New data from the Office for National Statistics reveal that 64% of UK businesses reported concern about energy prices in late June 2026, with fuel price worries affecting even more firms.
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What the Numbers Actually Say
The Office for National Statistics posted the figures on Thursday, drawing on its Business Insights and Conditions Survey — a regular, UK-wide tracker of business sentiment and operating conditions.
According to the ONS, 64% of businesses reported some degree of concern about energy prices in late June 2026. That figure is broadly unchanged from early June, when 63% of trading businesses said the same thing. And 65% expressed concern about fuel prices in early June — down three percentage points from late May’s 68%.
Three percentage points. That’s the improvement businesses had seen on fuel costs by early June.
Why the Numbers Have Barely Moved
The figures have remained stubbornly high across spring and early summer 2026. Back in early April, 66% of businesses reported at least some level of concern about energy prices. Among businesses with ten or more employees, that figure climbed to 76%.
At the same time, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed in its June 2026 Quarterly Energy Prices release that industrial and commercial energy prices remain above pre-2021 averages. So while there’s been some easing in wholesale markets, the underlying cost pressure hasn’t gone away for most firms.
There’s a key structural reason for this. Ofgem’s price cap — which cut typical household dual-fuel bills by 7%, or £117, to £1,641 a year from April 2026 — applies only to domestic customers. Businesses on non-domestic contracts have no equivalent protection. They’re fully exposed to market-driven price swings, whatever direction those prices move.
The Gap Between Households and Businesses
For households in Kent, the picture is somewhat better. The domestic price cap offers a degree of predictability that businesses simply don’t have. But that gap matters — because what businesses pay eventually feeds through to the rest of us.
Higher energy and fuel costs squeeze profit margins. That pressure can push up the prices businesses charge customers, slow down hiring decisions, or delay investment. It can also weigh on wages at a time when many workers are already stretched.
Critics have argued for some time that the absence of a business energy price cap leaves smaller firms dangerously exposed to market volatility — and that targeted support or improved efficiency schemes are long overdue.
The Kent Picture
Kent businesses are captured within the ONS survey’s UK-wide data, and local firms face the same pressures the figures describe. The county’s manufacturing, hospitality, logistics, agriculture and tourism sectors are among those most exposed to energy and fuel cost movements.
Transport and distribution firms — a significant part of Kent’s economy given its role as a freight gateway — are above all sensitive to fuel price shifts. The fuel-price concern figures are directly relevant to hauliers, couriers and passenger transport operators working across the county.
Kent County Council’s business support services may see growing demand for advice on energy efficiency and tariff negotiations as firms look for ways to manage costs that show little sign of falling sharply.
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Source: @ONS
Key Takeaways
- 64% of UK businesses reported some degree of concern about energy prices in late June 2026, according to ONS Business Insights and Conditions Survey data — broadly unchanged from early June
- 65% expressed concern about fuel prices in early June 2026, down three percentage points from late May’s figure of 68%
- Businesses have no Ofgem price cap protection, unlike domestic customers, leaving them fully exposed to market-rate energy and fuel costs that remain above pre-2021 averages
What This Means for Kent Residents
Kent businesses operating in energy-intensive sectors — from haulage firms on the M20 corridor to hospitality venues along the coast — face the same cost pressures the ONS data describe, with no regulatory cap to cushion the impact. When business energy and fuel bills stay high, those costs don’t disappear; they tend to show up in the prices consumers pay, in hiring freezes, or in reduced services. Kent businesses seeking help managing energy costs can contact Kent County Council’s business support services for guidance on efficiency measures and contract negotiations, and the government’s Business Energy Advice service offers practical information on reducing consumption and reviewing tariffs.