Standing charge
A standing charge is the fixed daily amount on an energy bill, paid whatever you use; the capped average is 54.83p a day for electricity.
A standing charge is a fixed daily fee on your gas or electricity bill that you pay even if you use no energy. Ofgem says it covers the cost of keeping your home connected and depends on your region, including the number of people there, how much energy they use and the cost of the energy network.
Under the energy price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, Ofgem’s average Direct Debit standing charges are:
- electricity: 54.83p a day;
- gas: 29.68p a day.
Ofgem says these include VAT on gas only, as there is no VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Example: over the 92 days from 1 October to 31 December 2026, the average electricity standing charge comes to £50.44 (92 × 54.83p) and gas to £27.31 (92 × 29.68p), £77.75 in total before you use a single unit.
Because the standing charge is fixed, cutting use only reduces the unit-rate part of your bill. See the unit-rate cost of each appliance with the appliance running cost calculator.