The average wholesale electricity price in August 2025 in the United Kingdom is forecast to amount to*******British pounds per megawatt-hour, a decrease from the previous month. A record high was reached in August 2022 when day-ahead baseload contracts averaged ***** British pounds per megawatt-hour. Electricity price stabilization in Europe Electricity prices increased in 2024 compared to the previous year, when prices stabilized after the energy supply shortage. Price spikes were driven by the growing wholesale prices of natural gas and coal worldwide, which are among the main sources of power in the region.

… and in the United Kingdom? The United Kingdom was one of the countries with the highest electricity prices worldwide during the energy crisis. Since then, prices have been stabilizing, almost to pre-energy crisis levels. The use of nuclear, wind, and bioenergy for electricity generation has been increasing recently. The fuel types are an alternative to fossil fuels and are part of the country's power generation plans going into the future.

Electricity prices in Europe are expected to remain volatile through 2025, with Italy projected to have some of the highest rates among major European economies. This trend reflects the ongoing challenges in the energy sector, including the transition to renewable sources and the impact of geopolitical events on supply chains. Despite efforts to stabilize the market, prices in countries like Italy are forecast to reach ****** euros per megawatt hour by February 2025, indicating persistent pressure on consumers and businesses alike. Natural gas futures shaping electricity costs The electricity market's future trajectory is closely tied to natural gas prices, a key component in power generation. Dutch TTF gas futures, a benchmark for European natural gas prices, are projected to be ***** euros per megawatt hour in July 2025. The reduced output from the Groningen gas field and increased reliance on imports further complicate the pricing landscape, potentially contributing to higher electricity costs in countries like Italy. Regional disparities and global market influences While European electricity prices remain high, significant regional differences persist. For instance, natural gas prices in the United States are expected to be roughly one-third of those in Europe by March 2025, at **** U.S. dollars per million British thermal units. This stark contrast highlights the impact of domestic production capabilities on global natural gas prices. Europe's greater reliance on imports, particularly in the aftermath of geopolitical tensions and the shift away from Russian gas, continues to keep prices elevated compared to more self-sufficient markets. As a result, countries like Italy may face sustained pressure on electricity prices due to their position within the broader European energy market.

UK Electricity decreased 29.33 GBP/MWh or 28.63% since the beginning of 2025, according to the latest spot benchmarks offered by sellers to buyers priced in megawatt hour (MWh). This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United Kingdom Electricity Price.

The UK inflation rate was 3.6 percent in June 2025, up from 3.4 percent in the previous month, and the fastest rate of inflation since January 2024. Between September 2022 and March 2023, the UK experienced seven months of double-digit inflation, which peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022. Due to this long period of high inflation, UK consumer prices have increased by over 20 percent in the last three years. As of the most recent month, prices were rising fastest in the communications sector, at 6.1 percent, but were falling in both the furniture and transport sectors, at -0.3 percent and -0.6 percent, respectively.
The Cost of Living Crisis High inflation is one of the main factors behind the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis in the UK, which, despite subsiding somewhat in 2024, is still impacting households going into 2025. In December 2024, for example, 56 percent of UK households reported their cost of living was increasing compared with the previous month, up from 45 percent in July, but far lower than at the height of the crisis in 2022. After global energy prices spiraled that year, the UK's energy price cap increased substantially. The cap, which limits what suppliers can charge consumers, reached 3,549 British pounds per year in October 2022, compared with 1,277 pounds a year earlier. Along with soaring food costs, high-energy bills have hit UK households hard, especially lower income ones that spend more of their earnings on housing costs. As a result of these factors, UK households experienced their biggest fall in living standards in decades in 2022/23. Global inflation crisis causes rapid surge in prices The UK's high inflation, and cost of living crisis in 2022 had its origins in the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the initial waves of the virus, global supply chains struggled to meet the renewed demand for goods and services. Food and energy prices, which were already high, increased further in 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 brought an end to the era of cheap gas flowing to European markets from Russia. The war also disrupted global food markets, as both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of cereal crops. As a result of these factors, inflation surged across Europe and in other parts of the world, but typically declined in 2023, and approached more usual levels by 2024.

The electricity delivery process has experienced a major shift in recent years, driven by a push to reduce emissions. Governments across Europe are actively moving away from conventional sources of electricity generation, leading to a decline in the continent's dependency on fossil fuels. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewables accounted for 41.7% of electricity generation in Europe in 2022, up from 32.9% in 2017. The rise of renewables has spurred an influx of renewable generators and necessitated increased investment in electricity networks. This has lifted revenue for transmission and distribution network operators. Revenue is forecast to rise at a compound annual rate of 8.7% over the five years through 2025, reaching €2.8 billion. Falling wholesale prices and a reduction in overall electricity consumption spurred a drop in revenue during the pandemic. Excess demand for natural gas as economies loosened pandemic-related restrictions spurred a strong rebound in wholesale electricity prices in 2021, translating to a jump in revenue. Wholesale prices recorded a renewed spike following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, spurring a surge in revenue generated by electricity producers and suppliers. Renewable generators were able to rake in extra profit from electricity sold to wholesale markets at inflated prices, counterbalancing a significant rise in costs for fossil fuel generators and electricity suppliers. Wholesale prices have since come down as Europe has diversified its fuel mix away from Russian gas. Revenue is forecast to decline by 5.1% in the current year. Revenue is forecast to increase at a compound annual rate of 0.3% over the five years through 2030 to €2.9 billion. The revised Renewable Energy Directive of the EU has set a goal for 69% of electricity to be generated from renewables by 2030. Electricity generators will continue expanding their renewables capacity, while investment in upgrading the electricity network to accommodate the rapid shift to renewables will boost income for transmission and distribution network operators. Rising renewable electricity generation will place downward pressure on wholesale prices, though the electrification of heat and transport is set to spur an uptick in demand for electricity across the continent.

