OPENLIGHTCompare prices

Updated

Watch my renewal

Business electricity · Updated

Business energy prices today

What UK businesses paid for electricity, April to June 2026

24.5pa kWh on average

Including standing charges and the Climate Change Levy, excluding VAT. The latest official figures, published by DESNZ on 29 Sept 2026.

Smallest businesses 38.4p · biggest 22.2p · Find your band

The latest market price: wholesale electricity, 18 Sept to 17 Oct

13.7pa kWh on average

68% higher than the 8.2p of the same 30 days a year ago. The energy part of a bill only, before network costs, levies and tax.

One unit (kWh) of electricity, in pence
  1. 38.4p Smallest businesses
  2. 34.3p Typical home, on the price cap
  3. 24.5p All businesses
  4. 22.2p Biggest businesses
  5. 14.7p Wholesale, 17 Oct
  6. 13.7p Wholesale, last 30 days

Business prices: April to June 2026, excluding VAT. Home: Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, standing charge included. Wholesale: the energy alone.

Business electricity and gas prices per kWh, by business size

From April to June 2026, UK businesses paid an average of 24.5p a kWh for electricity and 5.3p for gas, including the Climate Change Levy and excluding VAT.

Last quarter, the smallest businesses paid 38.4p a unit for electricity. The biggest paid 22.2p. Same electrons, 72% more per unit.

What businesses paid, every quarter since 2019

What businesses paid for electricity peaked from October to December 2023, at 28.4p a kWh on average: about a year after the wholesale peak, because most businesses buy on contracts fixed months or years ahead.

Pence a kWh, including the Climate Change Levy and standing charges, excluding VAT. These are DESNZ’s averages of what every business paid, including contracts fixed months or years earlier. They are not quotes.

Compare with
0p10p20p30p40pPeak, Q4 2023
Show as a table
Average electricity price paid by UK businesses, by DESNZ size band, pence a kWh including the Climate Change Levy, excluding VAT
QuarterAll businessesVery SmallSmallSmall/MediumMediumLargeVery LargeExtra Large
Q1 201912.9016.3314.8013.4212.6111.9311.7011.30
Q2 201912.3016.1614.4913.1011.9511.2710.7510.60
Q3 201912.4016.7714.7013.1812.2011.4910.6110.61
Q4 201913.9617.6515.5114.3013.4512.7312.1713.11
Q1 202014.3017.3415.5814.5113.8013.9512.8813.30
Q2 202013.3917.1415.3914.5112.8912.5111.1711.98
Q3 202012.8816.9415.1513.9512.5311.9311.0411.38
Q4 202014.2517.1715.7014.5613.7113.8113.2913.31
Q1 202114.8117.4115.8414.9113.8413.8613.0514.53
Q2 202113.5817.7414.8514.5712.7212.0811.9712.23
Q3 202113.9118.1815.3315.0213.0412.5012.6412.65
Q4 202117.7318.8418.8918.0417.2217.4417.2217.07
Q1 202218.1420.0615.8019.9518.0918.0117.9518.78
Q2 202219.3322.4221.0522.3418.4717.3418.2817.74
Q3 202222.2025.2724.9925.1520.9419.8621.1720.85
Q4 202224.8027.8725.4328.7924.0722.3522.9522.69
Q1 202325.3730.9329.1230.7925.8823.1822.6221.09
Q2 202326.8834.0133.2932.8129.3026.7022.5620.88
Q3 202328.3232.4934.3532.8630.9729.3823.3923.10
Q4 202328.3932.2134.5732.5430.6229.2923.6223.27
Q1 202427.8432.2232.0930.7030.7928.2524.1523.19
Q2 202425.9931.0229.8428.6628.8526.7922.9321.97
Q3 202425.6732.6227.7227.3128.1327.2022.2321.73
Q4 202425.3534.1830.0628.2626.7724.9122.4121.64
Q1 202525.7432.8529.4428.7827.2825.9922.9122.71
Q2 202524.0337.0728.6327.6725.8124.5621.8620.97
Q3 202523.3537.3628.5628.0324.8123.1621.1020.69
Q4 202523.9936.1129.5728.4025.3623.5622.5121.13
Q1 202624.1435.0228.7628.0825.0023.9321.9321.42
Q2 202624.5138.3628.5927.6725.1724.4222.7022.25

