Finding your information
How to tell what your standing charge is
2 min read
Your standing charge makes up a significant part of your annual energy bills. This price can vary depending on your supplier, where you live, and what type of electricity plan you have. There are multiple ways to get this price from your supplier.
Multiply the daily price on your bill
The standing charge will be one of the line items on your electricity or gas bill, below the usage charges. This is shown on bills as both a daily charge and the total due for your billing period.
When you have the daily charge, simply multiply that by 365 to get the cost for the entire year. This will be exclusive of VAT so you will need to add another 9% onto that to see the final payable amount.
Look on your supplier’s website
All of the standing charges from an energy supplier can be found on their website, either on a page for browsing electricity and gas plans, or on a dedicated tariffs page.
If you know the name of your plan, and if you are an urban or rural customer in the case of electricity, then you can find it there. Be careful to ensure that you are reading the right figure as they may show the standing charge with or without VAT, or both.
Factoring standing charges into plan choices
If you are considering your options between electricity plans such as 24hr, day/night/peak, or EV plans, then the standing charge can be as important as the unit rates. Depending on when you use your electricity you might save a little on your usage with one plan, but end up paying more due to a higher standing charge.
Was this guide helpful?
Your feedback helps us improve our guides.
