EDF Standard Variable review (November 2026)
EDF’s default tariff for electricity and gas, priced at the Ofgem cap, with no exit fees.
Live tariff data
EDF Standard Variable prices for your area
Current prices for North West England. Rates and standing charges vary by electricity region.
Showing prices for North West England
Current rate
North West England
- Current unit rate
- 26.49p/kWh
- The same displayed rate applies throughout the day.
- Daily standing charge
- 45.68p/day
- Charged once per day, separately from the unit rate.
No cheaper time of day
EDF Standard Variable charges one rate at all times. It changes only when EDF Energy changes it, not on any daily cycle.
Use your own figures
What could a month on EDF Standard Variable cost you?
Enter your expected usage for a simple 30-day illustration using the displayed average unit rate and standing charge.
Enter the electricity you expect to use over 30 days.
Enter a number of kWh to see what it would cost at today’s average price.
The short answer
Who EDF Standard Variable is most likely to work for
Standard Variable is the flexible baseline: its rates are limited by the price cap, it has no fixed end date and you can leave without an exit fee.
In its favour
- No exit fees and no term, so you can leave at any time
- Falls automatically when the price cap falls
- No smart meter or equipment required
- Available for both electricity and gas
Against it
- Rates can change when the price cap changes
- Rises automatically when the cap rises
- No reward for using electricity at cheaper times
- Full standing charge regardless of how little you use
Read the fuller verdict and trade-offs
That flexibility can matter mid-move, mid-renovation or when you do not want a fixed term. Whether another tariff is cheaper depends on its current rates and how you use energy.
- A capped tariff is not a capped bill: using more electricity or gas still increases what you pay.
- The standing charge applies every day even if you use nothing, which makes this an expensive tariff for a second home or a very light user.
- Prices change quarterly with no action from you, so a budget set in one quarter can be wrong in the next.
Tariff facts at a glance
- Current version
- Standard Variable
View product code
EDF_STANDARD_VARIABLE- Price changes
- One unit rate
- The price does not change during the day
- Today’s full-day rate vs cap
- In line with today’s cap rate
- A full-day regional average is needed for today’s comparison
- Estimated annual cost
- £829
- Illustration at the displayed rate for 2,500 kWh a year; future rate changes and your usage can change the bill. Includes 45.68p per day standing charge.
Key tariff facts
- Variable-rate tariff
- No exit fee on the selected offer
- Payment method varies · Single-register meter
- No special smart-meter requirement
- Electricity and gas are covered on this page
Against the price cap in North West England
0.00p
below the price cap
- Tariff today
- 26.49p/kWh
- Ofgem cap
- 26.49p/kWh
Unit rates only. The cap also has a 45.68p/day standing charge; your cost depends on when you use electricity. Cap period: 1 Oct 2026–31 Dec 2026.
Estimated annual cost
£829
a year
- Usage
- 2,500 kWh
- Rate
- 26.49p/kWh
Uses the displayed rate and the 45.68p/day standing charge in North West England. The figure changes when the rate changes.
EDF Energy: £896/year. This does not reconcile with the rates above.
On an Economy 7 meter
14.62p
night rate per kWh
- Day rate
- 32.50p/kWh
- Standing charge
- 53.67p/day
The seven off-peak hours vary by location and supplier. Check your meter’s schedule before planning storage heating, hot water or EV charging. See Ofgem’s Economy 7 guide.
EDF Energy: £1,093/year. Based on 3,400 kWh, so it is not directly comparable with the single-rate estimate.
View Economy 7 tariff code
EDF Standard Variable: E-2R-EDF_STANDARD_VARIABLE-GGas
7.86p
per kWh
- Standing charge
- 37.50p/day
- Cheaper hours
- None
One gas rate applies all day, so there is no usage window to target.
View gas tariff code
G-1R-EDF_STANDARD_VARIABLE-GPrice history
How EDF Standard Variable prices have moved
The line is the average price for each day; the shaded range shows the cheapest and most expensive prices within it.
Choose one history view
Use a rolling period to look back from today, or open one calendar year. Selecting either view replaces the other.
Last 30 days: 31 days from 04 Oct to 03 Nov. Average prices range from 26.78p to 27.29p per kWh. The shaded band shows the cheapest and most expensive price in each period.
Show these 31 figures as a table
| Period | Average | Cheapest | Most expensive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 05 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 06 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 07 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 08 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 09 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 10 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 11 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 12 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 13 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 14 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 15 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 16 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 17 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 18 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 19 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 20 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 21 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 22 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 23 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 24 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 25 Oct | 26.78p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 26 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 27 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 28 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 29 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 30 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 31 Oct | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 01 Nov | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 02 Nov | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
| 03 Nov | 27.29p | 14.62p | 32.50p |
View history coverage and range
Combined across 29 versions of this tariff, each shown for the period it was on sale. We hold prices from Mar 2016. A gap means no version of this tariff was on sale then.
What this selected history can show
30 of 30 days are represented in the stored history. The figures below use complete daily or monthly periods only, so a partial period cannot create a false low or high.
This summary remains at daily or monthly level. Any separate statistics panel uses the complete daily distribution fields supplied by the rollup rather than inferring them from this chart.
- Lowest complete-period rate
- 14.62p/kWh
- Highest complete-period rate
- 32.50p/kWh
- Mean of complete-period averages
- 27.27p/kWh
Regional comparison
How prices differ across Great Britain
EDF Standard Variable unit rate and standing charge by region
The current unit rate and daily standing charge in each distribution region, including VAT.
