Energy Bills to Rise 10% in April 2026: Ofgem Announces New Price Cap
Published: 25 February 2026
The Event
Ofgem announced today that the energy price cap will increase by ten percent from 1st April 2026. The new cap means the average household will pay two thousand two hundred pounds per year for gas and electricity, up from two thousand pounds currently. That is an extra two hundred pounds per year, or sixteen pounds sixty-seven pence per month.
The increase affects around twenty-nine million households across Great Britain who are on standard variable tariffs. The cap sets the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge per unit of gas and electricity, plus the daily standing charge.
Why It Matters
Two hundred pounds per year might not sound enormous, but for millions of households already struggling with bills, it is the difference between managing and not managing. Energy bills are already consuming around eight to ten percent of median household income. This increase pushes that to nine to eleven percent.
And this is not a one-off spike. The price cap has been above two thousand pounds since 2022, and it is not falling back to pre-crisis levels. What was supposed to be a temporary energy crisis has become permanent. Bills have doubled since 2020 and are staying high.
