Energy Switch Ireland Logo

Billing & Charges

How to find your standing charge

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 find out what your standing charge is.

Multiply the daily price on your bill

The standing charge will be displayed 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.

The calculation of an electricity bill with the standing charge highlighted: 30 days at €0.6303 a day, €18.91.

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 whether you’re an urban or rural customer (in the case of electricity), then you can find it on the site.

Make sure that you’re reading the right figure as they may show the standing charge with or without VAT, or sometimes both.

Factoring standing charges into plan choices

If you’re 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.