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High standing charges for gas and electric.

pensioner2
Posts: 46 Forumite


How can the huge daily charge for having a metre in your home be justified, especially as it has recently doubled? Imagine the outcry if supermarkets charged an entrance fee and then a charge for working out your bill and another charge because they had to pay to have their stock delivered and clean the store.
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Here we go again.Xbigman's guide to a happy life.
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Sleep properly
Save some money7 -
Sticky at the top of the board explaining the reason
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Does not answer the questions. All businesses have expenses and charge for the goods or services they provide. Only energy firms are able to charge customers for providing them with the means to calculate their bill even if they hardly use any energy. The charge should be fairer and proportional to the energy used.0
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pensioner2 said:Does not answer the questions.pensioner2 said:All businesses have expenses and charge for the goods or services they provide.pensioner2 said:Only energy firms are able to charge customers for providing them with the means to calculate their bill even if they hardly use any energy.pensioner2 said:The charge should be fairer and proportional to the energy used.5
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The standing charges cover cost that needs to be paid before you even use the first KWh of energy.
For example wiring to get power to your house, gas pipes, green levies, cost of the SOLR process, repairs to damaged infrastructure after storms....
This cost is the same for each user of energy, no matter how much he uses within an energy region (there are difference in the standing charges between the regions). Why do you think users who use more energy should pay the cost for your house to be connected?
This pops up at least once a week with people complaining that it is unfair that they have to pay their share for the infrastructure event so they use less energy.
Luckily Ofgem sees that the correct way that there is cost that has to covered by everybody alike through the standing charges. and the personal energy use, so this are moot discussions.
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pensioner2 said:Does not answer the questions. All businesses have expenses and charge for the goods or services they provide. Only energy firms are able to charge customers for providing them with the means to calculate their bill even if they hardly use any energy. The charge should be fairer and proportional to the energy used.🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
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Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 Balance as at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
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pochase said:
Luckily Ofgem sees that the correct way that there is cost that has to covered by everybody alike through the standing charges. and the personal energy use, so this are moot discussions.2 -
bristolleedsfan said:pochase said:
Luckily Ofgem sees that the correct way that there is cost that has to covered by everybody alike through the standing charges. and the personal energy use, so this are moot discussions.Good to see 'The Sun' up to their usual standards on accuracy...1 -
Interesting also the two lines before your quoteThey are making it look as if the supplier charge different standing charges without saying that it is the case. Also using rates excluding VAT here.
For example, British Gas customers in the south west of England pay 49p a day for electricity, while the standing change is just 31p in London.
Meanwhile, EDF has a standing charge of 47.67p for customers in Scotland and 36.11p for those in the East of England.
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Some very confused replies. Pay the standing charge or be disconnected [the cost of making the connection has already happened]. In normal times there is competition to set the price. I maintain that it is unfair that a single pensioner using £300 of electricity a year is required to pay the same standing charge [probably more than £300] as a large family using £3000 of electricity. The comparison with a supermarket providing extra services is not valid. The supermarket pays for its goods to be delivered etc. and the cost of replacing the tills. I do not have to pay an extra standing charge to a media or phone company. The standing charge cannot be justified unless there is competition from suppliers only charging for energy usage.1
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