Updated
What electricity costs on the wholesale market
The price generators are paid for electricity, set every half hour. It is not what you pay at home - your tariff smooths this out and adds network costs, levies and VAT - but it is what ultimately drives bills.
In the half hour from 19:00 GMT on 7 November 2026, the wholesale electricity price in Great Britain was 22.99p/kWh (£229.88/MWh), 0% higher than yesterday. Over the previous 24 hours it ranged from 16.73p to 24.57p/kWh. This is the market price, not what households pay.
Price now
22.99p/kWh
0% higher than yesterday
£229.88 per MWh at 19:00
24-hour high
24.57p/kWh
Reached at 19:30
24-hour low
16.73p/kWh
Reached at 10:30
24-hour average
20.40p/kWh
£204.01 per MWh
Price over the last 24 hours
Wholesale market index price for each half-hour settlement period.
View as table
| Half hour | p/kWh | £/MWh | Volume (MWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19:30 | 24.57 | 245.72 | 3,257 |
| 20:00 | 24.02 | 240.20 | 3,306 |
| 20:30 | 23.70 | 236.97 | 2,914 |
| 21:00 | 22.35 | 223.47 | 2,587 |
| 21:30 | 22.07 | 220.74 | 2,219 |
| 22:00 | 22.01 | 220.12 | 1,963 |
| 22:30 | 20.73 | 207.32 | 2,293 |
| 23:00 | 20.69 | 206.85 | 1,663 |
| 23:30 | 20.28 | 202.78 | 1,477 |
| 00:00 | 19.42 | 194.18 | 1,465 |
| 00:30 | 20.05 | 200.48 | 1,457 |
| 01:00 | 19.41 | 194.13 | 1,484 |
| 01:30 | 19.30 | 193.01 | 1,540 |
| 02:00 | 18.86 | 188.58 | 1,729 |
| 02:30 | 19.07 | 190.71 | 1,782 |
| 03:00 | 18.46 | 184.63 | 1,420 |
| 03:30 | 18.38 | 183.79 | 1,358 |
| 04:00 | 18.28 | 182.80 | 1,493 |
| 04:30 | 18.93 | 189.30 | 1,590 |
| 05:00 | 19.59 | 195.93 | 1,546 |
| 05:30 | 19.56 | 195.60 | 1,797 |
| 06:00 | 19.44 | 194.43 | 2,191 |
| 06:30 | 20.15 | 201.47 | 2,116 |
| 07:00 | 18.99 | 189.93 | 1,526 |
| 07:30 | 19.41 | 194.06 | 1,610 |
| 08:00 | 18.65 | 186.45 | 1,750 |
| 08:30 | 18.66 | 186.60 | 1,604 |
| 09:00 | 17.71 | 177.06 | 1,829 |
| 09:30 | 17.40 | 173.95 | 1,793 |
| 10:00 | 16.94 | 169.35 | 2,319 |
| 10:30 | 16.73 | 167.31 | 2,746 |
| 11:00 | 17.88 | 178.82 | 2,626 |
| 11:30 | 17.59 | 175.87 | 2,772 |
| 12:00 | 17.41 | 174.06 | 3,069 |
| 12:30 | 17.25 | 172.50 | 3,067 |
| 13:00 | 18.07 | 180.65 | 2,628 |
| 13:30 | 18.45 | 184.48 | 2,526 |
| 14:00 | 20.87 | 208.69 | 2,886 |
| 14:30 | 21.57 | 215.70 | 3,345 |
| 15:00 | 23.81 | 238.11 | 3,105 |
| 15:30 | 23.91 | 239.12 | 2,822 |
| 16:00 | 24.07 | 240.67 | 3,181 |
| 16:30 | 24.35 | 243.54 | 3,493 |
| 17:00 | 24.55 | 245.50 | 3,222 |
| 17:30 | 24.43 | 244.28 | 3,229 |
| 18:00 | 24.22 | 242.15 | 2,825 |
| 18:30 | 24.05 | 240.46 | 3,142 |
| 19:00 | 22.99 | 229.88 | 2,795 |
What a half-hourly household tariff charges
Octopus Agile is one of the few tariffs that passes these swings on to households, with a new price every half hour. It is shown here because it makes the link between the market and a bill visible, not as a recommendation. Most people are on a tariff with a fixed or capped rate.
