Press release, 8 October 2026. Free to use.

Britain's smallest businesses are paying a record price for electricity, higher than at the height of the energy crisis

Firms using the least power paid an average of 38.36p per kWh in Q2 2026, the highest since records began in 2004, while larger businesses still pay well below their crisis peaks.

Line chart of electricity prices paid by UK businesses by size since 2016. The smallest businesses' price rises to 38.36p per kWh in Q2 2026, its highest on record, while the average and the largest users stay below their 2023 peaks. — Free to use with credit. Download the chart.

Britain's smallest businesses paid more for their electricity in Q2 2026 than at any time since records began, according to government figures, even as larger firms continue to pay well below the peaks of the energy crisis.

The smallest businesses, using up to 20 MWh a year, paid 38.36p per kWh in Q2 2026, the highest in the series, which began in 2004. The previous high was 37.36p in Q3 2025, and the peak during the 2022 to 2023 energy crisis was 34.01p in Q2 2023.
That is 3.5% more than a year earlier (37.07p) and 2.3 times the 2019 average of 16.72p.
Every larger size of business is still below its crisis peak. Small businesses using 20 to 499 MWh paid 28.59p, against a peak of 34.57p in Q4 2023.
The smallest firms now pay 72% more per unit of electricity than the largest users (22.25p).
On gas, the smallest businesses paid 6.1% more than a year earlier (9.31p per kWh), while every larger size band paid 4.6% to 7.3% less. The smallest gas users pay 2.3 times as much per unit as the largest.

Sam Allcock, of Business Energy Consultant, said: "Small firms have been left behind. The biggest energy users have seen their prices ease since the crisis, but the corner shop, the cafe and the hairdresser are now paying more for every unit of electricity than at any point on record. There is no price cap for businesses, so the most important thing a small firm can do is check when its contract ends and never drift onto out-of-contract rates."

See the full figures by business size: business electricity prices and business gas prices.

Notes to editors

Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Quarterly Energy Prices, table 3.4.2, prices of fuels purchased by non-domestic consumers in the UK, published 29/09/2026. Average prices actually paid, including the Climate Change Levy and excluding VAT.
Q2 2026 figures are provisional. The department revised its series for the smallest electricity users from Q4 2024 onwards, following work with its data suppliers to improve data quality, and says the series may be revised further.
Size bands are by yearly use: smallest electricity users 0 to 20 MWh, small 20 to 499 MWh, largest over 150,000 MWh; smallest gas users under 278 MWh, largest 277,778 to 1,111,112 MWh.
Business Energy Consultant (businessenergyconsultant.co.uk) is an introduction service run by Domain Farm Ltd, company number 13544286, which connects businesses with independent energy brokers. It is not an energy supplier.
Free to use with credit to Business Energy Consultant and, online, a link to the business electricity prices page.

Contact: Sam Allcock, editor@businessenergyconsultant.co.uk