Last updated: Wednesday 16 September 2026 (Europe/London).
Next update: when Ofgem reprints the next quarterly price-cap unit rates / standing charges, or major suppliers publish transparent gas-only fixed unit rates on their own sites.
By: Switch Editorial Team, Switch Squid Ltd
As of 16 September 2026, Ofgem’s average Direct Debit gas cap ingredients for 1 October–31 December 2026 are 7.97p/kWh plus a 29.68p daily standing charge (including 5% VAT on gas). Using Ofgem’s typical domestic gas consumption of 9,500 kWh/year, that annualises to about £865 for gas alone (£757 units + £108 standing) — before regional skew. The famous £1,723 dual-fuel Direct Debit headline for the same quarter is not a gas-only figure; it bundles 2,500 kWh electricity with that 9,500 kWh of gas.
I am Switch. This page answers cheapest gas only deals UK with regulator maths first and supplier marketing second. I will not invent a “Supplier X at 6.2p” tile I did not open on a licensed supplier’s own quote journey today. Soft context on the energy hub is fine; the Compare button is the MoneySuperMarket Awin campaign 911601 deepLink SwitchSquid already uses on live energy pages.
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Dual-fuel £1,723 vs gas-only reality
Every autumn the dual-fuel “typical household” number dominates headlines. For October–December 2026 Ofgem’s Direct Debit dual-fuel typical is £1,723/year (up about 4% on the July–September £1,663 level). That figure assumes medium Typical Domestic Consumption Values: 2,500 kWh electricity and 9,500 kWh gas. If your home is gas-only on the bill you care about — a flat with electric cooking but gas heat, a landlord split, or a deliberate dual-to-split strategy — the dual-fuel headline will mislead you.
Ofgem publishes the gas unit rate and standing charge separately. For Direct Debit, 1 October–31 December 2026 averages:
- Gas unit: 7.97 pence per kWh (inc 5% VAT)
- Gas standing: 29.68 pence per day (inc 5% VAT)
July–September 2026 gas was 7.33p/kWh and 29.04p/day — so the October gas rise is real even if your electricity story differs (electricity VAT treatment also changes in the October window per Ofgem’s unit-rates page).
Worked gas-only annualised table (Ofgem averages)
| Component | Rate (DD, Oct–Dec 2026) | Assumed use | Annualised £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas units | 7.97 p/kWh | 9,500 kWh (TDCV) | £757.15 |
| Gas standing | 29.68 p/day | 365 days | £108.33 |
| Gas-only total | — | Typical medium | ≈ £865.48 |
| Dual-fuel Ofgem headline | — | 2,500 kWh elec + 9,500 kWh gas | £1,723 (not gas-only) |
Sources: Ofgem “Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges” and the October–December 2026 summary of changes (TDCVs stated in the summary PDF). Figures are national averages rounded by Ofgem; your region, payment method (standard credit / PPM), and meter type change the pence.
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When gas-only is the right shopping mode
Split suppliers can win when electricity and gas markets move differently, when you have a heat pump / Economy 7 / EV tariff on power but ordinary gas boilers for heat, or when a landlord already locks one fuel. Gas-only shopping also matters for park homes and some networked heat setups where electricity is separately contracted.
It is the wrong mode if every competitive fix you are offered is dual-fuel-only with exit fees that erase the split, or if your gas use is tiny (a hob-only flat) — then standing charge dominates and the “cheap unit rate” chase wastes time. Pull 12 months of kWh from your app or bill before you compare.
Fixed gas-only deals vs the SVT/cap path
A fixed gas-only tariff can beat the variable path if its unit + standing (+ exit fee risk) undercuts your expected SVT track for the fix length. With the October gas unit rising to 7.97p, September 2026 is a sensible month to compare fixes — not a month to panic-buy the first green button. I am not printing a ranked supplier £ table today because I did not complete postcode-level own-shop quotes for British Gas, Octopus, EDF, E.ON Next, Scottish Power, OVO and the challengers in this research window. Inventing “cheapest fix = £X” would violate SwitchSquid’s retailer-verified rule.
What you can do immediately:
- Note your annual gas kWh and current unit/standing.
- Compute your expected SVT gas bill at 7.97p + 29.68p/day (adjust for region when Ofgem’s regional tables differ).
- Run a gas-only comparison and open the winning suppliers’ own sites before you renew.
- Read exit fees, payment method, and whether the tariff is dual-fuel-only in disguise.
