D7DU).
Compare with:
The cap in the chart above, over the same months
Not included / breaks:
The £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount (October 2022 to March 2023) is not in these indices: ONS classifies it as a payment to households, not a price cut. Indices show how prices changed, not the level of any bill.

Source: ONS, Consumer price inflation (MM23), series D7BT (all items), D7DT (electricity), D7DU (gas) (released 16 September 2026).

View the data as a table
MonthElectricity indexGas index
Jan 2019115.391.9
Feb 2019115.492.0
Mar 2019115.492.0
Apr 2019127.9100.5
May 2019127.9100.5
Jun 2019127.9100.5
Jul 2019127.9100.5
Aug 2019127.9100.5
Sep 2019127.9100.5
Oct 2019125.291.7
Nov 2019125.291.7
Dec 2019125.291.7
Jan 2020125.291.7
Feb 2020125.291.7
Mar 2020125.291.7
Apr 2020125.488.4
May 2020125.488.5
Jun 2020125.488.5
Jul 2020125.388.4
Aug 2020125.388.4
Sep 2020125.388.4
Oct 2020121.277.6
Nov 2020121.277.6
Dec 2020121.277.6
Jan 2021121.277.6
Feb 2021121.277.6
Mar 2021121.277.6
Apr 2021132.384.9
May 2021132.384.9
Jun 2021132.384.9
Jul 2021132.584.9
Aug 2021132.584.9
Sep 2021132.584.9
Oct 2021144.099.4
Nov 2021144.099.4
Dec 2021144.099.4
Jan 2022144.599.5
Feb 2022144.599.5
Mar 2022144.599.5
Apr 2022203.2165.9
May 2022203.2165.9
Jun 2022203.2165.9
Jul 2022204.1166.1
Aug 2022204.1166.1
Sep 2022204.1166.1
Oct 2022238.6227.4
Nov 2022238.1227.4
Dec 2022238.1227.4
Jan 2023240.9228.2
Feb 2023240.9228.2
Mar 2023240.9228.2
Apr 2023238.3225.9
May 2023238.3225.9
Jun 2023238.3225.9
Jul 2023217.7168.9
Aug 2023217.7168.9
Sep 2023217.7168.9
Oct 2023201.4157.0
Nov 2023201.4157.0
Dec 2023201.4157.0
Jan 2024209.6167.7
Feb 2024209.6167.7
Mar 2024209.6167.7
Apr 2024188.1141.3
May 2024188.1141.3
Jun 2024188.1141.3
Jul 2024175.3130.3
Aug 2024175.3130.3
Sep 2024175.3130.3
Oct 2024188.8145.5
Nov 2024188.8145.5
Dec 2024189.0145.5
Jan 2025191.2147.4
Feb 2025191.2147.5
Mar 2025191.1147.5
Apr 2025196.8158.6
May 2025196.7158.6
Jun 2025196.7158.7
Jul 2025189.3147.3
Aug 2025189.3147.2
Sep 2025189.4147.2
Oct 2025193.9148.6
Nov 2025194.1148.6
Dec 2025194.2148.5
Jan 2026201.3143.4
Feb 2026201.3142.9
Mar 2026201.9143.4
Apr 2026184.9137.1
May 2026185.7137.8
Jun 2026186.5138.6
Jul 2026193.2159.0
Aug 2026194.0159.9
Sep 2026195.1161.6

3. Why the headline figures changed basis

Ofgem expresses the cap for a “typical” household, and has lowered its estimate of typical use four times as homes have used less energy: 3,100 kWh of electricity and 12,000 kWh of gas at the start; 2,900 and 12,000 from April 2020; 2,700 and 11,500 from October 2023; and 2,500 and 9,500 from July 2026. Each change lowers the headline without any change in prices. That is why this site uses Ofgem’s restated series, which puts every period on the latest basis, and keeps the figures announced at the time beside them in the data table on the main page. Comparing a figure announced in 2019 with one announced today would understate the rise.

Two smaller changes matter for recent periods. From October 2026 the government removed VAT from domestic electricity, which Ofgem says kept about £45 off the October increase. And the cap covers Great Britain only: Northern Ireland’s prices are regulated separately and are not in any cap figure on this site.

For what could lower bills, and who would pay, see the options compared on the energy page.

Sources and methods (6)

Method notes

  • Real-terms values deflate each cap period by CPI all items (D7BT) in its first month, in Sep 2026 prices. This is a UK Facts calculation.
  • CPI electricity and gas indices cover the UK and all tariff types; the cap covers Great Britain default tariffs only.