Standing Charge
A daily fixed fee you pay regardless of how much energy you use.
What is a Standing Charge?
A standing charge is a fixed daily fee you pay to your energy supplier, regardless of how much energy you actually use. It covers the cost of maintaining your supply connection.
What does it cover?
- Maintaining the gas/electricity network
- Meter reading and maintenance
- Government levies and schemes
- Administrative costs
Typical costs
Standing charges vary by region and supplier, but typically:
- Electricity: 25-50p per day
- Gas: 20-40p per day
That's £165-330 per year before you've even used any energy.
Can you avoid it?
Some tariffs have no standing charge, but they usually have higher unit rates to compensate. For most businesses, a standing charge is unavoidable.
What we do
When comparing contracts, we look at the total cost – not just the unit rate. A low unit rate with a high standing charge might cost more overall.
- Meter reading and maintenance
- Government levies and schemes
- Administrative costs
Typical costs
Standing charges vary by region and supplier, but typically:
- Electricity: 25-50p per day
- Gas: 20-40p per day
That's £165-330 per year before you've even used any energy.
Can you avoid it?
Some tariffs have no standing charge, but they usually have higher unit rates to compensate. For most businesses, a standing charge is unavoidable.
What we do
When comparing contracts, we look at the total cost – not just the unit rate. A low unit rate with a high standing charge might cost more overall.
- Gas: 20-40p per day
- Electricity: 25-50p per day
- Administrative costs
- Government levies and schemes
Related Terms
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