Average Energy Bills UK 2026: What Households Actually Pay
The short answer
- The typical UK home pays £1,723 a year for gas and electricity at the October to December 2026 price cap
- From about £1,193 for a 1 bed flat to £3,068 for a 5 bed detached house
- Gas is 7.97p and electricity 26.32p per kWh under the cap
The average UK household pays approximately £1,723 per year for gas and electricity combined at the Ofgem price cap for October to December 2026. But averages hide huge variation. A 1 bed flat pays around £1,193 while a 5 bed detached house pays around £3,068. Here is the full breakdown.
Is your bill higher than it should be?
Compare it with the averages for your property type in the checker below. If it is higher, poor insulation or an inefficient heating system may be costing you money.
Read the detail
If your bills are above the averages for your property type, you may be losing money through poor insulation or an inefficient heating system. Use our insulation calculator or heat pump calculator to see how much you could reduce your bills.
Check your bill against a home like yours
How we worked this out
Heating consumption for each home comes from our own model, fitted to DESNZ National Energy Efficiency Data-Framework data, and the method is set out in our methodology. Gas and electricity are priced at the Ofgem cap for October to December 2026: gas 7.97p/kWh, electricity 26.32p/kWh, with standing charges of £108.33 for gas and £200.13 for electricity. Heating oil is priced at 11.3p/kWh, the BoilerJuice UK average of 116.20p a litre on 25 September 2026, and LPG at 9.5p/kWh, our own assumption. The cap covers neither, and oil prices move. A heat pump is priced on the standard tariff at the measured median efficiency for its insulation level. Electricity for lighting, appliances and cooking is the 2024 median for homes with that many bedrooms in England and Wales, from the same government data; hot water is inside the heating figure. For a heat pump tariff or a bungalow or end terrace, use the energy bill calculator.
What do gas and electricity cost now?
Electricity is 26.32p per kWh and gas 7.97p under the Ofgem cap from 1 October to 31 December 2026. Daily standing charges are 54.83p for electricity and 29.68p for gas.
Read the detail
These are the Ofgem price cap rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026, announced on 26 August 2026. The price cap changes quarterly.
Electricity: 26.32p per kWh with a daily standing charge of 54.83p. Gas: 7.97p per kWh with a daily standing charge of 29.68p. Ofgem also lowered its typical consumption values on 1 July 2026 to 2,500 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas a year (from 2,700 and 11,500), which is why the headline £1,723 is not directly comparable with earlier typical bills.
Average energy bills by property type
From £1,193 a year for a 1 bed flat to £3,068 for a 5 bed detached house. An average 3 bed semi pays £1,885, or £157 a month, including standing charges.
Read the detail
| Property type | Gas bill/yr | Electricity bill/yr | Total/yr | Total/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bed flat | £555 | £639 | £1,193 | £99 |
| 2 bed flat | £674 | £763 | £1,437 | £120 |
| 2 bed terrace | £666 | £763 | £1,429 | £119 |
| 3 bed semi (average insulation) | £985 | £900 | £1,885 | £157 |
| 3 bed semi (good insulation) | £854 | £900 | £1,754 | £146 |
| 3 bed detached | £1,041 | £900 | £1,941 | £162 |
| 4 bed detached | £1,272 | £1,087 | £2,359 | £197 |
| 5 bed detached | £1,662 | £1,406 | £3,068 | £256 |
The data behind this table
Based on the Ofgem price cap for October to December 2026. Gas bills calculated from the gas consumption in the table below, which comes from our own heat demand model fitted to DESNZ National Energy Efficiency Data-Framework data. Electricity bills use Ofgem typical consumption scaled by property size. Includes standing charges. Actual bills depend on insulation, occupancy, thermostat settings, and tariff.
Why might your bill be higher than average?
Usually poor insulation, an old boiler, a high thermostat or a standard variable tariff. A poorly insulated 3 bed semi uses around 31% more gas than a well-insulated one: £1,081 against £854.
Read the detail
Poor insulation. A poorly insulated 3 bed semi uses around 31% more gas than a well-insulated one. That is the difference between an £854 and a £1,081 gas bill. Our energy bills by EPC rating guide shows what each band typically pays. Insulation is the single biggest factor in your energy bill, and many households qualify for free insulation through ECO4.
Old inefficient boiler. A 20-year-old boiler might operate at 70% to 80% efficiency versus 90% to 92% for a modern condensing boiler. That 15% to 20% efficiency gap translates directly into higher bills. A heat pump or new boiler can close this gap.
High thermostat setting. Heat loss rises with the gap between indoor and outdoor temperature, so every degree on the thermostat adds to the heating bill. Heating to a comfortable 18°C to 21°C, rather than higher, keeps it down.
Standard variable tariff. If you have never switched supplier or tariff, you are likely on the most expensive rate. Fixed and smart tariffs are sometimes priced below the cap, so it is worth checking.
How much gas does a home use?
From 5,600 kWh a year in a 1 bed flat to 19,500 kWh in a 5 bed detached house. An average 3 bed semi uses 11,000 kWh, costing £985 a year.
| Property type | Gas (kWh/yr) | Insulation level | Annual gas cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bed flat | 5,600 | Average | £555 |
| 2 bed mid-terrace | 7,000 | Average | £666 |
| 3 bed semi-detached | 11,000 | Average | £985 |
| 3 bed semi-detached | 9,350 | Good | £854 |
| 3 bed detached | 11,700 | Average | £1,041 |
| 4 bed detached | 14,600 | Average | £1,272 |
| 5 bed detached | 19,500 | Average | £1,662 |
Read the detail
How much electricity does a home use?
