Overview
- The regulator confirmed on May 27 that the quarterly price cap will rise 13% for July 1–September 30, 2026, moving the average electricity unit rate to 26.11p per kWh from 24.67p.
- Ofgem said the increase is driven mainly by higher wholesale gas prices linked to recent Middle East events, which lift the gas element by about 24% while electricity rises roughly 5%.
- Research and consumer tools translate the change into small per-use impacts: home EV charging is expected to cost about £20–£52 more a year for popular models (the BMW iX3 example shows an annual rise of £52.12).
- Estimates for small appliances show modest annual changes, such as vacuuming at roughly £5.16 a year and DVD plus TV use around £3.36 a year under the new cap.
- Around 40% of accounts (about 22 million) are on fixed deals and are not affected this quarter, and advisers say consumers can limit rises by switching to fixed or EV-specific off-peak tariffs or using workplace and public charging.