standing charges

jozpato

why is it that the less energy i use the more i get charged. i have been using as little energy as possible, like most people these days money is hard to keep hold of. i did my sums and found if i add my standing charges to my gas usage it came to x amount of pounds, if i then divided x by the amount of kWh used i was paying 16.21pence per kWh the government and british gas claim 10.3pence per kWh, I am paying 50% more because i am trying not to use gas, electric is the same 52pence per kWh 20% increase So if you can afford it then use as much as you can it will be cheaper. yours very frustrated

bagand96

The standing charge is a fixed amount per day.  Obviously for low users then the standing charge will make up a higher percentage of their overall energy bill then it will for high users.  But you're not being charged more, it's a fixed amount.

Merlin139

jozpato said:

why is it that the less energy i use the more i get charged. i have been using as little energy as possible, like most people these days money is hard to keep hold of. i did my sums and found if i add my standing charges to my gas usage it came to x amount of pounds, if i then divided x by the amount of kWh used i was paying 16.21pence per kWh the government and british gas claim 10.3pence per kWh, I am paying 50% more because i am trying not to use gas, electric is the same 52pence per kWh 20% increase So if you can afford it then use as much as you can it will be cheaper. yours very frustrated

None of that makes any sense!

Standing charges have nothing to do with the price of kWh price of Gas or Electricity.

Its like adding the cost of Vehicle Tax Rates to the cost of Petrol of Diesel!

Krakkkers

It seems on this board that standing charges are a good thing but i also see it as a dis incentive to cutting back.

BUFF

Not necessarily a good thing but on balance the least bad for most people.
The distribution systems (& other obligations) need to be paid for somehow & this is the system that we have.

Krakkkers

Because i have solar panels and use no gas at all from april to october my bills during those months are around 60% standing charges.

DE_612183

The standing charges don't cover the use of actual gas / electricity  - they cover the cost of maintaining the infrastructure that delivers the gas and electricity and is shared by everybody who uses the infrastructure regardless of how much or how little they use.

EssexHebridean

This has been done to death on here over recent months. Delivery of a service comes with a cost. I've never seen anyone suggest that standing charges are a "good thing" per se, but they are possibly better than the alternative - which could very well return us to an even more complicated billing system. 

I only use gas for cooking. Over the past 6 months I've used in the region of £21 of gas at current prices. I'm currently paying nearly double the amount daily for the SC that I pay - averaged out - for the gas itself. The flipside however is that in real terms my supplier makes nothing out of me for my gas use - and faces significant costs to maintain the supply. Unquestionably any change to the SC system would likely benefit me - but right now, I don't feel in the slightest as though I'm "being ripped off" - neither do I feel that I may as well use as much as I can because I don't feel incentivised to cut back - we still try to fill the large oven when using, use the small oven where possible, etc. Ultimately, the position is still that when I use more, I pay more.  

MikeJXE

Krakkkers said:

It seems on this board that standing charges are a good thing but i also see it as a dis incentive to cutting back.

You are so right. I'm a low user too. If energy companies can't get you one way they will get you another

EssexHebridean

Krakkkers said:

Because i have solar panels and use no gas at all from april to october my bills during those months are around 60% standing charges.

At current prices, that is my position all year round. 

DE_612183

MikeJXE said:

Krakkkers said:

It seems on this board that standing charges are a good thing but i also see it as a dis incentive to cutting back.

You are so right. I'm a low user too. If energy companies can't get you one way they will get you another

It's not about "getting you" - It's about paying for the infrastructure that enables you to switch a switch and alight comes on - if you don't pay standing charges - how do you think money will be available to maintain the pylons and carry out repairs to all the cables etc?