to shout fucking hell at my emails! Why is my electricity standard charge almost doubling?.

[FrecklesMalone]

In preparation for the huge utility prices in April we've been planning how to massively reduce our usage. We are already financially on a knife edge. However we've just got a email from Bulb energy saying that they are increasing our electricity unit rate from 20.131p to 28.020p per kWh and electricity standing charge from 24.373p to 42.242p per day.
And increasing our gas unit rate from 4.043p to 7.343p per kWh and standing charge from 26.112p to 27.219p per day.
Just in case people don't know what the standing charge is. This is a charge that you have to pay whether or not use any electricity that day and is in no way related to how much electricity you use.
This means that we have absolutely no control over this huge price rise. No matter what electricity we use were still going to have that extra price rise of over £80 a year on standing charge alone. This is feels completely unfair. As it means even if you you are massively reduced your usage, or use alternative energy that you will still be hit by this bill no matter what. Also so when prices do eventually come down I guarantee that the standing charge will remain static or not come down as much. Am I being unreasonable to think that this is is just a way for the energy companies to make more money.

Yep. Loads of posts about this - it sucks, and it is just a way for companies to take money from us. We are all screwed. Lots of people are going to be in fuel poverty.

I hadn't realised until today how much of it would be based on the standing charge. I'm so angry.

It’s actually less with the company and linked to the underlying cost of oil. It hadn’t been passed onto the customer before now because the government has price gaps etc.

@Bringonsummer19

It’s actually less with the company and linked to the underlying cost of oil. It hadn’t been passed onto the customer before now because the government has price gaps etc.

But why does this affect the standing charge?

The standing charge is also covered by the price cap but the price cap level for both price per kWh and the standing charge are increasing in April. The electricity S/C in particular is nearly doubling under the price cap.

They do it, because they can. Like everywhere else, instead of a reasonable profit, they want a humongous one.

During covid the for boiler cover that all energy companies have, was still being paid, hardly anyone had their boiler serviced, all staff were on paid furlough, so all these companies were just getting free money a huge amount. Last year they made profit of £256 million, £4 million more than last 2019, that's after losing 122,000 customers, purely as people were paying and not getting a service, due to Covid, the get of jail card, yet the policies still rise in cost and no refund given. It's all a joke.

The manufacturing, travel etc of say pasta, went from 29p to 75p. There is no way it can be justified, but they see it as a staple and they know it will sell, regardless of the price.

People on their knees and they put it all up.

Even the price of the stuff in 2nd hand shops is so ridiculous, that shops are now full to bursting as the people who need to shop in them, can't afford to pay the prices they are wanting.

There is a huge difference between making a profit and taking the piss.

Simply because their own running costs also would have gone up, eg the electricity and gas they use to run their business etc, staff wages. Inflation is at 7% etc. the % of the standing charge increase is actually lower than inflation.

The bulk of the increase is with energy consumption and the underlying cost of that energy.

Surely they shouldn't have nationalised the electricity and gas companies.

I'm on utilita so no standing charge. Rates have gone up with them but still better off with no standing charge.

I’m also with Bulb, gone from £155 per month to £245 gas and electricity. So £8 per day. Council tax is going up 5% here, food shopping is at least 10% more expensive than a couple of months ago.

@Bringonsummer19

Simply because their own running costs also would have gone up, eg the electricity and gas they use to run their business etc, staff wages. Inflation is at 7% etc. the % of the standing charge increase is actually lower than inflation.

The bulk of the increase is with energy consumption and the underlying cost of that energy.

Sorry but you've got this completely wrong. The increase from 24 to 42 is a 75% increase. That's over 10 times higher than the predicted increase of 7% of inflation. Also I guarantee that the wages of the majority of their staff will not increase by 7%.

@FrecklesMalone

Surely they shouldn't have nationalised the electricity and gas companies.

Bit late for this reflection now!

Tbf on me I thought this at the time too 😁

@Mindymomo

I’m also with Bulb, gone from £155 per month to £245 gas and electricity. So £8 per day. Council tax is going up 5% here, food shopping is at least 10% more expensive than a couple of months ago.

It sucks. As I read on here the other day, only thing not going up is my wages.

Oh i didnt realise. So really when I move companies I need to look at the standing charge first

It's probably a charge for all people to cover the companies that have failed and the extra costs the companies have incurred to pay for electricity and gas at the energy price cap level.

@FrecklesMalone

Surely they shouldn't have nationalised the electricity and gas companies.

Do you mean de-nationalised?

There's no way to know if that would have been any better but I can't see that ever being undone

You are unlikely to find a good fix anywhere as in a lot of cases they are higher than the price cap rates.

@cakeorwine

It's probably a charge for all people to cover the companies that have failed and the extra costs the companies have incurred to pay for electricity and gas at the energy price cap level.

I don't think there's any probably about it, I thought it was clear it was a lot to do with that. I'm in a FB group about energy costs and that's what been said in there all along, that's not been covered up in any way has it?

Can anyone explain in small words why electricity charges vary so much across the country? I am also with Bulb but I pay more than the OP - my standing charge is going from 27p to 50p for example. Bulb supposedly buys renewables and I am within a few miles of a massive wind farm and loads of small hydro schemes so it's difficult to see why I should be paying more.

Sorry yes sensationalised. Good thing I'm not in charge of any sort of campaign, I would completely fuck this up!

We’re on a district heating system and our standing charge is £1.30 per day.

Surely they shouldn't have nationalised the electricity and gas companies.

But the Tory’s made people happy and they got votes

Yeah, our standing charge has gone up 100% for electricity to 49.2p a day. What I hadn't realised is you pay a different standing charge depending where you are in the UK. I think this is grossly unfair not least because they don't explain why some people pay more.

I mean denationalised. Not sensationalised, dyslexia central this morning!