Power NI increased the price residential customers pay for electricity by 6.2% on 1 July 2026, the supplier has confirmed. The company says the change means an average household will pay approximately £5 more per month, calculated on the standard Home Energy unit rate and average household usage of 3,200 units (kWh) per year1.
The increase applies to all existing Power NI residential customer accounts from that date1. Credit customers had the new unit rate applied automatically and were told they did not need to do anything2. Economy 7 customers face a different figure: Power NI states an increase of 6% for those customers, or 5.8% for Economy 7 Keypad customers, which it puts at approximately £4 more per month on the same 3,200 kWh usage assumption3.
Power NI attributes the rise to wholesale and network costs.
"This reflects sustained increases in global gas prices, alongside higher network and market charges, meaning we have unfortunately had to review our prices."
Power NI is the only residential electricity supplier in Northern Ireland whose prices are regulated by the Utility Regulator, which reviews and agrees tariff changes1. That regulatory arrangement is one of the features that separates the Northern Ireland market from Great Britain, where the default tariff cap operates; the two are covered separately in Energy Bills in Northern Ireland: A Separate Market and Power NI: Northern Ireland electricity tariffs and standing charges.
Prepayment Keypad customers had to act before the change took effect. From 16 June 2026, top-ups carried a 40-to-60-digit price change code that had to be entered into the meter and confirmed with the # button; without it, later top-up codes would fail4. Keypad+ customers receive the code in the app, and it can be sent to the meter by Bluetooth if the app is in range, or entered manually if that fails4. Any credit already on a Keypad is charged at the new rate once the code is entered5.
Power NI's published bill-pay rates, which it lists as effective until 30 June 2026, show the position before the rise6:
| Payment method | Unit rate excl. VAT | Unit rate incl. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Direct Debit, postal bill | 31.22p | 32.78p |
| Monthly Direct Debit, online billing | 30.57p | 32.10p |
| Quarterly Direct Debit, postal bill | 31.71p | 33.29p |
| Quarterly Direct Debit, online billing | 31.06p | 32.61p |
| Standard bill, postal bill | 32.52p | 34.15p |
| Standard bill, online billing | 31.87p | 33.46p |
The post-change unit rates have not been reported on the pages reviewed. Discounts sit alongside these rates: monthly Direct Debit gives 4% off the standard rate, online billing a further 2%, and the two together 6%, capped at £15 per quarter or £60 per year on a quarterly bill of £2501. Keypad customers get 2.5% off every unit used, and a Keypad Reward reduces the effective cost per kWh when a top-up of £50 or more is made online or through the app1.
Why it matters for households
For a household in Northern Ireland, this is a change to the unit price of electricity itself rather than to a levy or a standing charge, so it feeds directly into what each kilowatt hour costs to run heating, cooking, lighting and appliances. A 6.2% rise on the unit rate raises the cost of every unit consumed, which means the effect scales with usage: a larger, electrically heated home absorbs more of it in cash terms than a small flat. The £5 monthly figure is an average across Power NI's assumed 3,200 kWh household and is not a cap on any individual bill1.
Because Power NI is the regulated supplier, the increase was reviewed and agreed by the Utility Regulator rather than set by the company alone1. Households on prepayment meters carry an extra step: the meter must be updated with the price change code before further top-ups will register, so a meter that has not received the code will reject new credit until it is entered4. Credit already purchased is not protected from the new rate5.
The rise also shifts the relative value of payment methods. The gap between the highest and lowest published unit rates before the change was several pence per kWh, and the discounts attached to Direct Debit and online billing are expressed as percentages of the standard rate, so their cash value moves with the rate itself1.
What happens next
The new unit rate applied from 1 July 2026 for credit customers and for Keypad customers once the price change code was entered1. Power NI has not published a date for any further review on the pages reviewed. The supplier's customer helpline is 08000 285 455, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm1.
Sources6 cited
- Pricing | Power NI, powerni.co.uk
- What does the price change mean for credit customers? | Tariffs & Rates FAQs | Power NI Help Centre, powerni.co.uk
- What does the price change mean for E7 customers? | Tariffs & Rates FAQs | Power NI Help Centre, powerni.co.uk
- What does the price change mean for Keypad customers? | Tariffs & Rates FAQs | Power NI Help Centre, powerni.co.uk
- What happens to the credit on my Keypad? | Tariffs & Rates FAQs | Power NI Help Centre, powerni.co.uk
- Bill Pay - Monthly Electricity, Northern Ireland | Power NI, powerni.co.uk