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Should I fix my energy or stay on the Price Cap?
Updated 12 March 2025
Average annual energy bills will rise by 6% on 1 April for those on standard price-capped tariffs (most households). But should you stay on the Price Cap, or move to a fixed deal? We've help to decide if fixing is right for you, plus analysis of the tariffs we've spotted...
Cheap Energy Club is back
Our Cheap Energy Club has bespoke help for those on dual-fuel and single-fuel standard variable and fixed tariffs. We initially relaunched it at speed and only had bespoke help for those on dual-fuel monthly Direct Debit price-capped tariffs. We've been hard at work since then and now have help for those on fixes, electricity-only and gas-only.
On Eco 7, prepay, or pay by quarterly cash or cheque? We're still working on adding bespoke help to the tool for you.
If you're using Energy Club, please feed back on anything that doesn't work or make sense.
How to check if it's worth fixing your energy
Before you switch to a fix (or any other tariff), you need to understand how the Price Cap will dictate what you pay if you were to stick on a price-capped tariff. Bear in mind this only really applies to one-year fixes – it's a much harder decision if you want to fix for longer.
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If you're not on a fix, you're almost certainly on a price-capped tariff, so that's what you need to compare against
Almost every household is currently on a standard tariff with prices dictated by the Energy Price Cap. For a household with typical usage, paying by Direct Debit, it's currently set at £1,738 a year, rising to £1,849 a year from 1 April.
But remember, the Cap is not a cap on how much you pay – it only limits standing charges and gas and electricity unit rates. See Price Cap FAQs for full info or see the full region-by-region rates in our Price Cap rates guide.
Yet that's not the full story as the Price Cap changes every three months, so you need to know how it's likely to change over the next year...
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The Price Cap will rise by 6% on 1 April
The most important thing to understand is that price-capped tariffs are variable, and the prices change every three months in line with the Cap.
So when considering if it's worth switching to a fixed deal, you need to look at what is expected to happen over the course of the next year. A fix that looks decent now could end up costing you more over the next year if energy prices drop.
Energy Price Cap - confirmed changes and future predictions
Time period
Price Cap on typical use (1) CURRENT PRICE CAP
1 Jan 2025 to 31 Mar 2025
ConfirmedUP 1%
£1,738 a year
1 April 2025 to 30 June 2025
Confirmed
UP 6%
£1,849 a year
1 July 2025 to 30 September 2025
Crystal ball-gazing (2)
DOWN 5%
£1,761 a year1 October 2025 to 31 December 2025
Crystal ball-gazing (2)
UP 1%
£1,783 a year
1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026
Crystal ball-gazing (2)
MINIMAL CHANGE
£1,787 a year
Based on a dual-fuel household paying by Direct Debit. (1) 2,700 kilowatt hours of electricity, 11,500 kilowatt of gas. (2) According to the latest prediction (on 11 March 2025) from EDF’s Price Cap Forecasting Service.
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Martin's rule of thumb for when it's worth switching
Some of this is crystal-ball gazing and averaging, but if the predictions above are right, our best guess is...
Based on current published predictions, on price alone (not certainty)…
If you find a fix for up to 3% more than the current (Jan to Mar) or 3% less than the new (Apr to Jun) Price Cap, it's predicted you'll save over the year compared with staying on the Price Cap
Yet, E.on's Pledge tariff, open to all on Direct Debit is basically a 3% cheaper Price Cap, so compared to that it'd need to be the same as the January's Cap.
Similarly. EDF's Simply Tracker tariff is essentially the Price Cap but with lower standing charges, and is also 3% cheaper on average.
We've full details of the current deals below. You can use our Cheap Energy Club comparison tool to see the top deals for you plus a bespoke prediction of what you'd pay likely on the Cap over the next year.
Or, if you want to quickly check whether a deal you've been offered is worth considering, see our 'Should you fix?' calculator.
Top energy deals
We've a list of the top standalone energy deals below. Savings are compared against the Price Cap from 1 January and 1 April. Yet what you'll pay varies by region and usage, so it's best to get a bespoke comparison. You can use our Cheap Energy Club to see the top fixes for you.
