Standing Charges - Are they calculated daily? Meter reading to meter reading?

NorthernGuardian

I am with Shell energy and I am querying the amount of standing charge days applied for electricity and gas. I submitted my electricity meter reading on the 17th May 2022 and my gas one on the 19th May. I expected the standing charge for each fuel to be different. It is on my bill for both fuels as 33 days. I have added up the days including the day of my last meter reading (17th April) up to and including the 16th May and it adds up to 30 days. I have done the same for gas and it is 32 days. I have received general responses from Shell, nothing in the way of explanation on how they work out the standing charge days. I have emailed for the third time today requesting a detail explanation but again do not expect an informed reply. Does anyone have any idea how the 33 days might have been reached for my May bill?

Ebe_Scrooge

Standing charges are usually simply calculated per day - irrespective of when a meter reading was submitted.  If the current bill was generated 33 days since the last bill was generated, then you'll be charged for 33 days' standing charge.  The standing charge is a fixed amount - so much per day for as long as they provide a supply to you, irrespective of how much energy you actually use.

NorthernGuardian

The bill date is the 22nd May the previous bill date was 22nd April which I calculate as 30 days if what you stated is correct, still not 33 days. I understand the cost per day, it is how they are calculating the days I am questioning.  To be honest I have never queried the days before it is only because I submitted the meter readings on different days that I expected different days to be showing, if that makes sense. If anyone can advise further that would be appreciated.

pochase

Your bill should have a opening date read and closing date read for both fuels. What are the dates?

NorthernGuardian

Opening read date for electricity is 17th April and closing read date is 17th May and the gas is opening read date is 17th April and closing read date is 19th May.

pochase

That are the same 30 days/32 days you mentioned earlier.

Even their own example for the electricity part of the standing charges seems to be wrong

https://help.shellenergy.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360001043338-Understanding-my-bill

NorthernGuardian

Thank you for your reply. I have emailed Shell four times and so far received two responses, the first

"Please also note that on the latest bill and by taking a look into electricity and gas statements separately, bill the gas was charged for the period 17/04/2022 to 19/05/2022 but the electricity was charged till 17/05/2022.   Thus standing charges were calculated for the period of 33 days taking into consideration the bill period altogether." and the second

" Within our billing engine the calculation for Standing Charge is designed to align with the end of the billing period but this is turn is dictated by the read date. This allows our customers to correlate usage days with standing charge days within an invoice."

neither explain how the standing charge days were calculated just a no answer, answer. I am beginning to think the standing charges are made up, as a way to charge customers even more. 

QrizB

NorthernGuardian said:

I am beginning to think the standing charges are made up, as a way to charge customers even more.

Two things you can check:

• Is the daily SC the one advertised for the tariff?
• Are you only charged it once for each day?

If the answer to each of those questions is "yes", you're not being overcharged.

Mobtr

NorthernGuardian said:

Thank you for your reply. I have emailed Shell four times and so far received two responses, the first

"Please also note that on the latest bill and by taking a look into electricity and gas statements separately, bill the gas was charged for the period 17/04/2022 to 19/05/2022 but the electricity was charged till 17/05/2022.   Thus standing charges were calculated for the period of 33 days taking into consideration the bill period altogether." and the second

" Within our billing engine the calculation for Standing Charge is designed to align with the end of the billing period but this is turn is dictated by the read date. This allows our customers to correlate usage days with standing charge days within an invoice."

neither explain how the standing charge days were calculated just a no answer, answer. I am beginning to think the standing charges are made up, as a way to charge customers even more. 

Why don’t you ring them & speak to someone do you can argue your case rather than sending emails for which you will get a generic response? 

MWT

QrizB said:

NorthernGuardian said:

I am beginning to think the standing charges are made up, as a way to charge customers even more.

Two things you can check:

• Is the daily SC the one advertised for the tariff?
• Are you only charged it once for each day?

If the answer to each of those questions is "yes", you're not being overcharged.

This.

All that matters is that you pay the standing charge once, how many days on each bill is not so important just that they do not overlap and double charge you.