Selected region
North West England
- Unit rate
- 26.49p/kWh
- Standing charge
- 45.7p/day
Hover a region for its figure, or select one to load its prices.
Tap a region to load its prices.
View all regional prices
| Region | Per kWh | Standing charge per day |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 25.36p | 51.5p |
| North East England | 25.45p | 61.6p |
| Yorkshire | 25.60p | 61.7p |
| West Midlands | 25.60p | 57.2p |
| Southern Scotland | 26.11p | 61.4p |
| Northern Scotland | 26.35p | 55.1p |
| Southern England | 26.47p | 47.8p |
| North West England | 26.49p | 45.7p |
| South Wales | 26.55p | 55.4p |
| South West England | 26.58p | 55.6p |
| London | 26.59p | 42.9p |
| Eastern England | 26.61p | 51.8p |
| South East England | 26.88p | 52.3p |
| Merseyside and North Wales | 27.86p | 67.7p |
Northern Ireland has a separate electricity market and is not covered by these regions.
Household fit
Who EDF Standard Variable might be good for
The right answer depends on your equipment, routine and tolerance for changing prices—not just how much electricity you use.
Likely to suit
- Households that want no term, no exit fee and no decisions
- Anyone about to move house or change circumstances, where flexibility is worth more than a small saving
- Homes without a smart meter, which rules out most of the alternatives
- People who expect the cap to fall and would rather follow it down
Less likely to suit
- Anyone who could shift usage into cheap hours, since a time-of-use tariff would pay them for it
- Households wanting a predictable annual bill — a fixed tariff does that and this does not
- Very light users, who are paying a full standing charge for very little electricity
- Anyone offered a fixed deal whose live total cost and terms are a better fit
Before switching
Check the requirements and what will affect the result
What you need
- No requirements at all — no smart meter, no vehicle, no generation
- Available for electricity, gas or both
- Direct debit, pay on receipt of bill, and prepayment versions all exist, at different prices
- No exit fees, no term
What drives what you pay
- How much you use, which is the only lever this tariff gives you
- Ofgem’s price cap, which resets quarterly and sets both the unit rate and the standing charge
- Your region, since network costs differ across Great Britain
- How you pay, because prepayment and pay-on-receipt are capped separately from direct debit
How it works
How EDF Standard Variable sets its prices
One unit rate and one standing charge, both limited by Ofgem’s price cap for your region, meter and payment method. There is no time-of-use element, so a single-rate customer pays the same unit rate at three in the morning as at six in the evening.
Read the full pricing explanation
The price cap limits unit rates and standing charges; it does not cap the total bill. It is recalculated quarterly from wholesale, network and policy costs, and EDF’s Standard Variable prices can move when it changes.
Prices differ by how you pay. Direct Debit, prepayment and pay-on-receipt versions are capped separately, so compare the current rate for your own payment method.
There are no exit fees, so you can move to any other tariff at any time. That is the tariff’s main practical virtue.
Alternatives
Other smart tariffs from Octopus and EDF to compare
These are other smart-tariff comparisons from the two suppliers, not a claim that every option suits the same household.
Flexible Octopus
The same thing at another supplier: the default variable tariff, priced at the cap, with no exit fees.
More detail
Differences between suppliers’ standard tariffs are small by design, because the cap sets the ceiling for all of them. Service, billing and how easily you can move to something better matter more than the pence.
EDF Simply Fixed
The straight trade.
More detail
Fixing locks your rates for the term, which protects you if capped rates rise and can cost you if they fall. Compare the live annual estimate, standing charges, term and exit fees rather than assuming a fixed deal starts above or below today’s capped tariff.
EDF Empower Tracker
Empower uses this tariff’s rate as its base, then takes 10p off in the early hours, adds 10p across the late afternoon and removes the standing charge.
More detail
It can suit an eligible low user who avoids the peak, but the banded calculation must confirm whether it improves on Standard Variable for that household.
What it costs if you do not pay by direct debit
The same tariff, averaged over the last 30 days in North West England.
Electricity
- Monthly direct debit
- 26.49p
- On receipt of bill
- 27.98p
Paying on receipt of a bill costs 1.49p more per kWh, about 5.6% more, over 29 days.
Gas
- Monthly direct debit
- 7.86p
- On receipt of bill
- 8.28p
Paying on receipt of a bill costs 0.42p more per kWh, about 5.4% more, over 29 days.
Ofgem caps these payment methods separately. This is a payment-method comparison, rather than a reason to switch supplier.
How to switch
Moving to EDF Standard Variable
- 1
Existing EDF customers can select Standard Variable, and customers may move onto it when a fixed deal ends. A newly moved household may initially be on EDF’s deemed tariff instead.
- 2
Moving away is equally easy: there are no exit fees and no notice period, so any other tariff is available whenever you want it.
- 3
If you have been on this tariff for a while, compare current alternatives using your region, payment method and consumption rather than assuming a headline national figure applies to you.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as the price cap?
It is protected by the price cap. Ofgem limits the unit rates and standing charges for each region, meter and payment method; it does not set a maximum total bill. The comparison card above uses the current regional figures available to the site.
How often do the prices change?
Whenever the price cap changes, currently every three months. EDF writes to you before each change.
Is prepayment more expensive?
It is capped separately from direct debit, and the two are priced differently. The figures on this page are for the single-rate direct debit version unless stated otherwise.
Should I fix instead?
It depends on what you think the cap will do and how much you value certainty. Fixing protects you from a rise and costs you a fall, and most fixed tariffs carry an exit fee where this one does not. There is no answer that is right for everyone.
