Standing Charges guide - official forum discussion

martin_hugh

I discovered (via their website) that British Gas was operating a zero standing charge tariff for gas called Zero Fixed Oct 2022. I arranged via their online chat facility to switch to this tariff in September 2021, only to discover a month later it had not been done. So I contacted them again via chat and via telephone and was assured that this time the switch would be implemented. In December I discovered that it still hadn't been done so I wrote a letter of complaint to their complaints department. A few days later I had a telephone call telling me that (contrary to their website and two separate contacts with their staff) the tariff was only available for dual fuel. This is useless for me as I cannot do a dual-fuel deal because of the nature of my electricity meter (THTC) and also that because I use a normal amount of electricity this would negate the benefit of the zero standing charge tariff. I think I have been badly treated. Should I contact the ombudsman?

fablanta

Well the main "Zero standing charge' tariffs" article is 3 years out of date. So does anyone know of a provider with a hidden tariff that has no standing charge for gas; or failing that, who has the lowest standing charge?

lulu999

fablanta said:

Well the main "Zero standing charge' tariffs" article is 3 years out of date. So does anyone know of a provider with a hidden tariff that has no standing charge for gas; or failing that, who has the lowest standing charge?

I've recently joined Utilita from a British Gas Zero Oct 22 tariff. It was for electricity only so I don't know if they have a zero standing charge gas tariff. (To my knowledge they were the only zero standing charge providor in the market at the moment.)

They were very reluctant to take on new customers so you may need to be 'insistant' to achieve it. Their automated online process kept kicking me back and the only way was to speak to someone and and be a nuisance.

BigBlueSky

lulu999 said:

I've recently joined Utilita from a British Gas Zero Oct 22 tariff. It was for electricity only so I don't know if they have a zero standing charge gas tariff. (To my knowledge they were the only zero standing charge providor in the market at the moment.)

I've looked at Utilita myself.  From what I remember they say they have no standing charge but they charge the first Kwh per day at a rate higher than 1 kwh and a standing charge - so surely it still costs as much ??

pochase

They are charging not the first, but the first two KWh at a higher rate. The additional charge for the first two KWh equals the standing charge other supplier charge.

So you will only win if you are an extreme low user. Not sure how the will calculate fractions of KWh, but you if you use more than 2KWh per day you will gain nothing.

Alnat1

Solar and battery systems tend to have small "leaks" of electricity from the grid when larger powered items are suddenly turned on, the kettle for example. It takes a second or two for the inverter to switch to battery power and a few watts of grid power are used. For me this tends to be around 0.2-0.4kWh each day. This is going to be charged at the high priced kWh charge from Utilita each day.

If you can live with only 10kWh every 4 days, you're doing quite well. I prefer not to use a dolly tub and mangle. 

fablanta

lulu999 said:

fablanta said:

So does anyone know of a provider with a hidden tariff that has no standing charge for gas; or failing that, who has the lowest standing charge?

I've recently joined Utilita from a British Gas Zero Oct 22 tariff. It was for electricity only so I don't know if they have a zero standing charge gas tariff. (To my knowledge they were the only zero standing charge providor in the market at the moment.)

They were very reluctant to take on new customers so you may need to be 'insistant' to achieve it. Their automated online process kept kicking me back and the only way was to speak to someone and and be a nuisance.

My combi-boiler died on me some time ago, I'm saving up to have it repaired or replaced. This means I'm not using any gas at the moment. Like you I was on a zero standing charge tariff for gas until the end of October but now that that's ended I'm on the standard gas one. That's going to set me back £9.10 a month just in standing charges (covered by my £10.20 DD). 

Looks like Ultima might be my only hope unless British Gas have some hidden tariff.