Agile price now
50.36p/kWh
London, until 19:30
Cheapest still to come
25.61p/kWh
From tomorrow at 22:30
Dearest still to come
61.66p/kWh
From tomorrow at 18:00
Agile price against the wholesale price
The gap is the network charges, levies and supplier costs a household price adds on top.
View as table
| Half hour | Agile p/kWh | Wholesale p/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 19:00 | 57.10 | - |
| Fri 19:30 | 52.06 | 24.57 |
| Fri 20:00 | 50.78 | 24.02 |
| Fri 20:30 | 48.04 | 23.70 |
| Fri 21:00 | 47.55 | 22.35 |
| Fri 21:30 | 44.17 | 22.07 |
| Fri 22:00 | 42.91 | 22.01 |
| Fri 22:30 | 41.94 | 20.73 |
| Fri 23:00 | 39.07 | 20.69 |
| Fri 23:30 | 37.84 | 20.28 |
| Sat 00:00 | 36.26 | 19.42 |
| Sat 00:30 | 37.54 | 20.05 |
| Sat 01:00 | 39.32 | 19.41 |
| Sat 01:30 | 36.48 | 19.30 |
| Sat 02:00 | 36.68 | 18.86 |
| Sat 02:30 | 35.54 | 19.07 |
| Sat 03:00 | 35.36 | 18.46 |
| Sat 03:30 | 34.51 | 18.38 |
| Sat 04:00 | 34.66 | 18.28 |
| Sat 04:30 | 34.45 | 18.93 |
| Sat 05:00 | 35.89 | 19.59 |
| Sat 05:30 | 33.91 | 19.56 |
| Sat 06:00 | 34.44 | 19.44 |
| Sat 06:30 | 35.15 | 20.15 |
| Sat 07:00 | 37.22 | 18.99 |
| Sat 07:30 | 39.06 | 19.41 |
| Sat 08:00 | 36.75 | 18.65 |
| Sat 08:30 | 38.57 | 18.66 |
| Sat 09:00 | 35.72 | 17.71 |
| Sat 09:30 | 35.91 | 17.40 |
| Sat 10:00 | 35.52 | 16.94 |
| Sat 10:30 | 35.92 | 16.73 |
| Sat 11:00 | 35.92 | 17.88 |
| Sat 11:30 | 36.04 | 17.59 |
| Sat 12:00 | 35.89 | 17.41 |
| Sat 12:30 | 36.33 | 17.25 |
| Sat 13:00 | 37.38 | 18.07 |
| Sat 13:30 | 39.18 | 18.45 |
| Sat 14:00 | 44.45 | 20.87 |
| Sat 14:30 | 46.04 | 21.57 |
| Sat 15:00 | 49.22 | 23.81 |
| Sat 15:30 | 50.34 | 23.91 |
| Sat 16:00 | 61.66 | 24.07 |
| Sat 16:30 | 64.64 | 24.35 |
| Sat 17:00 | 64.26 | 24.55 |
| Sat 17:30 | 63.88 | 24.43 |
| Sat 18:00 | 64.56 | 24.22 |
| Sat 18:30 | 62.91 | 24.05 |
| Sat 19:00 | 50.36 | 22.99 |
| Sat 19:30 | 48.41 | - |
| Sat 20:00 | 48.84 | - |
| Sat 20:30 | 45.44 | - |
| Sat 21:00 | 43.26 | - |
| Sat 21:30 | 39.66 | - |
| Sat 22:00 | 36.99 | - |
| Sat 22:30 | 36.24 | - |
| Sat 23:00 | 35.66 | - |
| Sat 23:30 | 33.49 | - |
| Sun 00:00 | 31.84 | - |
| Sun 00:30 | 33.01 | - |
| Sun 01:00 | 33.29 | - |
| Sun 01:30 | 31.26 | - |
| Sun 02:00 | 32.50 | - |
| Sun 02:30 | 33.26 | - |
| Sun 03:00 | 32.46 | - |
| Sun 03:30 | 32.10 | - |
| Sun 04:00 | 32.09 | - |
| Sun 04:30 | 32.12 | - |
| Sun 05:00 | 32.82 | - |
| Sun 05:30 | 31.14 | - |
| Sun 06:00 | 32.66 | - |
| Sun 06:30 | 32.86 | - |
| Sun 07:00 | 31.60 | - |
| Sun 07:30 | 31.73 | - |
| Sun 08:00 | 31.88 | - |
| Sun 08:30 | 31.78 | - |
| Sun 09:00 | 31.99 | - |
| Sun 09:30 | 32.66 | - |
