Clocks go back 25 October 2026: what it means for Agile
The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October 2026, and on Agile Octopus that day has 50 half-hours instead of 48. Last year, the most expensive half-hour of the day also moved about an hour earlier on the clock once the change happened.
What happens on 25 October
The clocks go back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October, according to GOV.UK. The UK leaves British Summer Time (BST) and returns to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Mornings get lighter and evenings get darker.
For Agile, the hour from 1am to 2am happens twice. Each run of that hour has its own two half-hourly prices, so the day has 25 hours and 50 prices. Octopus will publish them the afternoon before, as usual, between 4pm and 8pm and usually nearer 4pm.
The spring change works the other way. On 29 March 2026 the clocks went forward, and that day had only 46 half-hours. The prices jumped straight from 12:30am to 2am.
How last year's 25-hour day looked
Last year the clocks went back on 26 October 2025. These were the London (region C) prices around the repeated hour, including the 5% VAT that applied then.
| Half-hour | Clock | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1am to 1:30am | BST, first time | 0.02p/kWh |
| 1:30am to 2am | BST, first time | 2.10p/kWh |
| 1am to 1:30am | GMT, second time | 0.42p/kWh |
| 1:30am to 2am | GMT, second time | 0.00p/kWh |
| 2:30am to 3am | GMT | -4.20p/kWh |
The extra hour came in the middle of the night, when prices were already low. They went below zero at 2:30am, so anyone using power then was paid for it. Merseyside and North Wales (region D) followed the same pattern and reached -4.62p/kWh in the same half-hour.
The evening peak moves earlier on the clock
The bigger change is to the evening peak. In London, in the seven days before the change, the dearest half-hour came at about 6:04pm on average. In the seven days after, it came at about 5:08pm.
| London, 2025 | Average time of dearest half-hour | Average price, 4pm to 7pm |
|---|---|---|
| 19 to 25 October (BST) | 6:04pm | 33.01p/kWh |
| 26 October to 1 November (GMT) | 5:08pm | 32.79p/kWh |
The peak itself cost much the same, but it arrived about an hour earlier by the clock. That fits darker evenings starting an hour earlier. Merseyside and North Wales showed the same one-hour shift.
You can see this year's pattern on today's Agile prices for your region, and compare it month by month in the Agile price history charts.
What to check before 25 October
Timers matter most. A car charger, storage heater or battery that sets its own clock will follow the change. One that doesn't will run an hour off until you reset it, which could move it into the peak.
After the change, a window that avoided the peak in BST may now overlap it. The cheapest-time finder for your appliance works in UK local time, so it accounts for the new clock.
Prices now carry no VAT, because household electricity in Great Britain is zero-rated from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. So this year's figures will not match last year's like for like.
FAQ
When do the clocks go back in 2026? At 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, when the UK moves from British Summer Time back to Greenwich Mean Time.
How many Agile prices are there on the day the clocks go back? There are 50 half-hourly prices, because the hour from 1am to 2am happens twice.
Does the Agile evening peak change when the clocks go back? Last year the dearest half-hour came about an hour earlier on the clock afterwards, at around 5pm rather than 6pm in London.
When will prices for 25 October 2026 be published? On the afternoon of Saturday 24 October, between 4pm and 8pm, usually nearer 4pm.