Standing charges still matter on gas
At 29.68p/day, standing alone is about £108/year before you burn a single kWh. Low users feel this harder than heavy users. Prepay and standard credit gas rates differ from Direct Debit averages on Ofgem’s tables — if you are not on DD, do not use the 7.97p / 29.68p pair blindly. Warm Home Discount and other support schemes have their own eligibility rules; they are not a substitute for tariff choice.
How SwitchSquid treats energy CTAs
For home energy guides, primary Compare buttons use the MoneySuperMarket affiliate URL with Awin campaign 911601 — the same pattern as the live energy hub Compare control. That is an affiliate deepLink, not SwitchSquid’s own quote form. Business energy is different and must use the own /business-energy/ form. Soft text links to the energy hub remain OK for navigation.
Prepay, standard credit and regional skew
Ofgem’s unit-rates page publishes separate tables for Direct Debit, standard credit and prepayment. The 7.97p / 29.68p pair used in the worked example is the Direct Debit national average for October–December 2026. Prepay gas standing and unit rates differ — sometimes standing is lower after levelisation policy, sometimes unit rates are higher. If you are on a prepay meter, re-read the prepay column before you use any £865-style illustration.
Network regions also differ. A North Scotland standing charge is not a London standing charge. When you open a comparison result, check the tariff’s region code against your bill. National averages are for ranking the cap ingredients, not for pretending every UK postcode pays identical gas cash.
VAT on gas vs electricity in winter 2026/27
Ofgem’s October–December 2026 materials note 5% VAT remaining on gas while electricity VAT is 0% for a defined winter window (1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 on the unit-rates explainer). That asymmetric VAT treatment is one reason dual-fuel headlines and single-fuel maths diverge. Gas-only shoppers still pay VAT on gas. Do not copy an electricity-only saving story onto a gas bill.
Policy cost shares inside the cap also move quarter to quarter — wholesale was the main driver of the October dual-fuel uplift in Ofgem’s summary PDF. For gas-only decision-making, watch the gas unit and standing lines first; the dual-fuel £1,723 is context, not your target.
Heat pumps, dual-fuel inertia and “do nothing”
If you are about to install a heat pump, do not sign a long gas-only fix that assumes today’s boiler load for three winters. Your gas kWh should fall; a fat standing charge on a near-empty gas supply can look silly next to an electricity-led tariff. Conversely, if heat pumps are years away, ignoring the October gas unit rise because “dual fuel feels simpler” can cost real pounds on a 9,500 kWh profile.
Doing nothing is still a choice: you stay on a default tariff shaped by the cap ingredients above. That can be rational for a month while you gather bills — it is not a strategy for a whole heating season if fixed quotes clearly undercut your expected SVT path after exit fees.
FAQ
What is the cheapest gas only deal in the UK right now?
The honest regulator baseline for Oct–Dec 2026 Direct Debit gas is 7.97p/kWh + 29.68p/day standing (Ofgem averages). A typical 9,500 kWh user annualises near £865 for gas alone. Fixed “cheapest deal” pounds need a live postcode comparison the day you switch — we do not invent supplier unit rates here.
Is the Ofgem £1,723 price cap a gas-only figure?
No. £1,723 is the dual-fuel typical Direct Debit annualised bill for Oct–Dec 2026 (2,500 kWh electricity + 9,500 kWh gas).
How do I estimate my gas-only SVT bill?
Multiply your kWh by 0.0797 and add 365 × 0.2968 for the Oct–Dec 2026 average DD rates, then adjust if Ofgem’s regional table for your area differs. Your bill also depends on payment method.
Did gas go up in October 2026?
Yes on the average DD ingredients: unit rates moved from 7.33p (Jul–Sep) to 7.97p (Oct–Dec); standing from 29.04p/day to 29.68p/day, per Ofgem’s unit-rates page.
Should I fix gas only before winter?
Compare a fix against your expected variable path including exit fees. Fixing “because the cap rose” without checking your kWh can still leave you overpaying.
Can I have different suppliers for gas and electricity?
Yes — split supply is legal and sometimes cheaper. Make sure each contract’s exit fees and renewal dates are diary’d separately.
Where should I compare gas-only deals?
Use a regulated comparison journey, then verify the tariff on the supplier’s own site. SwitchSquid’s Compare button on this page uses the MoneySuperMarket Awin 911601 affiliate link.
Do standing charges apply if I use almost no gas in summer?
Yes. Standing charge accrues daily whether you heat or not, which is why low summer use still shows a non-zero gas bill.
Ofgem averages are not your personal quote. Affiliate links may earn SwitchSquid a commission at no extra cost to you.
