Standing charges

solarsavvy

These standing charges have skyrocketed over the last few years.  It needs to be more transparent what we are paying for.

Also I have solar panels and am I correct in thinking that I pay a standing charge for electricity from the grid to be available to use, however the grid can get electricity from me when I have too much in my battery without giving me any credit. 

MattMattMattUK

solarsavvy said:

These standing charges have skyrocketed over the last few years.  It needs to be more transparent what we are paying for.

They are fully broken down, to the hundredth of a penny, on the Ofgem website.

solarsavvy said:

Also I have solar panels and am I correct in thinking that I pay a standing charge for electricity from the grid to be available to use, however the grid can get electricity from me when I have too much in my battery without giving me any credit. 

You are incorrect in your thinking what the standing charge is for. The standing charge is effectively the fixed cost of the network (or around 60-75% depending on how it is calculated) as well as some policy costs, it is your cost of having your property connected to the grid to allow that to happen and to allow you to draw up to 100 amps of power at any time as well as export to the grid. The credit you get when exporting is that you are paid for the energy you export and realistically most domestic exporters are paid more than the actual utility of that energy to the grid. 

DE_612183

Perhaps people with solar panels should pay more standing charge as they are using the network in two ways rather than just one.....

debitcardmayhem

solarsavvy said:

These standing charges have skyrocketed over the last few years.  It needs to be more transparent what we are paying for.

Also I have solar panels and am I correct in thinking that I pay a standing charge for electricity from the grid to be available to use, however the grid can get electricity from me when I have too much in my battery without giving me any credit. 

Have you got an export MPAN ? and have you registered with your supplier.

Scot_39

If your willing to dig into spreasheets as above you can find out the breakdown.

But if it helps - they did a nice simple to the £ table as part of the SC consultation exercise using July 2024 cap average rates (unlike gas electricity is very regional)

From

https://consult.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-supply/standing-charges-domestic-retail-options/supporting_documents/standing_charges_domestic_retail_options.pdf

See stacked bar chart or table under 2.1 - but summarising that table

Item                                   Electricity SC                Gas SC
Operating                          £62                                  £84
Network                             £121                                £0
Policy                                 £11                                  £11
Others                                £26                                 £20

Payment

If you fail to have a certified install, and even if have - but don't register it for export payment - the energy companies arent psychic - why would you expect payment ?

And as their your batteries - it is you who control what and how their stored energy is used - internally or for say SEG export for payment.

Mark_d

solarsavvy said:

These standing charges have skyrocketed over the last few years.  It needs to be more transparent what we are paying for.

Also I have solar panels and am I correct in thinking that I pay a standing charge for electricity from the grid to be available to use, however the grid can get electricity from me when I have too much in my battery without giving me any credit. 

The standing charge would include money for investment in the networks, paying for operating costs of the companies involved (eg. for call centres, energy traders etc.), money for projects such as Warm Home Discount...

powerful_Rogue

solarsavvy said:

These standing charges have skyrocketed over the last few years.  It needs to be more transparent what we are paying for.

Also I have solar panels and am I correct in thinking that I pay a standing charge for electricity from the grid to be available to use, however the grid can get electricity from me when I have too much in my battery without giving me any credit. 

Username doesn't quite ring true if you're not getting paid for your export.

dunstonh

Also I have solar panels and am I correct in thinking that I pay a standing charge for electricity from the grid to be available to use, however the grid can get electricity from me when I have too much in my battery without giving me any credit. 

The grid has had to have significant upgrades to allow those with solar to work within the grid.    
So, why do you think that you shouldn't pay towards it?