Utilita Energy
Utilita Energy Out-of-Contract Rates From 1 August 2026
When a fixed contract ends and nothing replaces it, your supply moves onto Utilita Energy's default rates. Here are the published figures, what they could cost your business a month, and how quickly you may be able to leave them.
Business customers on Utilita's variable rates — no fixed plan agreed, moved in without a contract (deemed), a contract that ended and wasn’t renewed, or supplied as a last resort.
What it's costing you a month
The published rates, plus the Climate Change Levy at 0.801p/kWh and VAT at whichever rate applies to a supply your size. Monthly, because that's how the bill lands.
Not sure? It's the first two digits of your electricity supply number (MPAN) — the box marked with a large S on your bill, bottom row.
Your annual usage is on your bill — shown as EAC for electricity, AQ for gas. A rough figure is fine.
Every rate on the plan
Taken from Utilita Energy's own document rather than averaged or estimated. All figures exclude VAT and CCL.
Electricity by supply area
p/kWh, ex VAT & CCL| Supply area | Unrestricted (single rate) | 2 Rate (Day & Night) | 3 Rate (Day, Night & Evening/Weekend) | 2 Rate (Day & Evening/Weekend) | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern East of England |
39.76p | 41.20 / 38.43p | 41.70 / 38.93 / 40.26p | 41.20 / 38.43p | 250.00p /day |
| East Midlands | 39.78p | 41.08 / 38.92p | 41.58 / 39.42 / 40.26p | 41.08 / 38.92p | 250.00p /day |
| London | 39.20p | 40.54 / 38.13p | 41.04 / 38.63 / 39.81p | 40.54 / 38.13p | 250.00p /day |
| Manweb Merseyside, Cheshire & North Wales |
40.96p | 42.49 / 39.27p | 42.99 / 39.77 / 41.72p | 42.49 / 39.27p | 250.00p /day |
| Midlands West Midlands |
40.09p | 41.42 / 39.13p | 41.92 / 39.63 / 40.58p | 41.42 / 39.13p | 250.00p /day |
| Northern North East |
40.09p | 41.42 / 39.34p | 41.92 / 39.84 / 40.88p | 41.42 / 39.34p | 250.00p /day |
| Norweb North West |
40.04p | 41.42 / 38.80p | 41.92 / 39.30 / 40.65p | 41.42 / 38.80p | 250.00p /day |
| Scottish Hydro North Scotland |
40.30p | 41.75 / 39.04p | 42.25 / 39.54 / 41.46p | 41.75 / 39.04p | 250.00p /day |
| Scottish Power Central & South Scotland |
40.13p | 41.51 / 39.32p | 42.01 / 39.82 / 41.08p | 41.51 / 39.32p | 250.00p /day |
| Seeboard South East |
39.98p | 41.39 / 38.75p | 41.89 / 39.25 / 40.43p | 41.39 / 38.75p | 250.00p /day |
| Southern Southern England |
40.03p | 41.42 / 38.80p | 41.92 / 39.30 / 40.41p | 41.42 / 38.80p | 250.00p /day |
| Swalec South Wales |
39.56p | 40.86 / 38.86p | 41.36 / 39.36 / 40.07p | 40.86 / 38.86p | 250.00p /day |
| Sweb South West |
40.20p | 41.60 / 39.10p | 42.10 / 39.60 / 40.55p | 41.60 / 39.10p | 250.00p /day |
| Yorkshire | 39.82p | 41.12 / 39.07p | 41.62 / 39.57 / 40.37p | 41.12 / 39.07p | 250.00p /day |
Gas by supply area
p/kWh, ex VAT & CCL| Supply area | Unit | Standing |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 13.22p | 250.00p /day |
| East Midlands | 13.23p | 250.00p /day |
| London | 13.26p | 250.00p /day |
| Manweb | 13.31p | 250.00p /day |
| Midlands | 13.24p | 250.00p /day |
| Northern | 13.18p | 250.00p /day |
| Norweb | 13.23p | 250.00p /day |
| Scottish Hydro | 13.25p | 250.00p /day |
| Scottish Power | 13.25p | 250.00p /day |
| Seeboard | 13.23p | 250.00p /day |
| Southern | 13.31p | 250.00p /day |
| Swalec | 13.24p | 250.00p /day |
| Sweb | 13.31p | 250.00p /day |
| Yorkshire | 13.24p | 250.00p /day |
Source: Utilita Energy, published rate schedule, prices from 1 August 2026 — doc ref 286UCE Business Variable Rates v26. Charges can be varied or withdrawn by the supplier on notice. If this page has fallen behind the published schedule, tell us and we'll correct it.
