The big story this week: Ofgem resets the energy price cap for 1 April–30 June 2026
Ofgem has published the next update to the UK energy price cap covering 1 April to 30 June 2026. This is the regulator’s quarterly refresh of the maximum prices suppliers can charge most households on standard variable tariffs (and default tariffs), and it includes updated unit rates (pence per kWh) and standing charges (pence per day).
That might sound like a pure “billing” story, but it directly affects the two things that make up the bulk of domestic energy use for most homes in our area: space heating and hot water. If you live in Bordon, Whitehill, Liphook, Alton, Farnham or Haslemere, this cap update matters because it resets the cost of every kilowatt-hour you use to heat your home (whether by gas boiler, electric heating, or a heat pump) just as we move from late heating season into spring.
What actually changed (and what the cap is and isn’t)
Ofgem’s cap is often described as a “bill cap”, but technically it’s a cap on unit rates and standing charges for a typical household’s consumption profile. Your bill still depends on how much energy you use. A leaky house with an oversized boiler and high flow temperatures will always pay more than a well-controlled system with good insulation, even under the same cap.
The April–June 2026 update reflects three big cost blocks:
- Wholesale energy costs (what suppliers pay for gas and electricity on the market)
- Network costs (the pipes and wires: National Grid and local distribution charges)
- Policy costs (government and regulatory programmes that are funded through bills)
Ofgem’s document also highlights the continued influence of government cost-policy measures. In plain English: some parts of what households pay are being shifted or shaped by government decisions about how certain programmes are funded, and that feeds into the cap calculation.
Why it matters for homeowners: heating is the biggest controllable cost
For most homes around East Hampshire and the Hampshire/Surrey borders, heating dominates winter energy use and still makes up a meaningful share even into April. The cap change sets the price you pay per unit, but your system behaviour determines how many units you need.
That’s why a cap update should trigger a practical check-in on the things you can control:
- Your boiler or heat pump settings (especially flow temperature, schedules and weather compensation)
- The health of your heating system (sludge, air, balancing, radiator performance)
- How efficiently your hot water is produced and stored
- How much heat your home loses (draughts, insulation gaps, ventilation habits)
In areas like Liphook and Haslemere, where plenty of properties are older and can be draughtier, the same cap can feel very different compared with a newer, tighter home. Meanwhile Bordon and Whitehill include a mix of modern developments and older stock—so the “right” response varies by house, not by headline.
The technical bit (in plain English): unit rates, standing charges and why they hit different homes differently
Unit rate is the price for the fuel you burn or consume. If you’ve got a gas boiler, every kWh of gas you use is multiplied by the gas unit rate. For heat pumps and direct electric heating, it’s the electricity unit rate that matters. Standing charge is the daily cost for being connected to the gas and/or electricity network, regardless of usage.
Here’s how that plays out technically:
- High-consumption homes (bigger, less insulated, or with longer heating hours) are more sensitive to unit rate changes.
- Low-consumption homes (small, well-insulated, careful schedules) feel standing charges more sharply because the fixed cost is a bigger share of the bill.
- All-electric homes (including heat pumps) are exposed to electricity unit rates. Their performance depends heavily on system design and settings.
- Gas-heated homes are exposed to gas unit rates, but also depend on boiler efficiency and controls.
Importantly, the cap update doesn’t change physics: if your boiler is cycling on and off, running at unnecessarily high temperatures, or pushing heat into rooms that don’t need it, you’ll burn more kWh than you should—whatever the price per kWh is that quarter.
What it means financially: where the money goes in a typical heating system
When people think “my heating is expensive”, they often assume the boiler is to blame. Sometimes it is—but often the expense is shared between fuel price, heat loss, and inefficient control.
With the price cap resetting for spring 2026, it’s worth thinking about your home’s costs in three buckets:
- Fuel cost per kWh (set by your tariff and the cap framework)
- kWh needed to keep comfortable (driven by insulation, draughts, ventilation, glazing, and weather)
- kWh wasted (driven by poor boiler/heat pump control, unbalanced radiators, hot water overspec, and neglected servicing)
You cannot directly control the cap. You can control the latter two. Even modest improvements—done properly—can reduce annual kWh consumption noticeably, which cushions you against future cap changes too.
Local relevance: what homeowners in Bordon, Whitehill, Liphook, Alton, Farnham and Haslemere should watch for
We see common themes across local homes:
- Bordon & Whitehill: mixed housing. Newer homes can be airtight, which is great for heat loss but sensitive to control settings—small mistakes in timers and thermostats can cause big comfort swings. Older homes here often have older radiators and pipework, where balancing and sludge control make a big difference.
- Liphook: a lot of properties with extensions and varied room usage. Zoning and proper TRV setup matter, otherwise you end up heating unused spaces “just because the system runs”.
