Energy price cap October 2026: here’s what customers should do this weekend

There are three things customers should do this weekend before next week's energy price cap announcement.

1. Check your energy tariff

The price cap is likely to go up, and it affects customers on standard variable tariffs. If you’re on one of these tariffs, your bills will almost certainly increase from October.

If you haven’t thought about your energy or spoken to a supplier for more than a year, you’re probably on a tariff affected by the price cap. If that's the case, read on.

If you're on a fixed tariff, you won't be affected by the price cap change, but keep an eye on when it ends because you'll be rolled on to your supplier's standard variable tariff when it ends. However, you can fix your deal again to avoid this happening.

2. Check your usage

The price cap figure that is reported is the annual figure for an average use household, but it’s very unlikely that your household uses the average amount of energy. Check your usage and multiply it by the percentage the price cap is predicted to change by (currently 3.7%) to get a better idea of how the price cap will affect the amount you pay for energy.

You can check your usage on a bill or by connecting your smart meter to an app like the Uswitch app which allows you to see how much energy you’re using and when.

3. Compare energy deals

You don’t have to accept this price rise. There are deals priced below the current cap (£1,663) that you can switch to in order to save against the current cap, and then save even more assuming the cap goes up in October.

You’ll also lock in lower rates now, which means you’ll be protected from high prices for the duration of your contract. With the January 2027 price cap currently predicted to stay at roughly the same level, this could be vital throughout winter when we usually use more energy.