Citizens Advice responds Ofgem's latest announcement on energy network charges
Responding to Ofgem's latest announcement on energy network charges, Gillian Cooper, Director of Energy at Citizens Advice, said:
“This announcement confirms energy bills will rise by around £40 from April 2026, with further increases in years to come. This is to pay for essential electricity grid upgrades, which will bring down people’s bills in the long term, and to ensure the safety of the gas grid.
“After the current agreement between Ofgem and network companies allowed firms to make £4bn in windfall profits, we think this new deal is very generous to the networks. The regulator must now push firms to make sure this investment makes a real difference to people’s lives.
“The government’s decision in the Budget to reduce bills by an average of £150 is welcome, but with more rises coming, it must now strengthen targeted bill support like the Warm Home Discount to protect those struggling most.”
Citizens Advice Research:
Earlier this year, Citizens Advice found energy network companies, which provide pipes and cables to people’s homes, have pocketed nearly £4 billion in windfall profits over the last four years.
The charity has called for network companies to voluntarily cover the cost of Ofgem’s Debt Relief Scheme from this windfall.
-ends-
Notes to editors:
Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free.
Citizens Advice helped 2.71 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2024-25. And we had 44 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.
Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,500 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 locations across England and Wales.
Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.
You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.