By size of business, April to June 2026

All businesses 24.5p a kWh on average

  1. 38.4p a kWh

    Very Small

    0–20 MWh a year

  2. 28.6p a kWh

    Small

    20–499 MWh a year

    Your band

  3. 27.7p a kWh

    Small/Medium

    500–1,999 MWh a year

  4. 25.2p a kWh

    Medium

    2,000–19,999 MWh a year

  5. 24.4p a kWh

    Large

    20,000–69,999 MWh a year

  6. 22.7p a kWh

    Very Large

    70,000–150,000 MWh a year

  7. 22.2p a kWh

    Extra Large

    over 150,000 MWh a year

Find your band

kWh

Example uses are illustrative, not typical values for every business of that kind.

A business using 150,000 kWh a year is in DESNZ’s Small band (20–499 MWh a year). From April to June 2026, businesses in that band paid an average of 28.6p a kWh for electricity, including the Climate Change Levy and excluding VAT. That is 17% more than the average across all businesses (24.5p).

Q2 2026, published by DESNZ on 29 Sept 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices.

Who got the price fall?

Compared with April to June 2025, medium businesses saw electricity get cheaper. Very small, very large and extra large businesses saw it get dearer, by up to 6%. For small, small/medium and large businesses it was little changed.

Compared with April to June 2025, small, medium, large and very large businesses saw gas get cheaper. Very small businesses saw it get dearer, by 6%. The smallest businesses saw the least relief: their price went up while the biggest users’ fell.

Electricity, pence a kWh
electricity price by size band, Q2 2025 and Q2 2026, pence a kWh including CCL
BandQ2 2025Q2 2026Change
Very Small37.0738.36up 3.5%
Small28.6328.59little changed 0.1%
Small/Medium27.6727.67little changed 0.0%
Medium25.8125.17down 2.5%
Large24.5624.42little changed 0.6%
Very Large21.8622.70up 3.8%
Extra Large20.9722.25up 6.1%
Gas, pence a kWh
gas price by size band, Q2 2025 and Q2 2026, pence a kWh including CCL
BandQ2 2025Q2 2026Change
Very Small8.789.31up 6.1%
Small5.094.86down 4.6%
Medium4.504.20down 6.6%
Large4.063.83down 5.7%
Very Large4.283.97down 7.3%

Same quarter a year apart, including the Climate Change Levy, excluding VAT. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices.

Wholesale electricity price today

The latest full day, Saturday 17 October, half-hour by half-hour. This is the wholesale power price (short-term market): what traders paid for power delivered in each half-hour. It is one part of a bill, not the price on it.

Overnight (midnight to 6am) power cost 36% less than in the 4pm to 7pm peak. Bake at night and this is the gap that night rates are built on.

