Executive summary
Fixing your energy tariff trades flexibility for certainty. This report examines the fixed deals available in 2026, how they compare with the variable price cap, and the conditions under which fixing genuinely protects households.
Fixing is not automatically the cheaper choice — it is insurance against price rises. Whether it pays depends on where you expect prices to go and how much you value a predictable bill.
Key findings
- The best fixed deals beat the price cap for typical usage, but the margin varies through the year.
- Exit fees are the most overlooked cost when comparing fixed tariffs.
- Households valuing budget certainty benefit even when a fix is marginally more expensive.
- Timing matters: fixing just before a cap fall can lock you into a worse rate.
Fixed versus the price cap
The variable price cap changes every quarter, so a fixed tariff is a bet on where prices go next. When the cap is expected to rise, a good fix protects you; when it is expected to fall, a fix can cost you.
We compare current fixes against the cap and against our own price forecast to show the trade-off clearly.
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Methodology
- Fixed tariffs are compared against the prevailing Ofgem price cap for typical usage.
- Our forecast context draws on wholesale gas trends and Ofgem cap modelling.
Sources & references
- Ofgem — Energy price cap — UK regulator's quarterly price cap announcements
- Ofgem — Typical Domestic Consumption Values — Standard usage assumptions for UK households
- DESNZ — UK energy statistics — Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Figures are checked against primary sources before publication. See our methodology for details.
