Network charges are rising again.
Check what you’re paying for.
Transmission charges are forecast to rise again from April 2027, after the increases in April 2026. For the aggregated and low-voltage site-specific categories shown below, the fixed transmission residual charge is forecast to rise by roughly 17% to 37%, depending on the charging category and band. That’s one charge on your bill, not your whole bill.
TCR banding reviews · kVA capacity reviews · No supplier switch needed
One charge.
Often hidden in your bill.
Transmission Network Use of System charges, usually shortened to TNUoS, pay for building and running Great Britain’s high-voltage transmission network. Most business supplies pay a fixed daily amount, set by the site’s charging category and band.
Wholesale energy
The cost of the electricity itself. This is the part most quotes compare, and the part that moves with the market.
Network charges
Transmission (TNUoS) and distribution costs for getting power to your site. Much of TNUoS is a fixed daily charge set by your band.
Other industry costs
Policy and system costs. Depending on your contract, these may sit in your unit rate, your standing charge or as separate lines.
You may not see TNUoS named on your invoice. Your supplier may recover it through your standing charge, unit rates or a separately itemised network charge.
What NESO forecasts
for April 2027.
NESO, the National Energy System Operator, sets the charge. Its October 2026 forecast covers the fixed transmission residual charge, which is the daily per-site part of TNUoS.
Why is it rising?
TNUoS pays the companies that own Great Britain’s high-voltage network for building, running and upgrading it. NESO forecasts the total to be recovered will grow from £9.47bn in 2027/28 to £13.80bn by 2031/32, with around 86% charged to electricity users rather than generators, mostly through this fixed daily charge. That is the longer-term driver. The October forecast adds a smaller adjustment: NESO now expects to collect £7.97bn through the residual charge in 2027/28, £388m more than its April estimate, which puts these tariffs around 5% above its initial figures.
| Charging category and band | Now 2026/27 |
Forecast 2027/28 |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregated supplies (no agreed capacity) | |||
| Band 1 NESO code LV_NoMIC_1 | £0.24 | £0.31 | +29% |
| Band 2 LV_NoMIC_2 | £0.59 | £0.75 | +28% |
| Band 3 LV_NoMIC_3 | £1.24 | £1.53 | +23% |
| Band 4 LV_NoMIC_4 | £3.46 | £4.62 | +34% |
| Low-voltage site-specific supplies (agreed capacity) | |||
| Band 1 LV1 | £5.80 | £6.79 | +17% |
| Band 2 LV2 | £11.51 | £15.11 | +31% |
| Band 3 LV3 | £14.38 | £17.47 | +21% |
| Band 4 LV4 | £38.18 | £52.49 | +37% |
Percentages are calculated from NESO’s unrounded tariffs. High-voltage, extra-high-voltage and transmission-connected sites have their own bands and rates. NESO Five-Year View, Table 15 ↗
No. These percentages apply to one charge, not your whole bill. The forecasts can also change: NESO’s final 2027/28 tariffs are due by 31 January 2027 and take effect on 1 April 2027.
What a 37% rise looks like in pounds.
A Band 4 low-voltage site pays £38.18 a day today. On NESO’s forecast, that becomes £52.49 a day from April 2027.
Our own 365-day annualised comparison, calculated using unrounded tariffs (£14.307 a day × 365), before VAT. It isn’t the exact difference between the two charging years’ totals. It covers this one charge only. How and when it reaches your bill depends on your contract: some fix network costs for the term, others pass changes through.
NESO’s five-year view also forecasts further increases in 2028/29. Forecasts that far out are more likely to change.
Your band is in
the codes on your bill.
It isn’t usually printed as a band number. It’s held in two codes on your electricity supply number, the “S” box on most business bills.
-
D04= Non-Domestic Aggregated, Band 4 -
G01= LV Site Specific, Band 1
Other network operators use different codes, so yours may not follow this pattern. We work with businesses across Great Britain and check the code against your own operator’s statement.
The LLFC
The line loss factor class: a three-character code (letters or numbers) in the last box of the top line. Network operators use it to identify the tariff your supply is charged on.
The distributor ID
The first two digits of the bottom line. They identify the network operator your supply is connected to, which can be an independent network rather than the regional one.
Why you need both
Each network operator issues its own LLFCs, so the same code can mean different things in different areas. Together, the two codes let us look up your tariff and its band.
What we confirm
We tell you which band your supply is being charged in. Whether that band is right for your site is a separate question, covered below.
Worth checking.
Not guaranteed.
If your recorded band looks wrong, or your premises have changed significantly, a review may be worth it.
The wider the gap between bands, the more the allocation matters. For low-voltage site-specific supplies, the gap between Band 3 and Band 4 is forecast to grow from £23.80 to £35.02 a day.
Bands don’t follow last month’s usage
Allocations use the applicable historical consumption or capacity data. They aren’t recalculated from your latest bill.
Changes between reviews have rules
Moving band outside a scheduled reallocation has to meet industry criteria, backed by evidence. National Grid explains the criteria ↗
Lower kVA doesn’t mean a lower band
Reducing your agreed capacity can lower your capacity charge, but it doesn’t automatically change your band. They’re separate checks with separate outcomes.
Low usage alone isn’t enough
Using less electricity or paying a high standing charge doesn’t on its own entitle a site to a lower band.
You can’t set the tariff.
You can check what you’re paying for.
We already help businesses check two things behind their fixed electricity costs.
“Is our band right?”
We check your site’s recorded charging category and band, and whether there are grounds to challenge the allocation or request a review.
Our standing charges and TCR guide ↗“Are we reserving too much?”
We compare your agreed capacity with past demand, current operations and future plans. Then we tell you whether to reduce it, keep it or increase it.
Our kVA review service ↗Each check needs its own evidence, and the answer may be to leave things as they are. Already in a contract? You can still request a review. You don’t need to switch supplier or wait for renewal.
Thank you. We have your request.
We’ll review the details and get back to you. We may ask for further supply or demand information.
Need to add anything? Call 0151 459 3388.
Good questions.
Clear answers.
Are these the final April 2027 charges?
Will my bill rise by the same percentage?
Will my supplier pass the increase on?
Which band is my business in?
If I reduce my kVA, will my band go down?
Can I get a review while I’m in a contract?
Sources & checking dates
Checked 29 October 2026. 2026/27 figures are NESO’s final tariffs; 2027/28 figures are NESO’s October 2026 forecast. Information adapted from NESO and SP Manweb publications.
