Households in Great Britain will have their energy bills capped at ***** British pounds per year from October 2022 onwards, due to the measures introduced by the UK government in September of 2022. This will result in savings of around ***** for the average household, compared with the previous price cap, which was set to increase to ***** per year.

The average wholesale electricity price in July 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.

Non-domestic consumers with consumption between *** megawatt-hours and ***** megawatt-hours tended to pay higher electricity prices than those users with consumption greater than ****** megawatt-hours. As of 2023, electricity prices for these consumers amounted to ***** pence per kilowatt-hour and ***** pence per kilowatt-hour, respectively. Generally, for both consumption rates, electricity prices presented a trend of growth with a peak in 2023.

The average annual domestic electricity bill in the United Kingdom saw an overall increase from 2014 to 2024 and boomed in 2023. In this period, households with an annual consumption of ***** kilowatt-hours saw bills rise from *** to ***** British pounds, including value-added tax. The household expenditure on electricity in the UK amounted to approximately **** billion current British pounds in 2023. Direct debit payments consistently cheaper In the period under consideration, the annual bill for an electricity consumption of ***** kilowatt-hours was consistently more expensive for consumers using standard credit as a method of payment, averaging ***** real British pounds in 2024. From 2016 onwards, consumers using the prepayment method paid less than standard credit consumers and, in 2022, their bill was the least expensive, at *** real British pounds. Electricity prices on the rise Household electricity prices in the UK have doubled in the past decade for both consumer groups. Despite the UK government setting a tariff cap to protect consumers, the UK’s power market was greatly impacted by the global energy crisis. In August 2022, electricity prices in Great Britain peaked at *** British pounds per megawatt-hour, over four times the price compared to August the following year.

Ireland, Italy, and Germany had some of the highest household electricity prices worldwide, as of March 2025. At the time, Irish households were charged around 0.45 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour, while in Italy, the price stood at 0.43 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour. By comparison, in Russia, residents paid almost 10 times less. What is behind electricity prices? Electricity prices vary widely across the world and sometimes even within a country itself, depending on factors like infrastructure, geography, and politically determined taxes and levies. For example, in Denmark, Belgium, and Sweden, taxes constitute a significant portion of residential end-user electricity prices. Reliance on fossil fuel imports Meanwhile, thanks to their great crude oil and natural gas production output, countries like Iran, Qatar, and Russia enjoy some of the cheapest electricity prices in the world. Here, the average household pays less than 0.1 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour. In contrast, countries heavily reliant on fossil fuel imports for electricity generation are more vulnerable to market price fluctuations.

Wholesale electricity prices in the United Kingdom hit a record-high in 2022, reaching **** British pence per kilowatt-hour that year. Projections indicate that prices are bound to decrease steadily in the next few years, falling under **** pence per kilowatt-hour by 2030.

UK Electricity decreased 29.75 GBP/MWh or 29.04% 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 average net selling value of electricity used by the commercial sector in the United Kingdom (UK) came to over 20 pence per kilowatt-hour sold in 2022. The average net selling value of electricity more than doubled in the period in consideration, from 10.11 pence per kilowatt-hour of electricity sold in 2010.

The Electricity Supply industry has developed considerably since its liberalisation in 1999. Following a period in which the Big Six suppliers dominated, energy regulator Ofgem endeavoured to introduce greater competition to the market as part of attempts to drive down energy bills. Major mergers and acquisitions effectively brought the dominance of the former Big Six suppliers to an end at the end of 2019-20. Along with weakening electricity consumption, swelling competition has applied further pressure on revenue in recent years. Electricity suppliers' revenue is slated to climb at a compound annual rate of 4.7% to reach £49.8 billion over the five years through 2024-25. The introduction of the standard variable tariff price cap in January 2019 squeezed revenue growth. The pandemic exacerbated the drop in revenue, as widespread tariff reductions compounded the effects of reduced electricity consumption. With suppliers bound by the energy price cap, soaring wholesale prices led to widening operating losses in 2021-22, albeit with a modest revenue recovery. A renewed spike in wholesale prices led to a continued wave of insolvencies among energy suppliers going into 2022-23, with 31 suppliers falling victim to the energy crisis. Soaring non-domestic energy bills and significant hikes to the SVT price cap spurred significant revenue growth in 2022-23, while the transfer of customer accounts from failed suppliers reinstated the dominance of major suppliers. The introduction of the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) and support for business energy customers prevented energy prices from spiralling out of control going into 2023-24. A faster-than-anticipated drop in wholesale electricity prices has eased pressure on operating profit in the current year, contributing to an estimated 10.1% revenue contraction. Revenue is forecast to sink at a compound annual rate of 0.9% to £47.6 billion over the five years through 2029-30. Prices will remain elevated in the medium term as concerns surrounding supplies of Russian fossil fuels into Europe inflate wholesale costs. Wholesale prices are set to stabilise in the long term, spurring tariff reductions. The continued drop in electricity consumption is also set to limit growth prospects in the coming years.

The average gas price in Great Britain in May 2025 was 82.59 British pence per therm. This was seven 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.

Residential electricity prices in the United Kingdom amounted to 0.35 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour in March 2024, a decrease in electricity prices for households in the UK from the previous year.

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 forecasted 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 April 2025. This represents an increase of about ** euros compared to the previous year, suggesting that gas prices will continue to influence electricity rates across Europe. 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.

Energy Prices Taxes contains a major international compilation of energy prices of OECD countries: including crude oil and oil product spot prices, import costs by crude stream, industry prices and consumer prices. The end-user prices cover the main petroleum products, gas, coal and electricity. Every issue includes full notes on sources and methods and a description of price mechanisms in each country. Time series availability varies with each data series.

UK Gas fell to 78.09 GBp/thm on July 24, 2025, down 0.60% from the previous day. Over the past month, UK Gas's price has fallen 5.55%, but it is still 4.83% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. UK Natural Gas - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

The UK inflation rate was 3.5 percent in April 2025, up from 2.6 percent in the previous month, and the fastest rate of inflation since February 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.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Prices Index: Economic Activities: Energy: Domestic for United Kingdom (GBRPIEAEN02GYQ) from Q1 2010 to Q4 2022 about energy, United Kingdom, PPI, price index, indexes, and price.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Prices Index: Economic Activities: Energy: Domestic for United Kingdom (GBRPIEAEN02GYM) from Dec 2009 to Dec 2022 about energy, United Kingdom, PPI, price index, indexes, and price.