The cheapest energy fixes
| Supplier & tariff info |
Average cost compared with Price Cap (1) | Key info |
| Outfox the Market Fix'd Dual Mar25 v1.0 - 12 month fix |
- 7.4% LESS than Jan's Cap (12.9% LESS than Apr's Cap) |
- Dual-fuel only - Smart meters not required - Must pay by Direct Debit - £50 dual-fuel exit fees |
| Home Energy Fair and Fixed Dual Mar25 v2.0 - 12 month fix |
- 7% LESS than Jan's Cap (12.6% LESS than Apr's Cap) |
- Dual-fuel only - Smart meters not required - Must pay by Direct Debit - £50 dual-fuel exit fee - Small provider with limited feedback |
| Outfox the Market Fix'd Dual Mar25 v1.0 - 18 month fix |
- 7% LESS than Jan's Cap (12.5% LESS than Apr's Cap) |
- Dual-fuel only - Smart meters not required - Must pay by Direct Debit - £100 dual-fuel exit fees |
| Outfox the Market Fix'd Dual Mar25 v1.0 - 24 month fix |
- 6.9% LESS than Jan's Cap (12.5% LESS than Apr's Cap) |
- Dual-fuel only - Smart meters not required - Must pay by Direct Debit - £150 dual-fuel exit fees |
| So Energy So Barberry - 24 month fix |
- 5.9% LESS than Jan's Cap including MSE cashback (11.6% LESS than Apr's Cap) - 5.4% LESS than Jan's Cap without cashback |
- Dual-fuel or electricity-only - Smart meters not required - Must pay by Direct Debit and online account management - £75 per fuel exit fees - £20 MSE cashback via Cheap Energy Club |
| No-risk fix | ||
| EDF Energy* Simply Fixed Direct Jun26 v7 - 12 month fix |
- 5.7% LESS than Jan's Cap (11.4% LESS than Apr's Cap) |
- Dual-fuel or electricity-only - Smart meters not required - No exit fees |
| Cheap electricity-only fix | ||
| Fuse Energy Fuse Energy Mar 2025 Fixed V2 - 18 month fix |
- 13.9% LESS than Jan's Cap (17% LESS than Apr's Cap) |
- Electricity-only - Smart meters not required - Must pay by variable Direct Debit - £50 exit fee - Online account management - £10 bill credit from Fuse |
Correct as of 12 March 2025. (1) All tariffs assume typical use (2,700 kilowatt hours of electricity, 11,500 kilowatt hours of gas), paid by monthly Direct Debit – your exact price depends on region and usage. MSE cashback is £20 dual-fuel or £10 single-fuel.
Fixing isn't your only choice to save
For most, locking into a cheap fix is the simplest and safest way to guarantee a saving, but there are alternatives. We've full info on the alternatives to fixing below, but in brief, these include:
- Discounted Price Cap tariffs – these are variable tariffs that typically offer a fixed discount on the Price Cap for 12 months (such as E.on Next's Next Pledge or EDF Energy's Simply Tracker tariff, or the British Gas Price Cap Guarantee Mar26).
- Cheaper variable tariffs – these are standard variable tariffs, so they are still controlled by the Price Cap, but some providers have set their rates below the max allowed by Ofgem. These include Home Energy, which is 10% cheaper than the Price Cap, and Octopus Energy, which offers a £15 saving on the maximum standing charge costs allowed under the Cap.
- 'Tracker' tariffs – such as Octopus Tracker, where the rates change every day, and Agile Octopus, where the rates changes every half-hour, based on wholesale energy prices (what providers pay for gas and electricity).
- Electric vehicle energy tariffs – specifically designed for those with electric vehicles (EVs), EV energy tariffs tend to offer cheaper off-peak rates for charging your vehicle, usually overnight, and higher peak rates for all other usage. See what EV tariffs are available.
Is it worth fixing for longer?
