29/09/2026
What the October price change actually means for your house
From Wednesday, Ofgem's cap goes up 4%. For a typical household that's around £1,723 a year, up about £60.
The bit worth understanding is that the cap limits the unit rate, not your bill. Your bill is the unit rate multiplied by how much you buy from the grid. You can't do much about the first part. The second part is where solar comes in.
Panels don't power your house instead of the grid. What they do is cover what you're using while the sun's on them the fridge, the freezer, the washer, anything on standby. Anything you don't use goes back to the grid, and you're paid a small amount for it.
That's why batteries have become so common. Instead of exporting the middle of the day for pennies, you store it and use it at teatime, when you'd otherwise be buying at the full rate.
How much it's worth depends on the roof, the direction it faces, and when people are actually in the house. It genuinely doesn't suit everyone, and we'll say so if it doesn't.
The job we finished in Blackburn last week was a mid-terrace, five panels and a 5.76kWh battery, in and done in a day. Not a big roof, not a big system, but enough to make a difference to what that family buys in.
If you've been wondering how your own roof would stack up, ask away in the comments and we'll answer.
or call us on 07831 434622 if you'd rather talk it through.
