Electricity Bill Calculator UK 2026
This electricity bill calculator estimates your annual and monthly electricity cost from your household size, using the Ofgem Q3 2026 price-cap unit rate of 26.11p/kWh and a 57.19p daily standing charge. Use the electricity bill calculator below, then see how the numbers are worked out and how to bring the bill down.
How your electricity bill is worked out
Two parts make up every electricity bill: a unit rate for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) you use, and a fixed standing charge for every day you’re connected. Annual cost = (kWh × unit rate) + (365 × standing charge). At the Q3 2026 cap that’s 26.11p per kWh and 57.19p per day.
The cap is reviewed quarterly; the next change is expected by 26 August 2026, forecast broadly flat at around £1,849 for a typical dual-fuel home.
How much does electricity cost in the UK in 2026?
Under the Ofgem price cap for Q3 2026 (1 July to 30 September 2026), the GB average electricity unit rate is 26.11p per kWh with a daily standing charge of 57.19p, according to Ofgem. For a typical household using about 2,700 kWh a year, that works out at roughly £914 for electricity alone, and the headline typical dual-fuel bill (electricity plus gas) sits at £1,862 a year.
This electricity bill calculator applies those cap rates to your own usage, so your estimate reflects how much electricity you actually use rather than a national average. The price cap does not cap your total bill — it limits the unit rate and standing charge — so the more kWh you use, the more you pay.
Electricity is one of five household bills. To estimate it alongside gas, water, council tax and broadband, use the household bills calculator; to see electricity and gas together on one dual-fuel bill, use the gas and electric bill calculator.
At 26.11p per kWh, electricity remains expensive by historical standards — still well above pre-crisis 2021 levels. The standing charge is the part many households overlook: at 57.19p a day you pay about £209 a year just to stay connected, before using a single unit. That fixed cost hits low users hardest, which is why cutting consumption alone can only take your bill so far.
Electricity also costs far more per unit than gas — about 3.6 times as much at 26.11p versus 7.33p — which shapes almost every decision about heating, hot water and running costs. For a like-for-like comparison of gas unit rates, the gas rate calculator converts between kWh and cubic metres.
Regional electricity prices Q3 2026
Your postcode affects your electricity rate. The price cap is set for 14 distribution regions, each with its own unit rate and standing charge, because the cost of running the local network varies. The table below shows the Q3 2026 unit rate (p/kWh), standing charge (p/day) and the typical annual electricity cost at 2,700 kWh for every region.
North Wales & Merseyside has the highest unit rate at 27.66p per kWh, while East Midlands is the cheapest at 25.1p — a gap driven mainly by transmission and distribution costs rather than by the electricity itself. Standing charges vary even more widely, from about 44.78p a day in London to 70.76p in North Wales & Merseyside.
| Region | Unit rate (p/kWh) | Standing charge (p/day) | Typical annual @ 2,700 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 26.35p | 44.78p | £875 |
| South East | 26.67p | 54.45p | £919 |
| Eastern | 26.38p | 53.94p | £909 |
| Southern | 26.42p | 49.70p | £895 |
| South Wales | 26.33p | 57.84p | £922 |
| South West | 26.39p | 57.89p | £924 |
| West Midlands | 25.33p | 59.71p | £902 |
| East Midlands | 25.10p | 53.60p | £873 |
| Yorkshire | 25.31p | 64.38p | £918 |
| North Wales & Merseyside | 27.66p | 70.76p | £1005 |
| North West | 26.13p | 47.61p | £879 |
| Northern | 25.22p | 64.29p | £916 |
| North Scotland | 26.42p | 57.55p | £923 |
| South Scotland | 25.85p | 64.17p | £932 |
| GB average | 26.11p | 57.19p | £914 |
Source: Ofgem regional price cap tables, Q3 2026. Direct Debit, incl. 5% VAT; typical annual cost at 2,700 kWh.
Appliance running costs at 26.11p per kWh
Once you know your unit rate, you can work out what any appliance costs to run: multiply its annual kWh by the unit rate. At the Q3 2026 GB average of 26.11p per kWh, the biggest single culprits are usually anything that heats water or air — electric showers, tumble dryers and electric ovens — followed by always-on devices like the fridge-freezer.
| Appliance | Typical kWh/yr | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Electric shower (10 min daily) | 558 kWh | £146 |
| Gaming PC + monitor | 492 kWh | £128 |
| Fridge-freezer (A-rated) | 408 kWh | £107 |
| Tumble dryer (vented) | 390 kWh | £102 |
| Electric oven | 290 kWh | £76 |
| Dishwasher | 195 kWh | £51 |
| Heat pump tumble dryer | 188 kWh | £49 |
| Kettle | 170 kWh | £44 |
| Washing machine | 162 kWh | £42 |
| Air fryer | 156 kWh | £41 |
| LED TV (43in) | 88 kWh | £23 |
Source: Energy Saving Trust, Smart Energy GB and Citizens Advice appliance data, at 26.11p/kWh.