- These are Utilita’s Business Variable Rates (v26.0), the charges that apply when there is no agreed contract. They are almost always dearer than a fixed deal.
- All rates exclude VAT, charged at the prevailing rate. Climate Change Levy also applies to non-domestic supplies.
- Rates are set per supply area (the first two digits of your MPAN). The standing charge is a flat 250.000p/day everywhere.
Faster than most people think
This is usually where people are working from out-of-date information. Switching isn't the multi-week process it once was. Typical timings, assuming nothing is holding the supply up:
Staying with Utilita Energy
Moving from the default rates onto one of their fixed prices can often be done the next day. No switch, no registration, no objection window.
Moving to a new supplier
Under Faster Switching, a change of supplier can usually complete within five working days once the new contract has been accepted and registered.
If your contract is still running
Agree the replacement about a week before it ends and you shouldn't need to touch the default rates at all. The new price takes over as the old one finishes.
The one thing that genuinely holds a switch up is an objection, and there are only two common causes: an outstanding balance with your current supplier, or a change of tenancy that was never registered, so the account is still in someone else's name. Both are fixable, and both are far easier to deal with before you're relying on a start date. It's the first thing we check.
Which means there's no useful reason to wait. Every week on default rates is charged at default rates, and the week you spend arranging the replacement is the only one you can't get back.
Already had an offer? Let us check it
Send us the renewal letter or the quote you've been given — a photo of it is fine. We'll put the unit rate, the standing charge, the term and the commission built into it against what else is available today, and tell you plainly whether it's a good deal.
Including if it already is. That happens, and we'd rather say so than waste your time and ours.
- No obligation
- We'll show the commission
Same rates either way
Utilita Energy charges the same whether you are on a deemed contract or an out-of-contract one, so the figures above are yours regardless of which applies. You do not need to work out which you are to know what you are paying.
The distinction still matters, just not for the price. Deemed means you are taking supply without ever having agreed a contract with them — nearly always because you moved into a premises where they were already the incumbent. Out-of-contract means you had a contract, it ended, and nothing replaced it. A deemed supply usually needs the change of tenancy registering and an opening read submitted, and until that is done a switch can be objected to. If you have recently taken over a site, sort that first.
Common questions
How do I tell if I'm on these rates?
Look on your bill for a tariff described as deemed, variable or out-of-contract — or a contract end date that's blank or already passed. A unit rate near 39.20–40.96p/kWh is a strong hint. Send us the bill if the wording isn't clear.
Do these rates include VAT and the Climate Change Levy?
No — the published schedule excludes both. CCL is 0.801p/kWh on electricity and gas, equalised across the two fuels. VAT is 20% for most businesses.
Smaller supplies are treated differently: under 33 kWh a day of electricity or 145 kWh a day of gas, you pay 5% VAT and no CCL at all. The calculator applies whichever is right for the usage you enter.
Will I be charged for leaving, and how long does it take?
No charge. Default rates have no fixed term and no exit fee — the one advantage they have. You can leave as soon as a new contract is ready to take over.
On timing, most people are working from how switching used to be. Under Faster Switching — the industry rules that replaced the old multi-week process — a change of supplier can usually complete within five working days once the new contract has been accepted and registered. If you stay with Utilita Energy and simply move onto one of their fixed prices, there's no switch to process at all and it can often be done the next day.
The realistic delays aren't the switch itself: an outstanding balance or an unregistered change of tenancy can trigger an objection. Both are worth checking before you're relying on a start date.
What does Smart Energy charge?
Our commission is included in the price and disclosed before you sign anything. We apply the same agreed commission across every supplier we compare, so we have no incentive to recommend one over another.
Can you get me back onto a fixed price with Utilita Energy?
Yes. We're not trying to move you for the sake of it — if their fixed price is the best available for your supply, staying put is the fastest route anyway, because it can be done the next day rather than in five.
Let's see what you should be paying
A few questions, and only the ones that apply to you. No obligation, and we'll tell you if you're already on a good rate.
Rates shown are Utilita Energy's published charges effective 1 August 2026 and exclude VAT and CCL. The supplier can vary or withdraw them on notice. The calculator produces an estimate from the figures you enter — an actual bill depends on metered consumption, meter type and any charges billed outside the published schedule. It is not a quotation. We are not affiliated with Utilita Energy; their name and logo are used to identify the supplier this page is about.
