UK energy and emissions statistics: DESNZ and Ofgem
DESNZ energy and emissions statistics are the UK government's official figures on energy supply, demand and prices and on territorial greenhouse gas emissions, published on GOV.UK by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Ofgem, the Great Britain energy regulator, sets and publishes the energy price cap for default domestic tariffs. Together they are the primary sources for claims about bills, pump prices, renewables, coal and gas use, and progress on emissions targets.
What it publishes
- Energy Trends: quarterly statistics on UK production and consumption of coal, oil, gas, electricity and renewables, with monthly tables published about two months in arrears.
- The Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES): the annual reference volume each July, with chapters on solid fuels, petroleum, natural gas, electricity, renewables and combined heat and power, and key series going back to 1970.
- Quarterly Energy Prices: domestic and industrial gas and electricity prices, road fuel prices and comparisons with EU and G7 countries, with underlying monthly, quarterly and annual tables.
- Weekly road fuel prices: average UK retail pump prices for unleaded petrol (ULSP) and diesel (ULSD), including the duty and VAT components, in Excel, CSV and XML.
- Final UK greenhouse gas emissions statistics each February covering the year two years earlier, and provisional estimates each spring covering the previous calendar year, both on a territorial basis from 1990.
- Sub-national energy data: electricity and gas consumption by local authority and smaller areas, total final energy consumption by local authority, and local authority greenhouse gas emissions.
- Fuel poverty statistics for England, measured under the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency indicator.
- Ofgem's energy price cap levels every three months, with regional unit rates and standing charges by payment method, plus supporting models, letters and its retail and wholesale market indicators.
Key datasets
- Energy Trends
UK supply and demand for each major fuel, electricity generation by source and renewables share. UK-wide, quarterly and monthly series.
- Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES)
The annual, fully reconciled energy balance for the UK with chapter tables by fuel; latest five years in detail and long-run series back to 1970.
- Quarterly Energy Prices
Retail and industrial prices for gas, electricity and other fuels, price indices and international comparisons. UK, with some regional splits.
- Domestic energy prices tables
Average annual household gas and electricity bills by payment method and region, and switching data that sit behind Quarterly Energy Prices.
- Weekly road fuel prices
Average UK pump prices for petrol and diesel each week, with duty and VAT shown separately. CSV series run from 2003.
- UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions statistics
Final and provisional estimates of emissions occurring within UK borders, by gas and by sector, from 1990. Provisional releases add quarterly and temperature-adjusted figures.
- UK local authority and regional greenhouse gas emissions
Emissions estimates for each local authority and region of the UK, including figures by sector and per person.
- Sub-national electricity consumption
Domestic and non-domestic electricity use by local authority and smaller statistical areas in Great Britain, based on meter readings.
- Sub-national gas consumption
Domestic and non-domestic gas use by local authority and smaller areas, weather-corrected.
- Fuel poverty statistics
Number and proportion of households in fuel poverty in England, with sub-regional estimates and projections.
- Ofgem energy price cap unit rates and standing charges
The current cap period's average unit rates and daily standing charges for gas and electricity, by region and payment method, for England, Scotland and Wales.
- Ofgem energy price cap (default tariff) levels
Ofgem's official cap levels for each period, with the summary letters, models and annexes behind each change.
APIs and downloads
- DESNZ statistical tables on GOV.UKEach release links Excel or ODS tables; greenhouse gas and sub-national releases also include CSV data. No API and no key; files are downloaded directly.
- Weekly road fuel prices CSV and XMLCSV files (2003 to 2017, and 2018 onwards) and an XML file alongside the Excel workbook. Replaced each week at a new asset address, so link to the landing page rather than the file.
- National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory: devolved government emissionsGreenhouse gas inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with downloadable data. Free, no registration.
- Ofgem retail market indicatorsCharts with downloadable CSV data on supplier market shares, tariffs, debt and arrears. No API key.
- Ofgem wholesale market indicatorsWholesale gas and electricity prices and generation mix charts with downloadable data. No API key.
