What is the wholesale electricity price?
The wholesale electricity price is the traded price of electricity before the other costs of supplying your business. NESO publishes day-ahead prices in pounds per megawatt-hour [S2]; 1 megawatt-hour equals 1,000 kilowatt-hours. Your contract determines how market movements affect your bill, so a wholesale chart is not a business tariff or renewal offer. Checked October 2026.
What does the wholesale electricity price mean?
The wholesale electricity price is the market price of electricity traded before retail supply charges. It refers to a particular delivery period and product, rather than one price that every business pays. Ofgem separates forward delivery and day-ahead indicators for Great Britain; its series excludes Northern Ireland [S1].
Why it matters for your site: a market headline does not tell you what running your chargers will cost. Start with the unit rate and extra charges in your own agreement. The business electricity prices guide explains the retail context.
How do wholesale prices reach your business contract?
Day-ahead trading concerns delivery tomorrow; forward trading concerns a later delivery period [S1], [S2]. A fixed-rate agreement can hold your contracted rate while the market changes. A flexible agreement permits purchases in portions, so the buying dates matter. Check how unpurchased volumes and separately billed costs are treated [S3]. Follow how business electricity contracts work for the shared contract basics.
NESO reports its day-ahead series in £/MWh [S2]. For an illustration, assume £100/MWh: £100 ÷ 1,000 kWh = £0.10/kWh, or 10p/kWh. This is an assumed wholesale input, not an available tariff. Network charges, standing charges, supply costs and tax must still be considered when reading the final bill [S4].
What do Ofgem and NESO publish?
Ofgem provides market indicators, including weekly average forward electricity prices and monthly average day-ahead baseload prices [S1]. NESO’s data portal publishes daily-updated day-ahead exchange price data [S2]. Read the units, delivery period and averaging method before using either series. Neither replaces your contract.
For historical retail context, use business electricity price data. Keep a dated copy of your own bill alongside any market chart used in a site assessment.
Next step
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Common questions
What does day-ahead electricity mean?
It means electricity traded for delivery the following day. NESO publishes the prices in pounds per MWh [S2].
What is a forward electricity price?
It concerns delivery in a future period. Ofgem publishes forward delivery contract indicators separately from its day-ahead series; check the delivery period before comparing charts [S1].
Do fixed-rate contracts follow daily market movements?
Ofgem says fixed-rate contracts hold unit rates and standing charges for their term, regardless of wholesale price changes. Check separately billed items in your agreement [S3].
Is a flexible contract the same as a variable rate?
No. Ofgem describes flexible contracts as purchasing energy in portions. A variable-rate contract allows the billed rate to change during its term; inspect the pricing mechanism [S3].
Does a negative wholesale price mean your site gets paid to consume?
Not automatically. Your agreed pricing mechanism governs the unit rate, and bills include other charges. Check the contract and bill breakdown before interpreting a market price as your rate [S3], [S4].
Ask about your site
Sources
- Wholesale market indicators, Ofgem,Last checked 19 October 2026
- Day-ahead power exchange prices, National Energy System Operator,Last checked 19 October 2026
- Get a business energy contract, Ofgem,Last checked 19 October 2026
- How your electricity or gas bill is calculated, Ofgem,Last checked 19 October 2026