The practical takeaway is that behaviour and efficiency matter more than switching things off at the wall. Replacing a vented tumble dryer with a heat-pump model roughly halves its running cost; a 10-year-old fridge-freezer can cost far more than an A-rated replacement; and shaving time off electric showers is one of the fastest ways to cut a bill. Standby savings are real but small — typically around £30 a year across a whole home. For grants and measure-by-measure savings, the Energy Saving Trust is the most reliable independent source.
Economy 7 vs a standard single-rate tariff
Economy 7 tariffs split electricity into peak and cheaper off-peak rates, typically giving you seven hours of low-cost electricity overnight. They make financial sense only if you can shift 30% or more of your usage into those night hours — which is realistic for households with storage heaters, immersion water heating or an electric vehicle to charge, and rarely worthwhile otherwise.
The catch is that the daytime rate on Economy 7 is higher than the standard single-rate cap. If most of your electricity is still used during the day, you can end up paying more overall than on a normal tariff. As a rule of thumb: if you cannot move a meaningful share of your load to the night, stay on a single rate.
A smart meter is the infrastructure that unlocks these time-of-use tariffs. Without one you cannot access Economy 7, dedicated EV tariffs, or the Smart Export Guarantee for solar generation. Around 90% of GB homes now have a smart meter, installation is free from your supplier, and it removes estimated bills by reporting your usage automatically.
Time-of-use tariffs pair especially well with home generation and storage. If you are weighing up panels and a battery, the solar panel savings calculator estimates how much you could save by generating your own electricity and exporting the surplus.
How to read your meter and switch supplier
The most accurate way to know your usage is to read your own meter. Take a reading, wait roughly 30 days, take another, and subtract the first from the second — the difference is the kWh you have used in that period. Multiply by 12 (adjusting for the season) for a rough annual figure, or simply read the annual kWh straight off your latest bill.
Reading the different meter types
A single-rate digital meter shows one row of numbers — read left to right and ignore any figures after the decimal point. A dial meter is read left to right too, taking the lower number where a pointer sits between two digits. An Economy 7 meter shows two readings: a low (night) register and a normal (day) register, sometimes labelled Rate 1 and Rate 2. A smart meter displays your usage in both kWh and pounds on its in-home display, so no manual reading is needed.
Switching supplier
Switching is free, takes about five working days, and never interrupts your supply — the electrons are identical, only the billing changes. Fixing a tariff locks in your unit rate and standing charge, which hedges against future cap rises, while staying on the cap means your rate moves each quarter. Compare offers on an independent, whole-of-market service such as Citizens Advice, which does not steer you toward commission-paying tariffs.
Help if you are struggling to pay
If you are behind on your bills, contact your supplier early to agree an affordable payment plan — they are obliged to help. You may also qualify for the Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payment or Cold Weather Payment. Official guidance and eligibility are on GOV.UK.
- Take meter readings 30 days apart and subtract to find your real kWh usage.
- Read an Economy 7 meter’s day and night registers separately.
- Compare fixed offers against the cap on an independent, whole-of-market tool.
- Switching is free, takes about five working days, and never cuts your supply.
- Ask about the Warm Home Discount and a payment plan if you are struggling.
How this electricity bill calculator works
The calculator uses the standard Ofgem formula: (kWh used × unit rate) + (365 × standing charge). It applies the Q3 2026 cap rates — 26.11p per kWh and 57.19p per day on the GB average — and can adjust for your region and payment method, so the estimate reflects your actual electricity costs rather than a generic national figure.
You can drive it three ways: by property type (which maps a home size to a typical annual kWh), by entering your own kWh usage from a bill, or from a pair of meter readings. For most households the result lands within about 5–10% of the real bill; the main sources of difference are seasonal swings in usage, your exact regional rate, and whether you are on a fixed tariff below the cap.
Because the standing charge is fixed, the calculator makes clear how much of your bill is unavoidable connection cost versus consumption you can actually influence. That distinction is the key to budgeting: on the GB average you pay about £209 a year before any usage, and everything above that scales with the kWh you use.
Once you have your electricity figure, it is worth checking it alongside your other bills. Compare it with your gas bill calculator result, add in fixed costs with the council tax calculator and the water bill calculator, and you will have a realistic picture of your whole household’s running costs for the year.
Electricity bill calculator: frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about UK electricity costs, the unit rate and standing charge, Economy 7, and how to pay less on your electricity bill in 2026.