| Sun 10:00 | 32.91 | - |
| Sun 10:30 | 33.33 | - |
| Sun 11:00 | 33.58 | - |
| Sun 11:30 | 34.46 | - |
| Sun 12:00 | 33.66 | - |
| Sun 12:30 | 33.28 | - |
| Sun 13:00 | 32.31 | - |
| Sun 13:30 | 32.48 | - |
| Sun 14:00 | 38.20 | - |
| Sun 14:30 | 41.23 | - |
| Sun 15:00 | 44.00 | - |
| Sun 15:30 | 47.86 | - |
| Sun 16:00 | 59.24 | - |
| Sun 16:30 | 61.39 | - |
| Sun 17:00 | 61.54 | - |
| Sun 17:30 | 60.82 | - |
| Sun 18:00 | 61.66 | - |
| Sun 18:30 | 60.37 | - |
| Sun 19:00 | 47.91 | - |
| Sun 19:30 | 45.83 | - |
| Sun 20:00 | 46.23 | - |
| Sun 20:30 | 42.67 | - |
| Sun 21:00 | 41.72 | - |
| Sun 21:30 | 35.14 | - |
| Sun 22:00 | 31.23 | - |
| Sun 22:30 | 25.61 | - |
Agile rates are Octopus Energy's published prices. This site is independent of Octopus Energy. These are published unit rates and leave out the daily standing charge.
What this means
This is the market index price: the volume-weighted average of what electricity actually traded for in each half-hour period. Generators bid to supply, suppliers bid to buy, and the price lands wherever the two meet.
It swings far more than a household bill does. Cheap, windy nights can push it towards zero or below, while a still, cold evening - when gas plants have to cover the gap - can send it many times higher. Your tariff averages all of this out, which is why your unit rate does not move every half hour.
Figures are shown in pence per kilowatt-hour, the unit on your bill, alongside the pounds per megawatt-hour the market itself quotes. A megawatt-hour is a thousand kilowatt-hours.
Common questions
Why do electricity prices go negative?
It happens when there's more wind and solar than anyone needs. Switching off isn't free: some plants are expensive to stop and restart, and some wind farms lose a subsidy when they aren't generating. So they'd rather pay to keep going.
What is an Agile tariff?
A household tariff from Octopus Energy with a new price every half hour, based on the wholesale market plus other costs. It can get cheap overnight and on windy days, and it costs more on winter evenings. It's the clearest view of what wholesale swings mean for a bill, though most people aren't on it.
Is the wholesale price what I pay at home?
No. Your bill also pays for the network, policy costs, your supplier's costs and VAT, and most tariffs smooth out wholesale costs over months. You'd only see these swings directly on a tariff that tracks half-hourly prices.
When is wholesale electricity cheapest?
Often overnight, or whenever it's windy and sunny. The expensive times tend to be still, cold evenings, when gas has to do most of the work.