Pre-payment and standing charge

caris

We are on a pre-payment metre with British Gas. We top up our electric at home via a device and the computer.

We have recently noticed via the internet that British Gas customers using this way of topping up are not charged a standing charge. On checking our metre we have a charge on ours collecting £1.85 a week....and no we are NOT paying back any debt.

Can anyone please confirm wether or not we should be paying a standing charge or not.

Airmike23

you pay a higher pence per unit rate for 180kWh each 90 day period, before rest of consumption in the same 90 day period charged at secondary and lower unit rate, so altho no pence per day standing charge ala eon, edf npower etc, still a standing charge just linked to units used.

DirtyDick

I spend about £4-5 a week on electric, using all the usual things. Standing charge depends entirely on the supplier, but as said they get their money one way or another.

I'd check you received a new key to reset the meter if they've not remotely updated your meter to take into account no S/C

spiro

If you check again you will probably see that it says this only applies to specific meter types, maybe you dont have one one of those meters.

SwanJon

As above, it depends on the meter and if you are on Economy 7.
To have no standing charge the meter needs to have KBD on the front (a white meter with a blue button), and be programmed as single rate.
From the OP I take it this is from screen F? The other screens you'll need are F and K (if it's there)
I is the Tier 1 price if no standing charge, the (sole) unit price if single rate with standing charge, or the day rate if E7.
K is the Tier 2 price if no standing charge or the night price if E7. There's no K if single rate with standing charge.

As AirMike says the Tier system is designed to cover fixed costs just as a standing charge would so if you use more than 2kWh/day there will be no difference between the two.

newfutile

i have a screen f saying 1.84 a week standing charge
i do not owe any money , and i am now on single rate (it was on e7 till i got them to change it, i have always had gas central heating!),
i rung british gas and was told that it does not take this 1.84 does anybody know if its true ?

SwanJon

newfutile wrote: »

i have a screen f saying 1.84 a week standing charge
i do not owe any money , and i am now on single rate (it was on e7 till i got them to change it, i have always had gas central heating!),
i rung british gas and was told that it does not take this 1.84 does anybody know if its true ?

If the meter has it on that screen, it will take it, but you won't be paying Tier 1 prices (check the later screens) - so as above if you use more than 2kWh/day there is no difference in price.

Sometimes it can take a while after a meter change for the messages to update the two tiers onto the meter.