£0£100£200£300Dearest £222 at 17:00Cheapest £88 at 12:30

What was generating: transmission-connected power stations, 0 to 40,000 MW

WindImports
  • Wind
  • Gas
  • Hydro
  • Biomass
  • Imports
  • Nuclear
  • Other
Show as a table
Half-hourly wholesale power price and generation mix, Saturday 17 October
Time£/MWhp/kWhWindGasHydroBiomassImportsNuclearOther
00:00–00:30146.0014.6039.1%5%2.3%11.9%21.8%18.1%1.8%
00:30–01:00142.0014.2040.3%4.8%2.3%11.8%22.1%18.1%0.6%
01:00–01:30132.0613.2138.4%4.8%2.2%11.2%24.9%17.5%1.1%
01:30–02:00137.2313.7239.4%4.7%2.1%9.5%25.6%17.9%0.8%
02:00–02:30134.8513.4839.9%4.7%2%7.4%27.4%18%0.7%
02:30–03:00133.4113.3439.7%4.7%2%7.3%27.5%18%0.8%
03:00–03:30129.2012.9240%4.8%2%7.3%27.1%18.2%0.6%
03:30–04:00128.6012.8640.6%4.7%2%7.2%26.9%18.1%0.6%
04:00–04:30123.1112.3140.5%4.8%2%7.3%26.5%18.2%0.8%
04:30–05:00125.8112.5840.7%4.8%2%7.3%26.4%18.2%0.7%
05:00–05:30154.6215.4641.6%4.9%2.2%7.5%24.3%18.8%0.7%
05:30–06:00130.0613.0140.5%5.5%1.9%7.6%24.3%18.9%1.3%
06:00–06:30134.9313.4941.6%5.2%2%7.7%22.6%19.4%1.5%
06:30–07:00137.0713.7142.3%4.9%2%7.7%22.3%19.2%1.7%
07:00–07:30141.9614.2040.5%4.7%1.9%8.5%22.7%18%3.8%
07:30–08:00140.8314.0839.2%4.6%1.9%10.4%22%17.5%4.4%
08:00–08:30138.7813.8837.8%4.2%2.2%10.4%25.5%17.1%2.8%
08:30–09:00146.1614.6237.5%4.3%2.1%10%25.9%17.2%3%
09:00–09:30132.3813.2437.8%4.1%2%8.6%27.6%17.2%2.7%
09:30–10:00133.2813.3338.5%4.3%2%7.2%28.3%17.6%2%
10:00–10:30122.7612.2838.2%4.7%2.1%7%27.7%17.7%2.6%
10:30–11:00113.1511.3237.5%5.2%2.1%5.4%28.9%18.5%2.4%
11:00–11:30102.9510.2937.7%5.8%2%4.4%27.5%19.6%2.9%
11:30–12:00102.7010.2737%5.9%2%4.2%28.1%20.1%2.7%
12:00–12:3090.769.0835.6%6.1%1.8%4%30%20%2.5%
12:30–13:0087.778.7835.1%6%2.1%4%29.9%20%3%
13:00–13:3098.779.8835.3%6.4%2.2%4.1%27.1%20.4%4.5%
13:30–14:00109.9811.0035.9%6.5%2.3%4.1%27.3%20.6%3.3%
14:00–14:30117.3511.7335.9%6.3%2.3%4%29.1%20%2.4%
14:30–15:00137.3113.7335.5%6.2%2.2%4.3%28.7%19.6%3.5%
15:00–15:30171.1217.1135.9%6%2.4%4.9%29.8%19%2%
15:30–16:00191.5819.1636.4%6.1%2.2%5.9%29.1%18.5%1.9%
16:00–16:30197.9819.8035.7%8.2%2.7%5.7%27.9%17.5%2.4%
16:30–17:00204.9820.5033.4%10.8%2.7%7.4%26.2%16.3%3.1%
17:00–17:30221.8022.1830.7%13.7%2.6%8.9%24.6%15.4%4%
17:30–18:00219.8721.9928.6%14.2%2.8%8.9%23.2%14.5%7.7%
18:00–18:30205.6520.5727.5%15%2.9%8.4%22.1%13.8%10.3%
18:30–19:00208.2520.8227.6%16.6%2.8%8.5%22%13.7%8.7%
19:00–19:30211.6221.1628.5%16.5%2.9%8.7%22.2%14.1%7.1%
19:30–20:00199.9820.0028.9%16.4%2.8%8.8%22.6%14.3%6%
20:00–20:30195.1619.5230%14.7%2.9%9.1%23.3%14.8%5.1%
20:30–21:00177.2417.7231.2%14%3%9.3%23.7%15%3.7%
21:00–21:30160.4616.0531.8%13.9%2.3%8.6%23.4%15.5%4.5%
21:30–22:00155.0615.5133%13.2%2.6%7.3%24.3%16.1%3.5%
22:00–22:30149.6614.9733.2%10.4%2.9%6.6%26%16.7%4.3%
22:30–23:00148.9414.8933.8%9.2%2.8%6.8%26.8%17.2%3.4%
23:00–23:30159.4515.9435.4%7.9%2.9%8.5%23.9%18.4%2.9%
23:30–00:00148.3614.8435.2%8.4%3.4%7.9%24.4%18.7%2.1%

Prices: Elexon market index (APX). Generation: transmission-connected only, so most solar is not included. Contains BMRS data © Elexon Limited copyright and database right 2026.

