

What is a kilowatt hour (kWh)?Ī kilowatt hour (or kWh) is the unit used to calculate the amount of energy you use. It’s worth knowing this when you’re looking for the best energy deals, so that you’re comparing like for like. Some suppliers choose not to show it as a separate charge on your bill and include these costs in the unit rate instead. Think of it as a line rental, but for energy. It’s the cost of having a gas or electricity supply. This is to cover running costs like metering, maintenance of the pipes and cables that supply energy to your home and keeping your home connected to the energy network. Standing charge – a fixed daily cost you pay in addition to the unit rate regardless of how much gas or electricity you use. Unit rate – the cost you agreed with your energy supplier for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of gas or electricity you use, which could be fixed or variable. You’ll see two main charges on your energy bill: VAT, other direct costs and Earnings Before Income and Tax (EBIT)įinally, VAT at 5%, other direct costs at 2% - such as apprenticeships and developing energy saving technology, and pre-tax profit – currently at -1% - make up the remainder of a total dual fuel energy bill. Government charges for it’s support schemes such as costs associated with the Warm Home Discount adds a further 4% to your bill. Operating costs make up a further 7% of your total bill and are the day-to-day costs of managing your energy account, including metering and billing.

So, when deciding on an energy tariff, make sure you’re comparing energy suppliers like-for-like. Some of these costs are shown as a separate standing charge on your bill, but some energy providers choose to add it in to their unit prices. Different parts of the UK have different network companies and they don’t all charge the same price to use and maintain the energy network. They are set by the distribution network in your region and cover the use and maintenance of the pipes and wires that get the gas and electricity to your home. Network costs account for 11% of your total bill. This is why the Government has announced new measures to help households with the rising cost of energy bills, the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) and the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) make up 42% of these costs. The wholesale cost of gas and electricity makes up around 70% of the default tariff price cap for a dual-fuel, direct debit customer with typical consumption. These prices can change from day to day and have risen sharply in recent months. Your energy provider charges you for each unit, or kilowatt hour (kWh) of gas or electricity you use, so the more you use, the more you pay. Your energy use is the most important part of your bill. The unit rates and charges vary by region across the UK and by payment method. Here we show you average energy costs based on typical domestic usage and default tariff covered by the Government's Energy Price Guarantee rates effective from 1st April 2023. Having a rough idea of how much energy you should be using and average costs may help to estimate your bills and compare prices with other energy providers. No one wants to pay more than they need to for energy. It also assumes you’re using a mix of gas and electricity, but if your home uses only electricity, you’d expect your electric consumption to be higher. The more gas or electricity you use, the higher your bills will be. Of course, this is just the average consumption for a household of between 2-3 people. This works out at 242 kWh of electricity and 1,000 kWh of gas per month. Also, if you’re not on a fixed rate, prices will vary depending on the gas and electricity costs, and which supplier you’re with.Īccording to Ofgem, the average British household has 2.4 people living in it and uses 2,900 kWh of electricity and 12,000 kWh of gas. Your actual bill could be higher or lower than the average depending on how much you use. Your average energy bill by house size and usageįuel prices are constantly changing, and no one can predict future costs with certainty. Do you know how much energy your home uses? Your gas and electricity bills depend on your lifestyle, your home’s size and how many people you live with.
