As of April 17, 2026, the practical benchmark most households look at is the Ofgem default-tariff cap. That does not make every home’s bill the same, but it gives a solid current reference point.
Ofgem says the default-tariff cap for a typical dual-fuel household paying by Direct Debit is £1,641 per year between April 1 and June 30, 2026.
The England, Scotland, and Wales average electricity rate in that cap period is 24.67 pence per kWh with a 57.21 pence daily standing charge.
The cap is a unit-rate and standing-charge limit, not a promise about what any one home will spend. Real bills still move with usage, payment type, meter type, and region.
Source: Ofgem energy price cap explained, checked on April 17, 2026.
When electricity is expensive enough to stay visible on the bill, battery storage and export timing questions get more serious. The site layout and electrical context then matter more, not less.
People often jump straight from “electricity costs more than gas” to “heat pumps will be expensive to run.” That skips the bigger question: whether the system and fabric assumptions are actually right.
Standing charges, consumption profile, and whether the property can shift load all matter. The unit price is only one part of the decision.