Wholesale electricity and gas prices since 2019

In August 2022 a megawatt-hour of power cost about two and a half times what it has over the last 30 days. Prices have come down, but over the past year they have averaged about two and a half times the 2019 level, before the crisis.

The latest gas price is for Sunday 11 October: 6.6p a kWh. Gas-fired power stations often set the price of power, so the two lines tend to move together.

Wholesale electricity, £ a megawatt-hour, Jan 2019 to Oct 2026. Thick line: 7-day average. Thin line: each day.

£0£200£400£600£800Russia invades UkraineInvasionThe peak, August 2022PeakWeek to 29 Aug: £503/MWhEnergy Bill Relief SchemeReliefEnergy Bills Discount SchemeDiscountMiddle East gas spikeGas spikeGas up 82% in a week
  • Russia invades Ukraine 24 February 2022
  • The peak, August 2022 Week to 29 Aug: £503/MWh
  • Energy Bill Relief Scheme Oct 2022 to Mar 2023. The government capped the wholesale cost in business bills
  • Energy Bills Discount Scheme Apr 2023 to Mar 2024. A smaller discount that replaced it
  • Middle East gas spike 3 March 2026. Gas up 82% in a week

Drag across the strip to zoom, or drag the window to move it.

Show as a table (monthly averages)
Monthly average wholesale prices, 2019 to date
MonthElectricity, £/MWhGas, p/kWh
January 201963.831.97
February 201950.161.62
March 201944.091.35
April 201943.851.23
May 201941.041.10
June 201940.690.96
July 201942.271.02
August 201938.800.96
September 201935.450.87
October 201937.620.91
November 201945.491.30
December 201938.661.12
January 202036.680.97
February 202031.090.81
March 202029.980.78
April 202023.560.49
May 202022.530.42
June 202026.500.46
July 202028.660.45
August 202036.350.71
September 202046.031.02
October 202043.461.30
November 202043.821.28
December 202057.891.57
January 202174.931.99
February 202159.621.57
March 202157.801.55
April 202167.381.86
May 202174.742.26
June 202178.502.48
July 202196.143.09
August 2021108.603.74
September 2021186.655.15
October 2021171.007.01
November 2021192.326.72
December 2021234.279.15
January 2022196.696.58
February 2022161.656.51
March 2022241.1210.13
April 2022174.696.20
May 2022122.083.50
June 2022159.694.83
July 2022238.797.83
August 2022360.3812.88
September 2022267.519.16
October 2022123.353.76
November 2022141.524.36
December 2022256.239.46
January 2023139.095.41
February 2023138.434.62
March 2023122.073.86
April 2023100.143.42
May 202379.152.52
June 202386.942.74
July 202368.872.47
August 202382.082.87
September 202385.283.17
October 202389.473.72
November 202394.153.66
December 202369.732.92
January 202473.172.57
February 202460.172.15
March 202464.452.33
April 202450.502.47
May 202473.582.64
June 202470.092.82
July 202471.472.55
August 202457.672.87
September 202478.562.98
October 202485.903.39
November 202498.453.78
December 202492.003.83
January 2025116.114.22
February 2025103.964.27
March 202590.293.48
April 202576.522.92
May 202569.372.84
June 202567.122.97
July 202579.872.77
August 202571.432.71
September 202567.052.72
October 202575.722.68
November 202578.692.56
December 202576.282.45
January 2026100.433.06
February 202681.632.73
March 202697.134.51
April 202680.453.88
May 2026105.484.04
June 202697.943.76
July 2026106.354.42
August 2026130.315.16
September 2026129.566.43
October 2026145.606.35

Electricity: Contains BMRS data © Elexon Limited copyright and database right 2026. Gas: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics; data from National Gas Transmission.

Where your pound goes

Only about a third of your electricity bill is the electricity. The rest is the wires, the levies and the tax, and those didn’t fall when wholesale prices did.