Until recently longer fixes were relatively costly, but there are now some decent 18-month fixes. Yet no analysts predict the Price Cap rate more than about a year out, as the market is too volatile. So there's an element of uncertainty here.
Yet longer fixes can currently be as cheap as the one-year deals, so if you want longer-term peace of mind, they look strong. You can see how these longer tariffs stack up for you in our Cheap Energy Club.
'Should you fix?' calculator
Energy bills to rise by 6% in April as new Price Cap is announced
Energy regulator Ofgem has announced that the Energy Price Cap will rise by 6% on 1 April 2025, to £1,849 a year for a typical household. We're working to update our 'Should you fix?' calculator below with the new rates, but you can check how it will affect your bill with our 'What will you pay from April?' tool.
To find you best deal, it's always best to do a full market comparison to find your cheapest deal based on your usage and region. But if you want to quickly check if a deal you've been offered is worth considering (based on our rule of thumb) you can use our tool below.
What are the alternatives to fixing?
If you don't want to fix you energy tariff, there are other options, including...
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Do nothing – stick on the Price Cap
The vast majority of homes in England, Scotland and Wales are on standard variable tariffs set on or near the maximum level they can be under regulator Ofgem's Price Cap. This cap changes every three months.
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Cheaper variable tariffs that undercut the Price Cap
While firms are unable to charge those on standard tariffs more than the Price Cap, they can charge less if they wish to. There are a number of variable tariffs to switch to that can work out cheaper than the current Price Cap:
EDF Energy is offering new and existing customers a 12-month tariff priced £50 below the Price Cap. That makes it 3% less than the Price Cap on average. The Price Cap standing charges will be discounted so all customers (irrelevant of energy use, payment method or region) will pay £50 under the Cap over the next 12 months (£25 if single fuel). You can see how it compares to other tariffs in our Cheap Energy Club.
The unit rates will match the Price Cap and will change every three months. This means you'll always be paying less than the Cap. It is particularly good for low to medium energy users. Bear in mind there are exit fees of £25 per fuel if you leave before the end of the 12-month term.
![2060743706]( "2060743706")
E.on Next is offering new and existing customers who pay via Direct Debit a 12-month tariff priced £50 below the Price Cap (at average annual use), making it 3% below the Cap.
The unit rates you pay will change every three months, while the standing charges are fixed. This means when the Price Cap changes, the amount you pay on the Next Pledge tariff will also change (and you'll always be paying less than the Cap).
The Price Cap unit rates will be discounted so a typical-use household will pay £50 under the Cap over the next 12 months. However, your actual discount will vary depending on your usage. If you're planning to stick on a price-capped standard variable tariff, it's worth considering.
Plus there are no exit fees with the latest version of this tariff (previously £25 per fuel), so you're free to move to another tariff with E.on or any other supplier. If you're already on the previous version of the Pledge tariff (v3) you can switch penalty-free to the latest version (v7) to take advantage of no exit fees.
You can see how it compares to other tariffs in our Cheap Energy Club.
British Gas is offering new and existing customers a tariff with discounted standing charges until 31 March 2026. The Price Cap standing charges will be discounted so all customers (irrelevant of energy use, payment method or region) will pay £50 under the Cap over the next 12 months (£25 if single fuel). You can see how it compares to other tariffs in our Cheap Energy Club.
The unit rates will match the Price Cap and will change every three months. This means you'll always be paying less than the Cap. Like EDF Energy's tracker tariff, it's particularly good for low to medium energy users and it only has early exit fees of £5 per fuel. It's not available to those on prepayment meters.
There are standard variable tariffs cheaper than the Price Cap
There are a handful of standard variable tariffs that are cheaper than the Price Cap, including:
- Home Energy's Fair Variable tariff is a variable dual-fuel or electricity-only Direct Debit-only tariff that's currently 10% cheaper than the Price Cap. As it's a variable tariff there are no exit fees, so you can switch to a better deal if its prices rise – and there are no guarantees if or when that might happen.
Home Energy is a small and fairly new supplier, with little feedback on its customer service, but you will see them in our Cheap Energy Club comparison. As it's a variable tariff, with no fixed end date, the rates and standing charges are governed by the Price Cap, so you'll never pay more than that if you choose to switch to this tariff.
