What could the latest energy announcements mean for you?
30 October 2026
An overview of current pricing, plus a new gas contract
If you live in a block, house or Independent Living scheme that has communal lighting and/or heating, or shared outdoor lighting that bpha supplies, you contribute towards the cost of the energy used. You do this either through a service charge, or by making payments to Switch2.
The Government recently announced measures within the Budget 2026 that are intended to help households with energy costs, including a proposed £100 Household Energy Payment, and changes to gas standing charges.
While these announcements are welcome, many of the details have not yet been published, including how some schemes will operate and which households will be eligible. Further information about the Budget announcements is available on the Government website.
At this stage, it is not clear how changes to gas standing charges may affect customers whose energy is supplied through arrangements managed by bpha, as much of the energy we procure is purchased through commercial contracts rather than standard domestic energy tariffs. We are reviewing the detail as it becomes available and will assess any impact on our existing contracts and re-charging arrangements.
If these changes result in cost reductions or savings for customers supplied through bpha managed energy contracts, we will ensure these are reflected in customer charges where applicable.
Although government support can help, securing good value energy contracts remains one of the most effective ways we can help manage costs for customers. This continues to be a key focus for bpha.
Supporting customers through changing energy markets
We aim to get you the best value we can for your energy. This has been even more important over the last couple of years when we’ve all seen large increases in utility costs.
Keeping utility costs down typically means entering into a contract with a supplier for a fixed time period when there is a good price available. Committing to a fixed rate means unit costs are set; they don’t change until the contract finishes. We work with an independent energy broker that monitors costs and advises us when there is a good rate available.
Last year, our energy broker advised that fixing prices for longer than 12 months could offer better value. Following this recommendation, we entered into a two-year fixed-term contract from April 2025 to March 2027.
This contract applies to energy supplied through bpha only. It means your energy costs with us are protected from current global market volatility, giving you the reassurance of stable, predictable pricing over this period.
Current costs
The current tariff is below the October 2026 energy price cap, which is a limit set by the UK energy regulator, Ofgem, on the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge for each unit of gas and electricity and for daily standing charges. We’re continuing to see the benefit of our fixed contract over the coming months.
In the table below you can see the price in pence per kilowatt hour (kWh). One kilowatt hour is the amount of energy you would use if you kept a 1,000-watt appliance running for an hour.
What does that mean? According to EDF, this is how it works for a TV with a 500 W power rating (kW rating of 0.5).
- Multiply 0.5 by the time you spend watching the TV – say four hours a day. That means your 0.5 kW TV uses 2 kWh per day (0.5 x 4 = 2 kWh)
- If your electricity price per kWh is £0.34, your TV will cost £0.68 per day to run (2kWh x £0.34).
If your usage stays the same, the energy part of your service charge will come down next April. If usage increases, then the costs could remain similar, or increase.
|
|
Your previous tariff April 24 – April 25 (pence/kWh) |
Energy price cap October - December 2026 |
Your current tariff April 25 – April 27 (pence/kWh) |
|
Gas |
7.00p |
7.97p |
4.50p |
|
Electric |
29.01p |
26.32p |
25.30p |
KW/h prices are taken from sites with ‘average usage’
Standing charges vary significantly between sites and so have not been included but have increased by approximately 2 pence per day on average
Securing competitive gas prices for the future
We are pleased to confirm that we have recently secured a new 24-month gas contract covering the period from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029.
Following advice from our energy broker and careful monitoring of market conditions, we were able to secure a competitive fixed rate ahead of our current contract ending in March 2027.
The new contract rate of 4.1 pence/kWh compares to the current contracted rate of 4.5 pence/kWh, representing a reduction of 0.4 pence/kWh. Based on current consumption levels, this is expected to deliver savings for customers compared to our existing contract.
Although wholesale energy prices can fluctuate significantly, securing rates in advance provides greater cost certainty and helps us manage future energy costs responsibly on behalf of customers.
Looking ahead for electricity prices
Following the successful procurement of our new gas contract, we are continuing to monitor the electricity market closely and will provide a further update once we are in a position to share more information about future electricity contract arrangements.