Estimate. An illustrative split for a small business on a fixed electricity contract, before VAT. Real bills vary by region, meter, contract and supplier. Our estimate from typical published shares of supply costs. It is not computed from today's prices yet; we will replace it with a calculation from published network and levy rates.

  • The electricity itself, bought on the wholesale market, often months before you use it.

  • VAT+20p

    Then VAT at 20% on top, which most VAT-registered businesses can reclaim.

Business energy against home energy

Homes have a price cap. Businesses don’t. No VAT on household electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Most businesses pay 20%.

With VAT, the smallest businesses paid 46.0p a unit for electricity, against 34.3p for a typical home on the cap.

A typical home, on the price cap

34.3pa kWh, all in

  • 26.32p a unit plus 54.83p a day, spread over Ofgem’s typical 2,500 kWh a year (adds 8.0p).
  • No VAT on household electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026.

The smallest businesses (0–20 MWh a year)

46.0pa kWh, all in

  • 38.36p average paid in April to June 2026, including standing charges and the Climate Change Levy, plus VAT at 20%.
  • No price cap: Ofgem’s cap does not cover business contracts.

Both sides are all-in pence per kWh with the tax each actually pays. Home: Ofgem’s cap (Standard variable tariff, Direct Debit, average across England, Scotland and Wales). Business: DESNZ’s Very Small band average, April to June 2026, the latest published. Businesses using under 33 kWh of electricity (or 145 kWh of gas) a day pay 5%. A VAT-registered business can usually reclaim VAT; before VAT the business price is 38.4p.

Home: Ofgem, contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Business: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices.

Business energy price questions

What is the average business electricity price per kWh?

From April to June 2026, UK businesses paid an average of 24.5p a kWh for electricity, including standing charges and the Climate Change Levy, excluding VAT. Businesses in DESNZ's Very Small band (0–20 MWh a year) paid 38.4p and the Extra Large band (over 150,000 MWh a year) 22.2p. These are the latest official figures (DESNZ), not quotes.

What is the average business gas price per kWh?

From April to June 2026, UK businesses paid an average of 5.3p a kWh for gas, including the Climate Change Levy, excluding VAT. The Very Small band (under 278 MWh a year) paid 9.3p and the Very Large band (277,778–1,111,112 MWh a year) 4.0p.

Why do small businesses pay more per kWh?

From April to June 2026, the smallest businesses paid 38.4p a kWh for electricity and the biggest 22.2p, 72% more per unit. Part of every bill is fixed, such as the daily standing charge and metering, and a small business spreads it over fewer units. Small businesses also buy less energy, so they have less buying power.

Are business electricity prices going up or down?

Wholesale electricity averaged 13.7p a kWh over the last 30 days, 68% higher than the 8.2p of the same 30 days a year ago. What businesses paid from April to June 2026 was 2% higher than a year earlier. Business bills follow wholesale prices slowly, because most businesses buy on contracts fixed months or years ahead.

What is the wholesale electricity price today?

On Saturday 17 October, the latest full day, wholesale electricity averaged £147 a megawatt-hour, which is 14.7p a kWh. Over the last 30 days it averaged 13.7p a kWh. This is the energy part of a bill only, before network costs, levies and tax.

Is there a price cap for business energy?

No. Ofgem's energy price cap covers households on standard variable tariffs. Business energy contracts are not capped, so the price depends on the contract each business agrees.

How do business electricity prices compare with home prices?

With VAT, the smallest businesses paid 46.0p a kWh for electricity from April to June 2026, against 34.3p for a typical home on the price cap (1 October to 31 December 2026), with standing charges included on both sides. VAT-registered businesses can usually reclaim VAT.

Watch my renewal

Tell us when your contract ends. We’ll email you six months before, and if prices move sharply before then. Nothing else.

Which fuel?
p a kWh

Your unit rate, before VAT. Leave it blank if you’re not sure.

Openlight may email me about this renewal watch: before my contract ends and if prices move sharply. I can stop it at any time. We use your email for nothing else. See our privacy notice.

Get quotes now