- Alton: plenty of traditional builds where heat loss and hot water setup are the biggest opportunities. Cylinder thermostats, pipe insulation and correct boiler flow temps can give quick wins.
- Farnham & Haslemere: older stock is common, often with larger floor areas. Controls, weather compensation and careful emitter sizing (radiators/underfloor) become essential—especially for anyone considering a heat pump.
Although the Ofgem cap is national, how it feels is always local: house type, exposure, insulation standard, and the condition of your system determine whether the cap change is a minor tweak or a noticeable shift.
What you should do next: practical actions that pay back under any price cap
If you want a sensible response to the April–June 2026 cap change, think like an engineer: reduce demand first, then improve system efficiency, then review tariffs. Here are the most effective homeowner steps we recommend in spring.
1) Optimise boiler flow temperature (condensing boilers)
If you have a modern condensing gas boiler, it’s most efficient when it can condense—this generally means running a lower flow temperature, especially in milder weather. Many boilers are left at 70–80°C all year because that’s how they were set on day one.
As a rule of thumb, many radiator systems can heat a home comfortably in spring at 50–60°C flow, sometimes lower, depending on radiator size and insulation. Lower flow temperatures reduce gas use by improving boiler efficiency and reducing cycling.
Practical check: if your radiators are scorching hot in April and the boiler short-cycles (on/off frequently), your flow temperature may be higher than needed.
2) Use your controls properly (and stop fighting the thermostat)
It’s common to see homes in Farnham and Haslemere, especially larger ones, where the thermostat is turned up and down constantly. That usually makes comfort worse and energy use higher.
Better approach:
- Pick a comfortable setpoint (often 18–20°C for living spaces, lower for bedrooms)
- Use a consistent schedule
- Let TRVs fine-tune individual rooms
- Don’t run heating “just in case”—use boost sparingly
If you have a smart thermostat, check the minimum on-time, cycle rate, and whether it’s using load compensation or weather compensation (where supported). Those features can reduce overshoot and cycling.
3) Get radiators balanced and the system cleaned if needed
Cold spots, slow warm-up, or one room always being chilly can mean poor balancing or sludge. This is common in older systems around Alton, Liphook and parts of Whitehill.
Balancing ensures each radiator gets the right flow. A chemical clean or powerflush (where appropriate) removes sludge that blocks heat transfer and strains pumps and heat exchangers. If your boiler is making kettling noises, or radiators need frequent bleeding, don’t ignore it—efficiency drops and breakdown risk rises.
4) Hot water: check cylinder settings and insulation
For homes with a hot water cylinder, spring is an ideal time to tidy up the basics:
- Set the cylinder thermostat typically around 60°C (hot enough for hygiene control; avoid excessive temperatures that increase losses)
- Insulate any exposed hot water pipework—especially near the cylinder
- Check the programmer: many cylinders are heated longer than necessary
Small reductions in standing losses add up over the year, and they’re unaffected by the price cap mechanics because they reduce kWh at source.
5) If you have (or want) a heat pump, focus on design temperature and emitters
Heat pumps can be excellent, but they’re sensitive to system temperatures. The commercial reality behind the price cap is that electricity pricing still matters—so heat pump performance (measured as COP/SCOP) is crucial.
What to check:
- Target the lowest possible flow temperature that still keeps you comfortable
- Make sure radiator sizes are appropriate (often larger radiators are needed vs. boilers)
- Weather compensation should be set up properly
- Don’t run it like a boiler (high temps, big setbacks, short bursts)
If you’re in a larger, older property in Haslemere or Farnham and considering a heat pump, treat insulation and draughts as part of the project—not an optional extra.
A note on tariffs: the cap affects SVTs, but your best option might be a fix
The price cap sets limits for standard variable tariffs, but fixed deals can still be cheaper (or sometimes more expensive) depending on the market. The right choice depends on risk tolerance and how likely your household is to change usage across the year.
From a heating-engineer perspective, the biggest “tariff win” usually comes after the biggest “usage win”. If you reduce consumption first—by lowering flow temps, sorting controls, and improving system health—you’re less exposed to whichever tariff structure you’re on.
What this Ofgem update signals for spring 2026: don’t wait for the next headline
Ofgem’s publication is a reminder that energy pricing is still being shaped by a mix of wholesale costs, network charging and policy decisions. That means volatility hasn’t disappeared—it’s just being managed quarter by quarter.
The smartest homeowner move is to treat spring as your maintenance and optimisation window. It’s when engineers can do thorough work without you needing the heating on full blast, and it’s when small improvements are easiest to test (you can change a setting and feel the difference within days, not weeks).
If you’re in Bordon, Whitehill, Liphook, Alton, Farnham or Haslemere and you’d like us to look at your boiler performance, radiator balancing, hot water setup or heating controls and set it up to run efficiently under the new cap period, book a visit with Embassy Gas: https://www.embassygas.com/book | (01420) 558993 | helpdesk@embassygas.com