Day-ahead market · hourly pricesElectricity price today in Great Britain
Price curve
Each bar is one hour.
In brief
Today, Wednesday, 21 October 2026, electricity on the day-ahead market in Great Britain costs an average of 17.40p/kWh before taxes and network costs.
The cheapest hour runs from 22:00 to 23:00 at 14.53p/kWh; the most expensive is 18:00–19:00 at 20.92p/kWh.
Anything you can move by three hours runs cheapest between 02:00 and 05:00: on average 14.76p/kWh, which is 15% below the day's average.
The wholesale average is 1% more than the day before and 6% above the seven-day average.
Tomorrow's prices are already out: the average for tomorrow is 15.41p/kWh wholesale.
From now on, the cheapest two hours are tomorrow 02:00–04:00 (9.00p/kWh).
Compared with
- Yesterday
- 17.30 ▲
- 7-day average
- 16.40 ▲
- 30-day average
- 14.49 ▲
- Same day last year
- 8.23 ▲
Wholesale price · p/kWh
Cheapest windows
The cheapest uninterrupted time windows of the day, for loads you can schedule.
Most expensive 3 hours: 17:00–20:00 · 20.30p/kWh
When to switch on
Best start time for typical appliances, with the cost of one run at the best and at the worst moment.
Electric water heater
Costs are based on the wholesale price only.
What households on the price cap pay
Most households in Great Britain are on a standard variable tariff, limited by Ofgem's price cap. For Oct–Dec 2026, the cap for electricity paid by Direct Debit averages 26.32p per kWh plus a standing charge of 54.83p a day – an average for England, Scotland and Wales; rates differ by region and payment method. There is no VAT on household electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
The cap limits the unit rate and the standing charge, not the total bill, and applies to standard variable and default tariffs; fixed deals and market-linked smart tariffs set their own prices. Ofgem resets it every quarter from wholesale costs over earlier months, so today's day-ahead price reaches it only with a delay.
Prices hour by hour
Wholesale price for every hour of the day.
| Hour | Average |
|---|---|
| 23:00 | 15.53 |
| 00:00 | 15.27 |
| 01:00 | 15.11 |
| 02:00 | 14.77 |
| 03:00 | 14.76 |
| 04:00 | 14.75 |
| 05:00 | 16.78 |
| 06:00 | 19.50 |
| 07:00 | 20.37 |
| 08:00 | 20.34 |
| 09:00 | 19.64 |
| 10:00 | 18.33 |
| 11:00 | 17.13 |
| 12:00 | 16.49 |
| 13:00 | 16.27 |
| 14:00 | 16.39 |
| 15:00 | 16.27 |
| 16:00 | 19.41 |
| 17:00 | 20.00 |
| 18:00 | 20.92 |
| 19:00 | 19.99 |
| 20:00 | 18.30 |
| 21:00 | 16.78 |
| 22:00 | 14.53 |
Neighbouring markets today
- France
- 13.52
- Netherlands
- 16.96
- Belgium
- 16.44
- West Denmark (DK1)
- 16.62
Wholesale price · p/kWh
How the British price is set
Great Britain – England, Scotland and Wales – has been outside the EU's single day-ahead market coupling since 1 January 2021. Its day-ahead prices come from separate auctions; we show the hourly N2EX auction run by Nord Pool, which closes at 09:50 UK time. The British trading day runs from 23:00 to 23:00 UK time, so the first hour on this page starts at 23:00 the evening before. Northern Ireland is part of the all-island Irish market and is not covered here.
Most households do not pay this price directly. Standard variable tariffs are limited by Ofgem's price cap, which is reviewed every quarter and reflects wholesale costs over earlier months. Some suppliers offer smart tariffs whose rate changes every half hour in line with the wholesale market; they follow their own formulas, so their rates differ from the hourly prices shown here. Network and policy costs come on top; there is no VAT on household electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 (normally 5%). Prices are published in pounds; to compare them with other countries we convert them at the European Central Bank's reference rate.
FAQ
When are tomorrow's British prices published?
Why does the day start at 23:00?
Do British households pay these prices?
Does this include Northern Ireland?
Day-ahead prices from official market data. Sources and licences are listed on the data sources page. Data sources · Methodology