This year is set to be a big year for non-commodity costs, with businesses facing major increases across the network, system and policy charges they pay to support the clean power transition.
In fact, analysis from our Optimisation Desk shows that these increases could push energy prices up by around £25 per megawatt hour (MWh).
So, why is 2026 such a key year? A significant driver is a rise in Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges.
At the end of January 2026, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) published its final TNUoS rates for the next charging year, starting this April. While these are very much in line with what was expected, the reality for businesses is that they will see their TNUoS rates increasing by over 60 per cent year-on-year.
In addition, gas network rates for the first year of the new RIIO-3 (Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs) regulatory period were published, and these follow a similar trend – broadly unchanged from draft rates but still a significant increase from right now.
This is putting more pressure on businesses who were already concerned about rising non-commodity costs. Our 2025 Business Energy Tracker revealed that energy is the top risk businesses are facing for the fourth year running, with a huge 97 per cent worried about the financial impact of the low-carbon transition.
The UK Government is introducing targeted measures, such as the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS), to support some of the country’s most Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs). However, most organisations, even those classed as major energy users, won’t receive similar targeted help.
Helping businesses calculate the cost
Despite rising concern, the Business Energy Tracker also revealed varying opinions on how much non-commodity costs could increase over the next few years, with answers ranging from less than 10 per cent to more than 75 per cent.
With TNUoS and other charges set to hit businesses in a big way this year, it is more important than ever to anticipate the potential impact and put measures in place to help manage the risk.
To help businesses forecast their future non-commodity costs, we created an industry-first tool, the Energy Cost Calculator. Developed using data from our Optimisation Desk, the Energy Cost Calculator provides, in just 60 seconds, a clear, data-driven picture of the potential increase in non-commodity costs a business could face, based on information such as business sector and annual energy consumption.
Are businesses underestimating the non-commodity cost impact?
This tool is already supporting hundreds of businesses. Since its launch in October 2025, we have gathered useful insight into the projected impact of rising non-commodity charges by 2030.
The initial data reveals an average projected increase of 84.2 per cent, with the highest forecast increase being 181.5 per cent, and the lowest at 55.8 per cent.
These early projections suggest that, although businesses anticipated some rise in non-commodity costs, many may still be underestimating the scale of the increases ahead. That is why it’s imperative that businesses understand the extent of the impact in order to put effective strategies in place.
Mitigating the risk – three steps to take to manage your costs
1. Understand your energy data: One area where businesses can take some control is reducing energy consumption. Using an online data visualisation tool will not only help you achieve this, but also provide insight to inform your energy strategy, such as investing in energy efficiency and other energy reduction measures.
2. Consider on-site generation to reduce costs and increase flexibility: As well as helping businesses become more energy self-sufficient, any energy installed behind-the-meter (BtM) is not subject to industry costs such as BSUoS, Contracts for Difference (CfD) or Capacity Market (CM) charges. It can also provide you the opportunity to participate in flexibility schemes, having a further positive impact on the bottom line.
3. Reduce your network capacity: If you are able to do this, then you can reduce your Distribution Use of System (DUoS) and TNUoS charges.
Getting ahead of rising costs
2026 will be the year that industry costs start to impact businesses in a significant way, as the transition to clean power by 2030 accelerates. The first step is to understand what this could look like for your business. As the Energy Cost Calculator takes just 60 seconds to provide an initial forecast, I would encourage all businesses to use it. It can help manage risk while also supporting Net Zero strategies, both now and in the future.