- Octopus Energy's Flexible Octopus is another variable tariff that's cheaper than the Price Cap, but only by a few quid. Octopus discounts its standing charges on this tariff (but charges the Price Cap for unit rates), making it on average about £15 cheaper than the Price Cap. Co-op Energy, which is now part of Octopus Energy, offers the same tariff. You can see how Octopus and Co-op Energy's tariffs compare in our Cheap Energy Club.
- Fuse Energy Variable Import is an electricity-only tariff that's 6% cheaper than the Price Cap. Fuse also offers lower standing charges than the maximum allowed under the Cap. However, as it's electricity-only, you'll need to get your gas supply elsewhere (assuming you need it).
Plus it's a new firm with no track record. If you're interested in switching, see the current rates and read our need-to-knows below.
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The Octopus Tracker tariff is available to existing Octopus customers (though others can just switch first to its standard tariff, then to this) with dual-fuel, electricity-only and gas-only options.
Rates change daily depending on wholesale costs (and where you live), which makes it more of a gamble. While it has been cheap – 31% cheaper than the Price Cap on average over the last year – wholesale prices have been increasing recently, and it has on occasion, crept above the Price Cap. So you’ll need to keep a close eye on the rates in case wholesale prices continue to rise.
If it does start to get expensive, you can just switch back to its price-capped standard tariff (though it may take two weeks and you can't go back to the Tracker for nine months). Plus you'll need to get a smart meter if you don't already have one. - Home Energy's Fair Variable tariff is a variable dual-fuel or electricity-only Direct Debit-only tariff that's currently 10% cheaper than the Price Cap. As it's a variable tariff there are no exit fees, so you can switch to a better deal if its prices rise – and there are no guarantees if or when that might happen.
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'Time of use' tariffs – good for those who can control peak usage, for example, electric vehicle charging
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Specially designed electric vehicle (EV) energy tariffs, for those with an EV and a home charger, allow households to take advantage of cheaper off-peak rates to charge their vehicle, when there's less demand on the grid. With some of these tariffs, you can also take advantage of the off-peak rate for your other electricity use too.
The flipside is they can be pricey during peak times, so you could end up paying more for your general electricity use.
It's also worth noting some of these tariffs are only available if you have certain car models or chargers, and most suppliers will say that they can ask for proof that you have an EV.
The Agile Octopus Tracker tariff – prices change half-hourly based on wholesale rates
Octopus Energy also has its Agile Octopus tariff. It works a little differently from other EV tariffs – here, the rates you pay change every half hour depending on nationwide demand.
As prices change every 30 minutes, with cheaper rates at certain times of the day when nationwide demand is lower, if you can shift your usage outside of peak periods, the tariff could help you save even more. Yet if you need to use lots of energy during peak periods, you could end up paying more.
According to Octopus, due to volatile wholesale energy prices, it is currently only recommending the tariff to customers with solar panels, home batteries and EVs – as these households may be able to more easily shift use outside of peak periods, or they need to use a lot of electricity overnight to charge their EVs.
The tariff is electricity-only (so you'll need a separate gas tariff if you have gas) and for existing customers only. If you're not already with the supplier, you'll need to move to its standard tariff first. You'll also need to get a smart meter, if you don't already have one, so if you don't want (or can't get) one, it's not for you.
What to do if you're struggling to pay your energy bills
There are three key areas you can focus on:
- Have you got all the help you qualify for? Our What to do if you're struggling to pay your energy bills guide covers everything you can do and where to get help, and has info on all the cost of living support schemes.
- Check you're paying the right amount. You can use our Energy Price Cap Calculator to see how much you'll pay from April.
- Try to cut your energy usage. There are lots of ways to easily reduce what you use. Try our interactive Energy Saving Tool, where you can click around a virtual house to find out how much appliances cost to run and how to cut back. Also, see Energy saving tips, the Energy mythbusters guide for less clear-cut issues, and our Heat the human guide.
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