The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero added Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) regional rates for prepayment meters covering July to September 2023 to its published rates page on 26 May 20231. The page, first published on 7 October 2022, sets out the EPG unit rates for standard variable tariffs and applies to England, Scotland and Wales1.
The rates are the maximum unit rates suppliers can charge for tariffs subject to the Ofgem price cap, and suppliers can also charge less than these rates1. The July to September 2023 prepayment rates sit alongside previously published EPG rates for other periods and payment methods, including rates for October to December 2022, January to March 2023, and April to June 20231.
The page records that the EPG was extended until the end of June 2023, with rates for April to June 2023 added on 15 March 20231. It also states that the EPG will remain in place until the end of March 20241. Later updates added prepayment meter regional rates and standing charges for October to December 2023, on 25 August 2023, and for January to March 2024, on 24 November 20231.
"We have added Energy Price Guarantee (prepayment meters): regional rates, July to September 2023."
The published page lists the EPG documents by period and payment method:
| Period | Document |
|---|---|
| October to December 2022 | Energy Price Guarantee: regional rates |
| January to March 2023 | Energy Price Guarantee: regional rates |
| April to June 2023 | Energy Price Guarantee: regional rates |
| July to September 2023 | Energy Price Guarantee (prepayment meters): regional rates |
| October to December 2023 | Energy Price Guarantee (prepayment meters): regional rates and standing charges |
| January to March 2024 | Energy Price Guarantee (prepayment meters): regional rates and standing charges |
Why it matters for households
For households on prepayment and pay as you go energy tariffs, the EPG rates set the ceiling on what suppliers can charge per unit for standard variable tariffs covered by the scheme1. Because the rates vary by region, the amount a household pays for the same unit of gas or electricity depends on where it lives, which is why the government publishes electricity and gas unit rates by region1. The EPG sits within the wider price cap framework, and the rates published here are the maximum suppliers can charge, not a fixed price, since suppliers can charge less1. For a household managing its own energy costs, knowing the regional prepayment ceiling is part of understanding what a unit of energy costs and how that compares with other payment methods1.
What happens next
The page states that the EPG will remain in place until the end of March 20241. No further periods beyond January to March 2024 are listed in the updates recorded on the page1.