scottish power standing charges

my fixed tariff with scottish power due to end soon, so busy researching what available. On looking at scot powers recommended tarriff noted that the standing charge will increase from 19.5p/day each electric & gas to 32.88p/day each thus standing charge alone increase for the coming year will be £97.66 !!!!! with out the increase in the energy tariffs.
What does the standing charges actually pay for???
Years ago energy companies lead us to believe it was to cover the cost of the meter being read each quarter by the meter reader !! Given that most readings are now submitted on line; with the occasional reading from company, what is this charge for??
I actually have a smart meter so no reading necessary at all, so what will i be paying £240/ year for --- yes £240 under the proposed new tariff. increased from £142.34.
I would appreciate some clarification on this, i may add that the same question has been submitted to scottish power.
Another way of looking at it perhaps --- if i go into a shop to purchase some bananas -- i am not charged for the use of the scales to find out how much i have to be charged for the product they are selling me!!
Is not the meter just measuring the product we are purchasing from the energy company -- ???

Comments

  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Rampant Recycler
    Forumite
    The original justification was:
    Standing charge

    What is this?
    A standing charge is a daily fixed charge that goes towards the cost of supplying services to your address. It includes the cost of the pipes and power lines, and maintenance of your meters. You pay your standing charge no matter how much energy you use.

    However that simply isn't the case any more and there is no pretence that this justification applies.

    We can have a tariff with a zero(0p) daily standing charge to 82p per day per fuel(there may be higher.)

    Is it any different to the line rental we pay for our phones?
  • footyguy
    footyguy Posts: 4,157
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    edited 10 March 2017 at 8:22PM
    ntees1 wrote: »
    my fixed tariff with scottish power due to end soon, so busy researching what available. On looking at scot powers recommended tarriff noted that the standing charge will increase from 19.5p/day each electric & gas to 32.88p/day each thus standing charge alone increase for the coming year will be £97.66 !!!!! with out the increase in the energy tariffs.
    What does the standing charges actually pay for???
    Years ago energy companies lead us to believe it was to cover the cost of the meter being read each quarter by the meter reader !! Given that most readings are now submitted on line; with the occasional reading from company, what is this charge for??
    I actually have a smart meter so no reading necessary at all, so what will i be paying £240/ year for --- yes £240 under the proposed new tariff. increased from £142.34.
    I would appreciate some clarification on this, i may add that the same question has been submitted to scottish power.
    Another way of looking at it perhaps --- if i go into a shop to purchase some bananas -- i am not charged for the use of the scales to find out how much i have to be charged for the product they are selling me!!
    Is not the meter just measuring the product we are purchasing from the energy company -- ???

    You are overthinking this.
    Just consult a comparison site to find the best deal for you. :money:

    Btw, I also noticed this was your your 5th post ever, your first post in almost 6 years, and that you waited a whole minute for a reply before leaving... :cool:
  • ntees1
    ntees1 Posts: 8 Forumite
    busy busy researching alternative deals, plus house insurance & 2 x car insurances, oops also had to fit in a 12 hour night shift !!!!
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 31,683
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    edited 11 March 2017 at 7:34PM
    ntees1 wrote: »
    Another way of looking at it perhaps --- if i go into a shop to purchase some bananas -- i am not charged for the use of the scales to find out how much i have to be charged for the product they are selling me!!
    Is not the meter just measuring the product we are purchasing from the energy company -- ???
    But you are paying for using the scales, it is just hidden in the price of the bananas just as it is with no standing charge energy supplier Ebico who charge 19p per kWh. You need to look at the overall picture. The individual prices of units and standing charges are irrelevant, it is the overall annual cost for a given consumption that matters.

    I am on a currently available tariff which charges 22p a day, the cheapest NSC tariff would cost me 25% more for the same kWh use. The unit charge is 6p higher than my current so using only 4kWh per day, 1460 per year, would still make my current tariff cheaper.

    Do your own comparison on one of the sites and input a high, low and average expected use and see what you get. I doubt any of the NSC companies will come anywhere near competitive.
  • redux
    redux Posts: 22,976
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    edited 11 March 2017 at 8:54PM
    ntees1 wrote: »
    my fixed tariff with scottish power due to end soon, so busy researching what available. On looking at scot powers recommended tarriff noted that the standing charge will increase from 19.5p/day each electric & gas to 32.88p/day each

    Scottish Power have a choice of fix tariffs, with a range of standing charge. As well as the 2 you mention there is also 8.2p a day per fuel. Also their new PowerUp idea, which may have none, but I haven't studied it closely yet.

    A few days ago I thought about this a bit, then did some sums to check my feeling.

    I reckon it's worth having a low daily standing charge in the summer, and a high one and the lower unit charges in the winter. Doing that might save £30 to £36 a year compared to the mid-range version

    If they continue to have such a range, that's what I'll be doing, starting on the 8.2p daily in about a month from now.

    I'll also be trying to remember to turn off a 60W tube heater in the airing cupboard for the summer, which should save about 22p a day on that tariff.
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 14,419
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
    Forumite
    molerat wrote: »
    Do your own comparison on one of the sites and input a high, low and average expected use and see what you get. I doubt any of the NSC companies will come anywhere near competitive.

    If you are a low energy user, NSC tariffs can be quite a bit cheaper overall. For properties that are unused for large parts of the year (holiday homes for example), NSC tariffs make perfect sense.
    Her courage will change the world.

    Treasure the moments that you have. Savour them for as long as you can for they will never come back again.
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 31,683
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    FreeBear wrote: »
    If you are a VERY low energy user, NSC tariffs can be quite a bit cheaper overall. For properties that are unused for large parts of the year (holiday homes for example), NSC tariffs make perfect sense.
    In those specific examples maybe but in general if you use much more than 1000 kWh per year NSC tariffs will never be cheaper.
  • footyguy
    footyguy Posts: 4,157
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    As I said earlier:
    footyguy wrote: »
    ...
    Just consult a comparison site to find the best deal for you. :money:
    ...

    Applies whatever your consumption is.
  • ntees1
    ntees1 Posts: 8 Forumite
    NST a no go as a med - heavy user. But still think it a hefty increase from 71.40/year to £120/year for each meter !!!!
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,586
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic First Post
    Forumite
    edited 13 March 2017 at 6:21PM
    Why get upset about it - vote with your feet and find someone else who's cheaper.

    If more people changed suppliers and told them why rather than just whinging then perhaps the supplier's would get the message.

    You are the customer, you have control, tell them to stick it

    and as an aside - why are you posting this in the LPG, Oil and Solid Fuel forum
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.4K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards