Cheapest time-of-use tariff by postcode UK – July 2026
The cheapest time-of-use (TOU) electricity tariff for your home depends on three postcode-driven factors: which of the 14 Ofgem regions you sit in (this sets your standing-charge differential), which DNO area your meter is registered to (a handful of suppliers don’t serve every DNO), and whether your local smart-meter coverage is full DCC. The headline national off-peak rates – 7p/kWh Intelligent Octopus Go, ~6.7p/kWh E.ON Next Drive, ~7p/kWh OVO Charge Anytime – look similar, but the all-in annual cost can swing by £60–£120/year on regional factors alone. Enter your postcode in the form below and we match the cheapest verified-June-2026 TOU deal for your exact address.
- 14 Ofgem regions drive separate price-cap calculations and DNO standing charges.
- Standing-charge spread: ~58p/day (East Midlands) to ~70p/day (Merseyside & N Wales) – a ~£44/year delta before unit rates.
- Supplier footprint: some challenger TOU brands only serve certain DNOs – your postcode decides eligibility.
- July 2026 cap: the Ofgem cap rose to £1,862/yr (+13.5%) on 1 July – lock a fix in to beat it.
Quick answer: what’s the cheapest TOU tariff for my postcode?
There is no single national “cheapest TOU tariff” – the answer is genuinely postcode-dependent. The cheapest published off-peak unit rates in the UK (verified July 2026) are E.ON Next Drive at ~6.7p/kWh, Intelligent Octopus Go at 7p/kWh and the OVO Charge Anytime add-on at ~7p/kWh. Those unit rates are broadly national, but your standing charge changes with your Ofgem region (~58p/day in the East Midlands up to ~70p/day in Merseyside & N Wales) and a few challenger tariffs only operate in certain DNO areas.
So the cheapest all-in TOU deal for an EX10 postcode in Devon is often not the cheapest for an HU5 postcode in East Yorkshire. The fastest way to get your exact answer is to enter your postcode in the form below – we pull your Ofgem region, your DNO standing charge and the cheapest TOU tariff you actually qualify for, and email it within minutes. Note the cap rose to £1,862/yr on 1 July 2026, so a well-matched TOU tariff now can sit £300–£800/year below cap for an EV or heat-pump home.
Compare the cheapest TOU tariff for your specific postcode
The unit rates published by Octopus, E.ON Next, OVO and British Gas are broadly national, but the standing charge differs by Ofgem region (set by the relevant DNO), and a handful of challenger tariffs only operate in certain DNOs. That is why a postcode-led comparison beats any generic league table: the right answer for an EX10 postcode in Devon is not the right answer for an HU5 postcode in East Yorkshire.
Send us your postcode and a brief outline of your shiftable load (EV, heat pump, hot-water tank, home battery). We pull your Ofgem region, your DNO standing charge, and the cheapest verified-June-2026 TOU tariff you qualify for at that address – returned by email within minutes.
Find the cheapest TOU tariff for your postcode
Enter your postcode and EV / heat-pump status. We confirm the cheapest TOU tariff verified July 2026 for your specific address. Takes about 60 seconds.
Why does postcode matter for TOU electricity tariffs?
DNO standing charge varies
Each of the 14 UK Distribution Network Operator (DNO) areas sets its own use-of-system charges, which feed directly into the daily standing charge on your electricity bill. Verified July 2026: ~58p/day in the East Midlands up to ~70p/day in Merseyside & N Wales – a ~£44/year gap before any unit-rate differences.
Supplier footprint differs
Some challenger TOU tariffs (newer entrants, certain smart-EV products) don’t operate across all 14 DNO regions yet. Your postcode determines whether you can actually sign up for a given headline rate. The big three (Octopus, OVO, E.ON Next) cover all regions; smaller brands often don’t.
Smart-meter coverage varies
TOU billing requires a SMETS2 smart meter sending half-hourly reads. Coverage now exceeds 90% nationally but rural Scottish and Welsh postcodes still show 4–8 week install lead times in July 2026. Urban postcodes typically install within 14 days – affecting how quickly your TOU savings start.
