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How we source our numbers

Every figure on this site carries a named source and the date we checked it. We prefer official statistics and regulators first, suppliers second, aggregators last and labelled. Energy tables follow DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, last published 30 June 2026. Correct as of August 2026.

Every data page we publish links here.

The sources we use, in order of preference

We work down this list, moving on only when the level above is silent.

  1. DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices. Accredited official statistics, published every March, June, September and December.
  2. Ofgem. The regulator's guidance on business contracts and what suppliers owe you.
  3. Elexon. Publicly published settlement data, including system prices and market index data (checked August 2026).
  4. Named supplier rate pages, where the supplier publishes the rate itself.
  5. Wholesaler charging statements, for water. The annual schedules that set what your retailer gets billed.
  6. gov.uk and DEFRA, for waste. Landfill Tax rates, and the rules that drive collection costs.
  7. Aggregators and comparison sites, last. We name them and date them.

If a number exists only on an aggregator, the page says so. That is a flag, not a citation.

How we date things

Every figure carries "correct as of" and a month. That date is the day we read the source, and nothing more.

The distinction that matters most is between a statistic and a rate you can be quoted.

DESNZ published its latest release on 30 June 2026. The non-domestic price commentary covers January to March 2026 (DESNZ, June 2026). That average is three to six months old on the day it lands. DESNZ also marks the most recent quarter provisional, and provisional figures move in the next release. So we name the quarter a figure describes.

Ofgem states that deemed prices are on average 80 per cent more than rates under a negotiated contract (Ofgem, checked August 2026). That is a regulator's market-wide average. Nobody can be quoted "80 per cent more". We publish it as a statistic and label it one.

Some anchors are dated forward. The Climate Change Levy main rate rose to 0.801p/kWh on 1 April 2026, and the April 2027 rate of 0.827p/kWh is already published (HMRC, April 2026). Calling that today's rate hides half of what is known. A date shows both. Our guide to the Climate Change Levy covers how it reaches a bill.

Elsewhere, pages carry an average price per kWh with two different dates and no named source, written in the register of a live quote. That is what this page exists to prevent.

How often we refresh

Energy tables update with each DESNZ quarterly release. The next is confirmed for 29 September 2026 at 9:30am (GOV.UK, August 2026).

Deemed and out-of-contract rates get checked monthly, because suppliers move them whenever they choose. A quarterly check would be too slow to be honest. Our guide to deemed rates explains those contracts.

Water pages refresh each April, within a week of the new charging year. That year runs 1 April to 31 March, and wholesalers publish their schedules ahead of it (South West Water, April 2026; Thames Water, August 2026).

Waste anchors get checked quarterly, and the fixed ones land on 1 April. Landfill Tax rose to £130.75 a tonne standard rate and £8.65 lower rate on 1 April 2026, in England and Northern Ireland (HMRC, April 2026). Scotland and Wales set their own. Workplace recycling rules in England changed on 31 March 2025, and firms under ten full-time equivalent staff have until 31 March 2027 (DEFRA, August 2026).

What we do when sources disagree

We prefer the primary source. A regulator or an official statistics release beats anyone's summary of one.

If the gap is material, we show it. You get both figures, both sources and a line on why they differ.

We never average two numbers quietly and print the middle. That buries the disagreement and invents a figure nobody published.

Found an error? Tell us

Email us the page address and the figure you are querying. We would rather hear it than leave it up.

When we fix a number we change the "correct as of" date with it, and note the change at the foot of the page. If we had it wrong, the page says so.

The same rule applies to our own price. We add 1.5p per kWh on gas and electricity, on every contract length, printed on your business energy quote before you sign.

Sources, checked August 2026 unless stated: DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices (collection page and the June 2026 release, published 30 June 2026); GOV.UK statistics announcement for the release on 29 September 2026; Ofgem, understanding energy contracts for businesses; Elexon open settlement data descriptions; South West Water wholesale charges 2026/27 (April 2026); Thames Water wholesale charges FAQs; HMRC Landfill Tax rates and Climate Change Levy rates (April 2026); DEFRA simpler recycling guidance for workplaces in England.