UK Non-Commodity Charge · Other
Imbalance System Charge (Electricity)
Current rates, who sets them, and where they are forecast to go.
What Imbalance System Charge (Electricity)is, who sets the rate, what the revenue funds, and where it's heading. Sourced daily from the Purely Energy non-commodity cost data hub.
Imbalance System Charge (Electricity): what it is, who charges it, and what it pays for
What it is
The Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) charge in plain English
Recovers the residual cost of the electricity imbalance settlement system.
Introduced 2001 (NETA/BSC).
Who charges it
The body that sets the rate
Elexon
Unit
p/kWh
Applies to
UK business electricity
What it pays for
Where the revenue ends up
Electricity imbalance settlement system
Published rate history
| Financial year | Rate | YoY change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | 0.00080p/kWh | - | published |
| FY2021 | 0.00120p/kWh | +50.0% | published |
| FY2022 | 0.00150p/kWh | +25.0% | published |
| FY2023 | 0.00100p/kWh | -33.3% | published |
| FY2024 | 0.00090p/kWh | -10.0% | published |
| FY2025 | 0.00100p/kWh | +11.1% | published |
Forecast trajectory
AI-assisted forecasts from our deep-research pipeline. P10, P50 and P90 are the 10th, 50th and 90th percentile outcomes; P50 is the central estimate.
| Year | P10 | P50 | P90 | Confidence | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | - | 0.00100 | - | - | |
| 2027 | - | 0.00110 | - | - | |
| 2028 | - | 0.00110 | - | - | |
| 2029 | - | 0.00110 | - | - | |
| 2030 | - | 0.00120 | - | - | |
| 2031-32 | 0.00110 | 0.00120 | 0.00130 | high | CPI inflation (2.0%) from 2030-31 anchor of 0.0012 p/kWh. OBR CPI forecast applied. |
| 2031 | - | 0.00122 | - | - | |
| 2032-33 | 0.00110 | 0.00120 | 0.00140 | high | CPI inflation (2.0%) from 2030-31 anchor of 0.0012 p/kWh. OBR CPI forecast applied. |
| 2032 | - | 0.00125 | - | - | |
| 2033-34 | 0.00110 | 0.00130 | 0.00150 | med | CPI inflation (2.0%) from 2030-31 anchor of 0.0012 p/kWh. OBR CPI forecast applied. |
| 2033 | - | 0.00127 | - | - | |
| 2034-35 | 0.00110 | 0.00130 | 0.00150 | med | CPI inflation (2.0%) from 2030-31 anchor of 0.0012 p/kWh. OBR CPI forecast applied. |
| 2034 | - | 0.00130 | - | - |
Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) FAQs
What is the Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) charge?
Recovers the residual cost of the electricity imbalance settlement system.
Who sets the Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) rate?
The Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) rate is set by Elexon.
What does Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) pay for?
Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) revenue supports Electricity imbalance settlement system.
What is the current Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) rate?
For financial year 2025, the published Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) rate is 0.00100 p/kWh.
What is the Imbalance System Charge (Electricity) forecast?
Our latest forecast for 2026 is 0.00100 p/kWh.
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Rate data sourced from the Purely Energy non-commodity cost data hub (dh.purelyenergy.co.uk). Published rates come from statutory publications by the body listed above. Forecasts are AI-generated from published guidance and market trends; treat P50 as a central estimate and reference P10/P90 for sensitivity.