Student bills in Glasgow: energy, water and council tax

• ✓Ofgem's postcode lookup puts central Glasgow postcodes, including G1, G3, G4, G11 and G12, in the South Scotland region.
• ✓Direct Debit, 1 October to 31 December 2026: electricity 26.11p per kWh with a 61.41p daily standing charge, and gas 7.87p per kWh with a 29.89p daily standing charge.
• ✓Prepayment meter: electricity 25.31p per kWh with a 61.41p daily standing charge, and gas 7.57p per kWh with a 29.89p daily standing charge.
• ✓Ofgem says the cap limits these rates, not the total bill: the more energy you use, the higher your bill. A fixed tariff follows its own rates instead.
• ✓Electricity rates are for single-rate meters. Multi-rate tariffs such as Economy 7 have their own capped rates on Ofgem's page.

Sources: Ofgem: price cap rates by region, with its postcode lookup (read 13 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓Ofgem's typical consumption is 2,500 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas a year. At the South Scotland Direct Debit rates, with a standing charge for all 365 days, that is about £1,734 a year: £877 for electricity and £857 for gas.
• ✓Shared by three: about £578 each a year, or £48.16 a month.
• ✓Shared by four: about £433 each a year, or £36.12 a month.
• ✓Shared by five: about £347 each a year, or £28.89 a month.
• ✓The same usage on a prepayment meter comes to about £1,685 a year at the South Scotland prepayment rates.
• ✓These figures assume a default tariff, single-rate electricity and a full year at the October to December 2026 rates, although Ofgem sets the cap every 3 months. A house of three to five adults usually uses more than one typical household, so treat them as a starting point, not a forecast.

Sources: Ofgem: price cap rates by region, with its postcode lookup (read 13 October 2026); Ofgem: typical domestic consumption values decision, May 2026 (PDF) (read 13 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓Scottish Water says most households are billed for water and waste water by their council, with council tax, and that full-time students are exempt from those household charges.
• ✓Citizens Advice Scotland says a home is exempt from council tax and water and sewerage charges only if everyone in it is exempt from council tax, and that a council tax exemption is unlikely to cover metered water charges.

Sources: Scottish Water: your charges 2026 to 2027 (read 13 October 2026); mygov.scot: public water and sewerage services (read 13 October 2026); Citizens Advice Scotland: paying for water and sewerage (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓mygov.scot says you do not pay council tax if everyone in your household is a full-time student. Over 20, that means at least 21 hours a week on a course lasting at least 24 weeks a year.
• ✓If you are a full-time student living with adults who must pay council tax, mygov.scot says you may not need to pay towards it.
• ✓Glasgow City Council says the exemption is not granted automatically. Register for council tax first, then apply; with one adult who is not a student, the household can apply for a 25% discount instead.
• ✓City of Glasgow College, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow Clyde College, Kelvin College, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Glasgow International College send it proof of status automatically. At the University of Glasgow, Strathclyde, the University of the West of Scotland and Glasgow School of Art you can opt in.

Sources: Glasgow City Council: student exemption or discount (read 13 October 2026); mygov.scot: Council Tax discounts, exemptions and reductions (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓Broadband: one contract for the house is usual. Agree whose name it goes in, and match the minimum term to the tenancy so nobody pays after the house moves out.
• ✓TV Licence: GOV.UK says one licence covers the household if you have a joint tenancy agreement, but with separate tenancy agreements anyone who watches TV in their own room needs their own. A licence costs £180.
• ✓Empty weeks: Ofgem says a standing charge is paid every day, even when you use no energy. At the South Scotland Direct Debit rates, electricity and gas standing charges come to 91.30p a day, about £19.17 over a 21-day Christmas break before any energy is used.

Sources: GOV.UK: TV Licence (read 13 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 13 October 2026)