In July 2025, the UK inflation rate for goods was 2.7 percent and five percent for services. Prices for goods accelerated significantly, sharply between 2021 and 2022, before falling in 2023. By comparison, prices for services initially grew at a more moderate rate but have also not fallen as quickly. The overall CPI inflation rate for the UK reached a recent high of 11.1 percent in October 2022 and remained in double figures until April 2023, when it fell to 8.7 percent. As of this month, the UK's inflation rate was 3.6 percent, up from 3.4 percent in the previous month. Sectors driving high inflation In late 2024, communication was the sector with the highest inflation rate, with prices increasing by 6.1 percent as of December 2024. During the recent period of high inflation that eased in 2023, food and energy prices were particular high, with housing and energy inflation far higher than in any other sector, peaking at 26.6 percent towards the end of 2022. High food and energy prices since 2021 have been one of the main causes of the cost of living crisis in the UK, especially for low-income households that spend a higher share of their income on these categories. This is likely one of the factors driving increasing food bank usage in the UK, which saw approximately 3.12 million people use a food bank in 2023/24, compared with 1.9 million just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The global inflation crisis The UK has not been alone in suffering rapid price increases since 2021. After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of economic and geopolitical shocks had a dramatic impact on the global economy. A global supply chain crisis failed to meet rising demand in 2021, leading to the beginning of an Inflation Crisis, which was only exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The war directly influenced the prices of food and energy, as both countries were major exporters of important crops. European imports of hydrocarbons from Russia were also steadily reduced throughout 2022 and 2023, resulting in higher energy prices throughout the year.

The price of gas in the United Kingdom was *** British pence per therm in the fourth quarter of 2024. It is anticipated gas prices will increase to *** pence in the second quarter of 2025 before gradually falling to just under ** pence by the second quarter of 2027.
Surging energy costs and the cost of living crisis At the height of the UK's cost of living crisis in 2022, approximately ** percent of UK households were experiencing rising prices compared with the previous month. It was during 2022 that the UK's CPI inflation rate reached a peak of **** percent, in October of that year. Food and energy, in particular, were the main drivers of inflation during this period, with energy inflation reaching **** percent, and food prices increasing by **** percent at the height of the crisis. Although prices fell to more expected levels by 2024, an uptick in inflation is forecast for 2025, with prices rising by *** percent in the third quarter of the year. Global Inflation Crisis The UK was not alone in suffering rapid inflation during this time period, with several countries across the world experiencing an inflation crisis. The roots of the crisis began as the global economy gradually emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Blocked-up supply chains, struggled to recover as quickly as consumer demand, with food and energy prices also facing upward pressure. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to Europe gradually weening itself of cheap Russian energy exports, while for several months Ukraine struggled to export crucial food supplies to the rest of the World.

The average gas price in Great Britain in June 2025 was 86.28 British pence per therm. This was four pence higher than the same month the year prior and follows a trend of increasing gas prices. Energy prices in the UK Energy prices in the UK have been exceptionally volatile throughout the 2020s. Multiple factors, such as a lack of gas storage availability and the large share of gas in heating, have exacerbated the supply issue in the UK that followed the Russia-Ukraine war. This has also led to many smaller suppliers announcing bankruptcy, while an upped price cap threatened the energy security of numerous households. The United Kingdom has some of the highest household electricity prices worldwide. How is gas used in the UK? According to a 2023 survey conducted by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 58 percent of respondents used gas as a heating method during the winter months. On average, household expenditure on energy from gas in the UK stood at some 24.9 billion British pounds in 2023, double the amount spent just two years prior.

The rising inflation worldwide in 2022 and 2023 is reflected in the increasing prices of the different commodity groups in the G7 countries. Most notably, the price of electricity, gas, and other fuels was high in the third quarter of 2024 in Japan, with price increases reaching ** percent compared to the same period in 2023. On the other hand, gas and electricity inflation was negative in Germany, Italy, and the UK following extremely high rates in 2022 and the first half of 2023. Inflation rates increased sharply all around the world through 2022 and the beginning of 2023, spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February that year. Economic challenges in Japan As food and restaurant costs have risen in Japan in comparison to the rest of the G7 nations, overall, Japan is facing a period of economic slowdown. Over time, the value of the Japanese yen has dropped. Moreover, the Japanese GDP has also dropped, going from around **** trillion U.S. dollars in 2021 to *** trillion U.S. dollars by 2024. However, it is predicted to begin increasing by 2025. Falling electricity costs Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis driven by the February 2022 invasion of Russia into Ukraine, electricity prices increased worldwide through 2021, 2022, and 2023. As of 2024, inflation of electricity costs is decreasing across the G7, more than other commodity groups. This rise and fall can be seen throughout Europe as well as within the United States, after peaking in 2022.