UK Ofgem electricity regions – standing-charge reference (verified July 2026)
The 14 Ofgem distribution regions drive the per-postcode standing-charge differential under the default-tariff price cap. Here is the verified-June-2026 picture – typical daily electricity standing charge under the current cap. From the 1 July 2026 cap the regional pattern stays the same, but absolute values rise broadly in line with the +13.5% headline increase.
| Ofgem region | Typical postcodes | Electricity standing charge |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | DE, LE, NG, LN, PE | ~58p/day (lowest) |
| Eastern | CB, IP, NR, CO, CM | ~60p/day |
| London | N, E, SE, SW, W, EC, WC | ~61p/day |
| North Scotland | IV, AB, HS, KW, ZE | ~67p/day |
| South Scotland | EH, G, KA, ML, FK | ~63p/day |
| Merseyside & N Wales | L, CH, LL, SY | ~70p/day (highest) |
| South Wales | CF, NP, SA | ~64p/day |
| South West | EX, PL, TR, TQ, BS | ~64p/day |
| Southern | BN, RG, PO, SO, GU | ~62p/day |
| South East | CT, ME, TN, BR, DA | ~62p/day |
| Yorkshire | LS, BD, HD, HX, S, DN, HU, YO | ~61p/day |
| North East | NE, SR, DH, DL, TS | ~63p/day |
| North West | M, OL, BL, BB, PR, LA, CA | ~64p/day |
| West Midlands | B, WV, DY, WS, WR, HR | ~63p/day |
Standing-charge figures are indicative regional averages verified July 2026 under the current price cap. The exact charge for your postcode is confirmed when you compare. The 1 July 2026 cap keeps the same regional ranking while absolute charges step up with the +13.5% headline rise.
Which TOU suppliers serve which postcodes?
Octopus Energy (Intelligent Octopus Go, Octopus Cosy, Octopus Flux) operates in all 14 Ofgem regions as of July 2026 – with a SMETS2 meter you can access the headline 7p/kWh off-peak rate anywhere from Penzance (TR) to Kirkwall (KW). E.ON Next (E.ON Next Drive at ~6.7p/kWh) similarly covers every DNO area. OVO Energy (OVO Charge Anytime add-on at ~7p/kWh) is national. British Gas (Electric Driver at ~8.95p off-peak) is national.
EDF Energy (Economy 7 and Economy 10 at ~14.8p off-peak) covers all 14 regions. Good Energy and Ecotricity are national for their smart and export products. Smaller and newer challenger brands may carry postcode-level restrictions – the cleanest way to confirm whether a specific challenger TOU brand serves your address is to send us your postcode via the comparison form and we’ll confirm the match within minutes.
How to find your cheapest TOU tariff by postcode
- Confirm your Ofgem region. Your postcode prefix determines this – see the regional table above. The lowest standing charge sits in the East Midlands at ~58p/day; the highest is Merseyside & N Wales at ~70p/day.
- Confirm you have a SMETS2 smart meter (or are eligible for one). TOU billing depends on half-hourly reads. Urban postcodes install within 14 days; rural Scottish/Welsh postcodes may wait 4–8 weeks in July 2026.
- Identify your shiftable load. EV charging (Intelligent Octopus Go 7p, E.ON Next Drive ~6.7p, OVO Charge Anytime ~7p), heat pump (Octopus Cosy ~13p, EDF Economy 10 ~14.8p), home battery (Intelligent Octopus Go 7p for overnight charging).
- Use our comparison form. We pull your DNO standing charge, confirm which TOU brands serve your DNO, match against your shiftable load, and email the cheapest verified-June-2026 option within minutes.
- Compare against the July 2026 cap. The default cap rose to £1,862/yr (+13.5%) on 1 July 2026 – a well-matched TOU tariff should land £300–£800/year below cap for an EV or heat-pump household. Take a meter reading on 30 June so the cheaper cap covers your usage up to that date, then lock in a fix before the new cap lands.
How we verify these figures
Standing-charge ranges reflect the published DNO-level charges across the 14 Ofgem regions; off-peak unit rates are the headline published rates for each TOU tariff. Cap figures follow Ofgem’s confirmed 1 July–30 September 2026 default-tariff price cap of £1,862/yr for a typical dual-fuel direct-debit home (+£221 / +13.5% on the previous £1,641). Only Standard Variable tariffs move with the cap – about 40% of accounts on fixed deals are unaffected until their deal ends.
