UTILITA NO STANDING CHARGE ENDING

an_ecunemical_matter

Your tariffs are ending We’re moving you onto our cheapest alternative tariffs for your payment method. Hi MARK, We are discontinuing your tariffs on 30 September. From 1 October, your tariffs will change to include a standing charge. These will be our cheapest tariffs for the way you pay for your energy. Remember, your energy costs always depend on your usage, and you can always find support on our website. If you’ve got another supply with us – we’ll send you a separate communication about how those prices are changing.   Your new prices   Electricity to 30 Sep from 1 Oct Tariff Name Smart Energy Smart Energy with Standing Charge Payment Method Direct debit Direct debit Exit Fee None None Standing Charge None 54.000p First Rate 52.160p 26.820p Saver Rate 26.300p None First Rate is charged for the first 2kWh used per day and Saver Rate is charged for the remaining kWh used per day. Standing Charge is the fixed daily amount you'll pay alongside your Unit Rates. Prices include VAT.   Gas to 30 Sep from 1 Oct Tariff Name Smart Energy Smart Energy with Standing Charge Payment Method Direct debit Direct debit Exit Fee None None Standing Charge None 34.000p First Rate 21.353p 6.502p Saver Rate 6.576p None First Rate is charged for the first 2kWh used per day and Saver Rate is charged for the remaining kWh used per day. Standing Charge is the fixed daily amount you'll pay alongside your Unit Rates. Prices include VAT. Your estimated annual cost for electricity is £413.54. Your estimated annual cost for gas is £175.14.   How to avoid this change If you're unhappy with your new prices, you can change supplier. We won't charge you any exit fees. To avoid the new prices, we'll need to hear from your new supplier within 20 working days of the price increase that they'll be taking over your supply. They'll then need to take over your supply within a reasonable period of time. If your account is in debt, we'll let you know whether you need to pay this off before we can let the switch go through. We'll give you another 30 working days to pay this off, and we'll honour your old prices during that time. If you’d like to move to a Utilita tariff without a standing charge, you can switch to Pay As You Go energy. Please call 0345 207 2000 or reach out on Live Chat, anytime. So like all before the end comes.

QrizB

I'm surprised they have lasted as long as they have, to be honest.

Maybe Ofgem's consultation will lead to more low-SC tariffs, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Ectophile

If you sell a product, then setting a price that attracts those customers who use the lowest amount of the product is a lousy business model.

Which is why zero standing charges makes no sense to a supplier.

GingerTim

Second-home owners around the country weeping.

lohr500

an_ecunemical_matter said:

If you’d like to move to a Utilita tariff without a standing charge, you can switch to Pay As You Go energy. Please call 0345 207 2000 or reach out on Live Chat, anytime.

It might be worth exploring the Utilita Pay As You Go prices if no s/c is important to you as a low user..

I switched to PAYG a couple of years ago with EDF. At the time their PAYG prices were actually cheaper than DD for the same tariff! It was easy with EDF to set up auto top-ups so the electricity never ran out. No idea if Utilita provide a similar option. 

tightbloke61

I'm with Utilita,

since June 2025, Gas & Electric, on a credit meter (Fitted in 2000)  (Not on smart meters) pay by Direct Debit, 

I have rung Utilita today (Call centre in Kenya) I have a choice of getting smart meters fitted PAYG with no standing charges, meters can be switched back to credit later but with standing charges.

I have emailed Customer Services who are in the UK just to confirm my options. 

Violetbubble9

Responding to the Utilita email I received this morning about the standing charge which will be effective from the 1st October. I asked for them to ensure that the credit meter which they installed when I switched supplier was changed to that of pay as you go.

When I joined Utilita it was because they offered no daily standing fee and my understanding was that the fee was incorporated into the unit cost? My gas bill is zero from June right up to November and from then on extremely low over the winter months the highest being  £38.

When they installed the credit meter I was told they did this because the engineer could not install a pay as you go meter as it would not connect. I am in a small block of flats. I asked today that to avoid extra costs for gas from 1st October, I would like them to install a pre pay meter so that my expenditure remans the same, which is what I wanted to start off with.

The request was that they install the pre pay meter in due time so that I do not suffer the consequences of their new pricing. I asked what will be different now though if they couldn't do it the first time? I have also raised a complaint with them and been advised that someone will call me within 7 days, also someone will call me within 14 days regarding the switch to pre pay. It feels like they have gone the way of the other suppliers, either that or forcing people on to pre pay. So being a low user of fuel you're still going to get hit with a daily rate or debt for not using. 

A couple of years ago I attended a net zero housing conference at the excel in London, speaking to one of the Utilita reps, who informed me that the company was working with social landlords to install utilita in their void properties, which was more cost effective and tenants would get a fair deal for gas and electric and not incur  standing fees from other providers like British gas, people are in debt before they turn anything on! So utilita gone the same way? Sounds like being double crossed to me!

I asked that the transcript of my request and complaint be emailed to me today, no doubt thousands of customers will be feeling the pinch come October? I didn't ask for the credit meter they just put it in saying they could not put a pay as you go one in! 

My estimate is £153 per year for standing charge. My total gas usage from October 2023 to September 2025 is £292.69.

What do I do if they tell me again they cannot install a pre pay smart meter, when they are asking people to switch to one? They did this!  Anyone help?

Scot_39

Govt - via Ofgem - set the smart meter roll out targets.  Suppliers merely fail - for about 6 years now iirc - too achieve them.  

Govt stats for Q1 reports at c69% coverage, but only c61% operationally smart, not dumb smart (9% dumb).

I do wonder how many of those 9% might be in badly located for comms signal communal meter cabinets in flats etc.

Its ironic that their is now tech (alt han) to get the han working in flats, or improve links gas to coms hub etc) but less so for wan to suppliers, particularly in the arqiva lrr north, and even in cellular south, suppliers seem slow to look at external aerial solutions for those without good internal cellular comms for the arguable more important wan link to suppliers.

 
I suspect like credit meters suppliers might struggle to fit (even get)  non smart prepay meters these days.

Not sure many would rip out a smart meter - or even if they would be allowed to under Ofgem (an arms length govt quango) rules

If your in the midlands south regions for cellular comms hub, is the meter cabinet somwhere your supplier could run an off meter antenna to.  Using one of comms hubs that support them.

Have they tried if so ?
 
And they might be able to fit a Vodafone 4g comms hub if that signal might be better than the old telefonica (02) 2g/3g.

But keep us informed on meter progress.

Brit2020

What's the difference between a pay as you go meter and a prepayment meter? I'd have assumed they were the same thing but apparently not, are these meters easy to change if someone wants to put a normal meter back in? 

tightbloke61

Smart meters can be programmed as either payg/prepayment or as a credit meter, its the same meter, 

tim_p

Brit2020 said:

What's the difference between a pay as you go meter and a prepayment meter? I'd have assumed they were the same thing but apparently not, are these meters easy to change if someone wants to put a normal meter back in? 

What are you counting as a ‘normal meter’ in this case?