All the charges that go together to form your energy bill can be confusing. Different tariff rates, additional charges and all add up to make up your bill.
One charge that people often question is Standing Charges. In Northern Ireland some energy suppliers have this added as a separate charge on their bill whilst other suppliers have not.
So, what is a Standing Charge and what does it mean in terms of how much I will pay?
What is a Standing Charge?
A standing charge is a fixed amount that is added on top of your tariff rate to cover an energy supplier’s fixed costs – this is the cost to pay for supplying your house with power.
Standing charges are normally applied on a ‘per day’ basis and the daily charge will remain the same no matter how much energy you use.
Although all suppliers apply these costs, three suppliers, Bright Energy, Budget Energy and Click Energy, separate this charge out and add it to your bill on top of the tariff rate you pay.
On your bill or annual statement, this will be listed as a separate charge and will be quoted as a pence per day charge – the standing charge remains the same no matter how much energy you use and adds between £30 to £45 to an annual bill.
Comparing the best energy deals
It is important when examining offers to compare like with like. All results on Power to Switch already include standing charges so you can be sure comparisons reflect the total cost you would pay.
On the results page and calculations we list the daily Standing Charge and the annual amount that is added to your overall bill.