Written by: EnergyPlus Editorial Team. Rates verified July 2026. Last reviewed July 2026. Ofgem confirmed the 1 July 2026 cap on 27 May 2026; the next cap review takes effect 1 October 2026 (Cornwall Insight currently forecasts ~£1,899/yr on a current-TDCV basis).
Frequently asked questions – postcode TOU tariffs
Why does the cheapest TOU tariff differ by postcode?
Three reasons. First, the DNO standing charge differs by Ofgem region (~58p–70p/day), which can swing annual cost by ~£44. Second, some challenger TOU brands don’t operate in every DNO area. Third, smart-meter install lead times vary – urban postcodes ~14 days, rural Scottish/Welsh up to 8 weeks. Together these create a real per-postcode answer. Use our comparison form to get yours.
Which UK Ofgem region has the lowest standing charge?
The East Midlands (postcodes including DE, LE, NG, LN, PE) has the lowest electricity standing charge at approximately 58p/day, verified July 2026. Merseyside & N Wales (L, CH, LL, SY) has the highest at ~70p/day. That ~12p/day gap equals about £44/year before any unit-rate differences.
Do all suppliers serve all postcodes in 2026?
The big national suppliers (Octopus, OVO, E.ON Next, British Gas, EDF, Good Energy, Ecotricity) cover all 14 Ofgem regions as of July 2026. Smaller and newer challenger brands sometimes have postcode-level restrictions on specific TOU tariffs – we confirm via your DNO record when you submit the comparison form.
What is the cheapest TOU off-peak rate available nationally?
Verified July 2026, the cheapest published TOU off-peak rates are E.ON Next Drive at ~6.7p/kWh (a narrow EV window), Intelligent Octopus Go at 7p/kWh (a six-hour 23:30–05:30 window) and the OVO Charge Anytime add-on at ~7p/kWh for smart EV charging. Each is available in every Ofgem region, but eligibility depends on smart-meter type and (for Charge Anytime) charger compatibility.
Will the July 2026 price cap widen the postcode spread?
Slightly. The Ofgem default-tariff price cap rose to £1,862/yr from 1 July 2026 (+£221 / +13.5%) and is calculated separately per Ofgem region, so the absolute standing-charge spread widens by roughly 1–2p/day. The relative ranking of cheapest-to-most-expensive regions stays the same. Note gas unit rates climb about 24% versus roughly 5% on electricity, so dual-fuel TOU homes feel most of the rise on the gas side. Locking in a competitive TOU tariff before 1 July still helps in every region.
How much more will the July cap cost – and are fixed deals affected?
For a typical dual-fuel direct-debit home the cap rises by +£221/year (about +£18/month) to £1,862/yr from 1 July 2026. Only Standard Variable (price-capped) tariffs move with the cap – roughly 40% of accounts are on fixed deals and are protected until their deal ends. A correctly matched TOU tariff for your postcode can sit £300–£800/year below the new cap for an EV or heat-pump home.
How accurate is a postcode-based comparison – do I need my full address?
A full postcode is enough to identify your Ofgem region, DNO area and most likely TOU eligibility footprint with very high accuracy. We don’t need your house number to surface the cheapest TOU tariff verified July 2026 for your address. Submit via the comparison form and we’ll email your match.
Does Northern Ireland have the same TOU options as Great Britain?
No. Northern Ireland operates a separate retail electricity market under the Utility Regulator (not Ofgem). The 14-region England, Scotland and Wales framework above does not apply, and TOU products differ. This page covers GB postcodes only as of July 2026.
Get your postcode-specific TOU match before 1 July 2026
The Ofgem price cap rose on 1 July 2026 to £1,862/yr (+£221 / +13.5%) and the regional spread widens slightly. A correctly matched TOU tariff for your postcode can land you £300–£800/year below cap for an EV or heat-pump household.
Send us your postcode and EV / heat-pump status. We pull your DNO standing charge, confirm supplier footprint, and email the cheapest verified-June-2026 TOU tariff for your specific address within minutes.
Find your postcode’s cheapest TOU rate
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