From 1,666 kWh a year with one bedroom to 4,581 kWh with five or more, costing £639 to £1,406. A 3 bedroom home uses 2,659 kWh, about £900; an electric car or heat pump adds more.
| Home | Electricity (kWh/yr) | Annual electricity cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | 1,666 | £639 |
| 2 bedrooms | 2,137 | £763 |
| 3 bedrooms | 2,659 | £900 |
| 4 bedrooms | 3,371 | £1,087 |
| 5 or more bedrooms | 4,581 | £1,406 |
| With an electric vehicle, per 2,500 kWh charged at home | +2,500 | +£658 |
| With a heat pump, 2 bed terrace to 4 bed detached | +2,270 to 4,730 | +£596 to £1,244 |
Read the detail
The median electricity a home used in England and Wales in 2024, from the government's National Energy Efficiency Data-Framework, priced at 26.32p per kWh with the £200.13 standing charge. Bedrooms predict electricity use better than property type, because it follows the number of people and appliances.
The data behind this table
Electricity costs = consumption x 26.32p + standing charge (54.83p/day = £200/yr). Consumption for lighting, appliances and cooking is the 2024 median for homes with that many bedrooms, from DESNZ NEED consumption tables (Table 4c), and it is the same figure the bill checker above and the energy bill calculator use. The heat pump row is the extra electricity our heat model gives each home at the measured median efficiency of 2.78, on the standard tariff; it replaces the gas bill rather than adding to it.
How can you cut your energy bill?
Insulate first, then check your tariff, turn the thermostat down and consider a heat pump or solar. Homes that had cavity wall insulation used a median 12.0% less gas, and many get it free through ECO4.
Read the detail
The most impactful actions, ranked by potential savings:
1. Insulate your home. In government measurements of real homes, those that had cavity wall insulation fitted used a median 12.0% less gas afterwards, and those that had cavity and loft insulation together 8.4% less (DESNZ NEED, 2026). Many households get it free through ECO4 until 31 December 2026.
2. Switch to a better tariff. Check comparison sites for fixed-rate deals below the price cap. Smart tariffs with time-of-use pricing can save money if you can shift usage to off-peak hours.
3. Turn down your thermostat. A degree lower on the thermostat cuts the heating bill, and heating only the rooms you use cuts it further. Smart heating controls (£150 to £400) automate this and add about 3 EPC points in our model.
4. Consider a heat pump. For a 3 bed semi on a heat pump tariff such as Cosy Octopus, about 18.7p per kWh with most heating in the cheap hours, a heat pump costs about £666 a year for heating, before standing charges. That is about £650 a year less than oil, £440 less than LPG and £1,940 less than direct electric heating, with oil at 11.3p per kWh, the BoilerJuice UK average on 25 September 2026, which moves with the market. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant of £7,500, or £9,000 when it replaces oil or LPG, brings the median installed cost of £12,700 for a 3 bed semi down to about £5,200 or £3,700. On gas the saving is smaller: about £210 a year on a heat pump tariff, while on a standard tariff it costs about £60 a year more.
5. Add solar panels. A 4 kW solar system costs £5,000 to £7,000 and brings in about £480 to £560 a year in bill savings and export payments on a south facing roof, paying for itself in about 11 to 12 years. Installations are zero rated for VAT until 31 March 2027.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average energy bill in the UK in 2026?
Approximately £1,723 per year for gas and electricity combined at the October to December 2026 cap, based on Ofgem typical consumption values of 2,500 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas. Actual bills range from £1,193 for a 1 bed flat to around £3,068 for a 5 bed detached house.
What is the average gas bill in the UK in 2026?
Approximately £865 per year based on Ofgem typical consumption of 9,500 kWh. Gas costs 7.97p per kWh at the October to December 2026 price cap, plus a 29.68p daily standing charge.
What is the average electricity bill in the UK in 2026?
Approximately £858 per year based on Ofgem typical consumption of 2,500 kWh. Electricity costs 26.32p per kWh at the October to December 2026 price cap, plus a 54.83p daily standing charge. Homes with heat pumps or electric vehicles consume more.
How much does a 3 bed house cost to heat in 2026?
A 3 bed semi costs approximately £1,750 to £1,980 per year for gas and electricity. Well-insulated homes are at the lower end. Improving insulation from poor to good takes the heating part down by about 20%, which is roughly 12% off the whole bill once electricity is counted.
Data sources
Energy prices come from the Ofgem price cap for October to December 2026. Consumption comes from our heat demand model fitted to DESNZ NEED data, and heating oil prices from BoilerJuice.
Show every source
Energy prices from Ofgem price cap, October to December 2026. The headline UK average uses Ofgem typical domestic consumption values. Consumption by property type comes from our own heat demand model, fitted to DESNZ National Energy Efficiency Data-Framework data. Heating oil from BoilerJuice on 25 September 2026, converted at 10.294 kWh a litre from the DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors 2026. See our full methodology.