The April reset, and the grid investment behind it

In short

Every April a set of charges on every business energy bill is reset, and in 2026 several rose sharply. It is easy to read that as a supplier putting prices up. Most of it is not the supplier at all.

Designed A4 fact sheet, ready to print or circulate.

What resets each April

Status: LawA set of regulated and policy charges on every business energy bill is reset on 1 April each year. The supplier does not set them and the supplier cannot avoid them.

Charges that reset in April, and what changed from 1 April 2026.
Charge	What happens in April
TNUoS	Transmission charges are reset annually. From April 2026 the residual element rose by a volume-weighted average of 64 per cent, with increases across individual capacity bands ranging from 28 to 116 per cent.
DUoS	Distribution charges are reviewed annually by each regional network operator and adjust from April.
Climate Change Levy	Uprated annually. It rose from 0.775p per kWh to 0.801p per kWh in April 2026, and rises again to 0.827p per kWh in April 2027.
Charging bands	The fixed charging bands under the Targeted Charging Review were reviewed in April 2026, which can move a site into a higher band for the same operation.
Other levies	Policy and environmental levies are periodically adjusted. The Nuclear RAB levy, which appeared on bills from 1 December 2025, is reset quarterly rather than annually.

This is not your supplier putting prices up

The charges that reset each April are set through regulation and by the network operators, not by your supplier, and they apply to everyone regardless of who they buy from.

Changing supplier does not avoid them. They are the regulated cost of the wires, the system and government energy policy, passed through at cost.

That matters commercially as well as factually. A business that responds to an April increase by running a price comparison is addressing the part of the bill that did not change.

The investment behind the rises

The network increases fund a regulated programme of investment in the grid, under the price control known as RIIO-3, covering 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031.

Ofgem’s Final Determinations, published on 4 December 2025, approved £28.1bn of upfront expenditure across electricity transmission, gas transmission and gas distribution, within a wider investment pipeline of around £90bn over the five years.

That investment is recovered through network charges, which is why they are rising now and are planned to continue rising annually through to 2031.

Figures cover all three regulated sectors together rather than electricity transmission alone. Where you see a single figure quoted for transmission investment, check what it covers before relying on it.

What to do about a date you already know

Know your renewal date against the reset date. A contract starting just before April may be priced on the outgoing charges, and one starting just after on the new ones.
Ask which elements a supplier will fix for the term, per fuel and per product, and get it in writing. Some products fix network charges and some do not.
Review agreed capacity before the reset rather than after. A capacity reduction takes effect going forward and can take up to four months through the network operator.
Budget for the increase rather than being surprised by it. The date is fixed and the direction has been set by policy for the rest of the decade.

Questions

Why does my energy bill go up in April?

Regulated network charges and several policy levies are reset annually on 1 April. They are set through regulation rather than by your supplier and apply whichever supplier you use.

How much did transmission charges rise in April 2026?

The residual element rose by a volume-weighted average of 64 per cent, with individual capacity bands ranging from 28 to 116 per cent.

Can I avoid the April increases by switching supplier?

No. These charges are passed through at cost and are the same regardless of supplier. Some products fix them for the term, which is a question to ask per supplier and per product.

What is driving the network charge increases?

A regulated investment programme under the RIIO-3 price control running from April 2026 to March 2031, recovered through network charges.

Sources and verification

Verified as at: 25 August 2026
Primary source: NESO final 2026/27 TNUoS tariffs, published 30 January 2026; HMRC Climate Change Levy main rates; Ofgem Targeted Charging Review; Ofgem RIIO-3 Final Determinations, 4 December 2025
Reviewed by: Omnium

Figures in this sheet were current at the verification date above. Regulated charges reset each April. If you are relying on a figure, check the source or ask us.

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The April reset, and the grid investment behind it

In short

What resets each April

This is not your supplier putting prices up

The investment behind the rises

What to do about a date you already know

Questions

Sources and verification

Ask a question about this sheet

Read next

Where this leads

Invoice validation

Cost recovery

Supporting sheets in this series

Network charges and agreed capacity

Non-commodity charges

Transmission charges, TNUoS

Take this sheet into a meeting

Have a question about your own sites?