When it publishes
DESNZ statistics are released at 9:30am on dates pre-announced on the GOV.UK research and statistics calendar. Energy Trends and Quarterly Energy Prices come out together near the end of March, June, September and December. DUKES follows at the end of July, final greenhouse gas emissions in early February and provisional emissions in late March or early April. Weekly road fuel prices are normally published each Tuesday for the week commencing the previous Monday. Ofgem sets the price cap every three months, for periods starting 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October, and announces each level several weeks before it takes effect.
How to use it to check a claim
- For a claim about energy bills, establish whether it refers to the Ofgem cap for a typical household (a modelled annual figure at typical consumption), the unit rates and standing charges, or actual average bills in the DESNZ domestic energy prices tables. They are different measures.
- For a typical bill figure, take it from Ofgem's price cap page for the named period and note the payment method: the headline figure is for Direct Debit in England, Scotland and Wales.
- For renewables or coal share of electricity, use the Energy Trends electricity tables for recent quarters and DUKES chapter 5 or 6 for settled annual figures, and check whether the claim uses share of generation or share of supply.
- For emissions falls since 1990, use the final territorial statistics and check the base year, whether international aviation and shipping are included, and whether land use (LULUCF) is in or out.
- When a claim uses provisional emissions for the latest year, say so and expect a revision when the final figures arrive the following February.
- For pump prices, use the weekly road fuel prices series and quote the week, the fuel type and whether the figure is pence per litre including duty and VAT.
- For local claims, use the sub-national consumption or local authority emissions datasets and check that the year matches, since these run well behind national figures.
Common mistakes
- The price cap limits unit rates and standing charges, not total bills; households using more energy than the typical consumption values pay more.
- Comparing cap levels across periods needs care when tax treatment changes; Ofgem's unit rates page, read in October 2026, states there is no VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 and that costs for that period cannot be compared directly with earlier periods.
- Territorial emissions count only what is emitted within the UK; they differ from the consumption-based carbon footprint published separately by Defra, which includes emissions embedded in imports.
- Renewables share can be expressed as a share of electricity generation or of total energy consumption (including heat and transport), and the two figures are far apart.
- Monthly and quarterly energy figures are revised when DUKES is published, so a figure quoted from an earlier Energy Trends release may no longer match the current tables.
- Fuel poverty statistics from DESNZ cover England only; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use different definitions.
Where can I find the current energy price cap?
Ofgem publishes the cap for each three-month period on its energy price cap unit rates and standing charges page, giving the typical annual bill for a Direct Debit customer plus average unit rates and daily standing charges for gas and electricity. Regional figures and rates for standard credit and prepayment customers appear on the same page. The supporting letters and models are on Ofgem's default tariff levels page.
How often are UK greenhouse gas emissions figures published?
DESNZ publishes final territorial emissions once a year in February, covering the year two years earlier, and updates that release in March and June with extra breakdowns. Provisional estimates for the previous calendar year come out each spring alongside Energy Trends. Local authority figures follow later in the year. All are on the UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions statistics collection page.
What is the difference between Energy Trends and DUKES?
Energy Trends is the quarterly release giving timely monthly and quarterly data on each fuel, used for the latest picture. DUKES is the annual digest published each July, which reconciles all fuels into a full energy balance and becomes the settled reference. When the two differ for the same period, DUKES reflects the later, revised data.
Where do official UK petrol and diesel prices come from?
DESNZ publishes weekly road fuel prices, normally each Tuesday, giving average UK pump prices for unleaded petrol and diesel in pence per litre with duty and VAT shown separately. CSV files go back to 2003. Quarterly Energy Prices also compares UK road fuel prices with EU and G7 countries.
Questions answered using this source
- How do I make a Freedom of Information request?
- What is the energy price cap?
- What are UK greenhouse gas emissions?
- Where can I find official UK fuel prices?
- Where can I find road traffic statistics?
- How many people die on UK roads each year?
- How much UK electricity comes from renewables?
- Where can I download UK government data?
- How is the energy price cap calculated?
- When are UK official statistics published?
Links checked 2026-10-13. This page describes what the source publishes and gives no verdict on any claim.