This page shows current gas and electricity prices. Elsewhere on this website, when we refer to savings or costs, these are based on these prices unless otherwise stated.

Prices as of 1 April 2025

Gas

Average across England, Scotland and Wales, based on a standard variable tariff (default tariff) paid for by Direct Debit, and includes VAT. 

Unit rate: 6.99 pence per kilowatt hour (kWh)
Standing charge: 32.67 pence per day (about £119 per year)

Electricity

Average across England, Scotland and Wales, based on a standard variable tariff (default tariff) paid for by Direct Debit, and includes VAT. 

Unit rate: 27.03 pence per kilowatt hour (kWh)
Standing charge: 53.80 pence per day (about £196 per year)

For Economy 7, the average unit rate is about 14p/kWh (night) and 34/kWh (day). NB: suppliers are free to decide the split between on and off-peak, so the actual price varies slightly between them.

What is “unit rate”?

A unit rate is the price you pay per unit of gas or electricity. Units are measured in kilowatt hours (kWh).

What is “standing charge”?

The standing charge is a daily charge that you pay your energy supplier each day to cover fixed costs of providing gas and electricity, regardless of how much energy you use. The standing charge is used to recover the costs required to provide energy company services, including providing and maintaining the wires, pipes and cables that deliver power to a customer’s door, through to the staff and buildings required for the energy business to function.   

The standing charge is covered by the energy price cap, which sets a ceiling on how much suppliers can charge for it. 

About the price cap

The price cap was introduced in 2019. It stops energy companies from charging too much for each unit of energy and the daily standing charge by setting a maximum price.

If you’re on a standard variable tariff (which is the default one) then you’ll be protected by the price cap.

The price cap is adjusted every three months to reflect whether wholesale energy costs have gone up or down.

The price cap only affects how much you pay for each unit of energy and the daily charge. If you use more energy, your bill will still be higher, and if you use less, it’ll be lower.

Between 1 April and 30 June 2025, the energy price cap is set at £1,849 per year for a typical household who use electricity and gas and pay by Direct Debit. This is an increase of 6.4% compared to the cap set between 1 January to 31 March 2025 (£1,738).

For more on the price cap, see Ofgem.