See how your business compares on energy costs
Answer four questions for a free, indicative comparison of how energy prices are changing for a business like yours.
October 2026 release, covering 2026-27 to 2028-29. Next release early 2027.
Market outlook updated 22 October 2026
Compare your business
Four questions, one at a time, about 30 seconds. We match you to the closest of six business archetypes.
Index figures for your archetype appear here once the first release is published.
See your full comparison
Register with your work details to see how costs for this archetype are changing, what is driving them, and what to watch over the next two years.
- How costs for your archetype are forecast to change
- How the bill splits between wholesale, network, policy and other costs
- What is changing business power prices, and why it matters
- What to watch next
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Your closest match
Your full comparison is below. Change any answer to compare again.
Your comparison
High and volatile wholesale costs are driving up business energy costs
Businesses of all sizes have seen electricity costs rise since 2025-26, principally because conflict in the Middle East has pushed up wholesale power and gas prices. The effects are expected to last beyond this year.
Network costs make up a bigger share of the bill
What is changing business power prices?
Wholesale power prices are currently at 4-year highs, driving up total costs for all businesses.
We expect these wholesale costs to fall over the next 2 years.
However, this is offset by rising transmission, distribution and balancing costs.
Why does it matter?
Near-term power costs are extremely sensitive to businesses’ exposure to the high and volatile commodity prices seen since March 2026.
Contract structures and hedging strategies can offer some protection against wholesale volatility.
Longer-term rises in network costs are harder for businesses to mitigate, particularly where they fall on fixed charges.
What should you watch next?
With wholesale power prices at 4-year highs, all eyes are here over winter.
Rising wholesale prices are also driving up balancing costs, impacting rates from April 2027 at the latest.
More public information on distribution costs from 2028-29 is due by the end of December.
This is an indicative comparison against a representative business archetype, not a calculation of your organisation’s bill. Actual costs depend on your contract, supplier, tariff structure and consumption pattern.
High and volatile wholesale costs are driving up business energy costs
Businesses of all sizes have seen electricity costs rise since 2025-26, principally because conflict in the Middle East has pushed up wholesale power and gas prices. The effects are expected to last beyond this year. Smaller businesses generally pay more per MWh.
Figures in this release are illustrative, pending confirmation by Cornwall Insight’s analysts.
Show the numbers
| Archetype | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | Change by 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK High Street | 110 | 125 | 124 | 139 | +26% |
| Small Commercial | 103 | 114 | 110 | 118 | +15% |
| Small Industrial | 105 | 118 | 116 | 127 | +21% |
| Medium Industrial and Commercial | 103 | 117 | 116 | 130 | +26% |
| Heavy Industry | 88 | 97 | 93 | 99 | +12% |
| Data Centre | 90 | 99 | 94 | 99 | +10% |
Network costs are taking a bigger share of the bill
Over the next two years, wholesale electricity costs are forecast to fall to less than 30% of the total bill. Rising network costs for transmission, distribution and balancing offset those falls for some site types and push overall prices up.
Show the numbers
| Component | 2026-27 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | 38% | 27% |
| Networks | 22% | 33% |
| Policy | 22% | 23% |
| Other | 18% | 18% |
Market outlook, updated 22 October 2026
Power forecasts firm up as gas eases back
Baseload power upNBP gas down
What is changing business power prices?
Wholesale power prices are currently at 4-year highs, driving up total costs for all businesses.
We expect these wholesale costs to fall over the next 2 years.
However, this is offset by rising transmission, distribution and balancing costs.
Why does it matter?
Near-term power costs are extremely sensitive to businesses’ exposure to the high and volatile commodity prices seen since March 2026.
Contract structures and hedging strategies can offer some protection against wholesale volatility.
Longer-term rises in network costs are harder for businesses to mitigate, particularly where they fall on fixed charges.
What should you watch next?
With wholesale power prices at 4-year highs, all eyes are here over winter.
Rising wholesale prices are also driving up balancing costs, impacting rates from April 2027 at the latest.
More public information on distribution costs from 2028-29 is due by the end of December.
About the tool
The tool follows indexed electricity costs for six typical business sites, from a high-street shop to a data centre.
What it measures
The forecast all-in electricity cost for archetypal business sites, covering wholesale, network, policy and other charges.
The baseline
Indexed values are baselined to the all-archetype average in 2025-26.
The archetypes
Six business site profiles, developed alongside the CBI and Energy UK taskforce, that represent different levels and shapes of demand.
The forecasts
Every year after the baseline is a Cornwall Insight forecast, not a billed cost. Actual costs vary by contract, supplier and region.
