Think they’re what you pay before you even get round to using any energy.
Oh does that happen with a DD as well then? I thought it was if you had a pre-payment meter. They didn’t mention that.
But I still don’t understand the discrepancies between amounts when it comes to using the same appliance at the same time for the same amount of time. I can’t even get past the online bot to speak to a person. 
Might not answer your question, but it’ll give you something to read while you wait for someone knowedgable on here gets round to telling you 
This link just brings up the Guardian icon, so I’ll go and look for the article. I’m supposed to be on a Fixed Price Tarrif (so they say), so I should get no price change.
1 Like
This is a post I made on another thread, I pay by DD and not on a payment meter:
I’m in Devon and with Ovo
Currently my electricity standing is 24.44 and 20.57 a unit, as from 1st it will be 51.62 standing and 28.40 a unit.
Currently my gas standing is 24.87 and 3.99 a unit, as from 1st it will be 27.22 standing and 7.48 a unit.
delete. Can’t get the link to work. Weird.
Whatever company you have to supply your energy, a daily standing charge will apply.
Gas and electricity standing charges | What are they? (uswitch.com)
It is one of the most annoying charges and a good reason for not having other sources of energy. There is no point in me getting gas connected because that is just another standing charge before I use any energy.
1 Like
It’s a charge just for providing the service.
Wouldn’t want to lose money because people cut back on usage, so they still get their profits however much you try to trim it down.
1 Like
Aye, but just consider the cost of all of the infrastructure in place to get your electricity and gas from the point of generation/extraction/shipping; and then there is the extensive and ongoing maintenance + safety input.
HOW DOES ELECTRICITY GET TO MY HOME? | Renaissance Power & Gas (renaissancepowerandgas.com)
Think I might have more sympathy with that argument were it not the fact that 82% of pretax profits have been paid as dividends to shareholders over the last few years. So, do they really actually need to raise their standing charges for the benefit of improving infrastructure and renewables r&d? I think not!
My advice is to keep calm & carry on. Don’t let it get to you. That’s assuming the bills are painful but payable.
Hi
The power distribution companies are separate to the power suppliers.
We have just sold control of the gas network to a foreign company.
If the shareholders did not exist to invest in these companies, the infrastructure would not have been built and upgraded as needed as modern developments evolve. That would mean vast sums transferred from government funds that coud not be spent elsewhere. I am a shareholder and to read the annual reports is a huge eye opener as to where vast sums are spent over a financial year. If there were no dividends, then those like me would invest elsewhere. I invest for a worthwhile return as I am not an investor with philanthropic tendencies.
No problems with shareholders receiving a dividend. It’s the order of magnitude I’m querying, especially when the customer base is being squeezed so hard to pay more.
2 Likes
If I did not receive a worthwhile dividend, my investments would be transferred elsewhere and if others did the same, havoc would ensue.
Incidentally, I do not receive any shareholders discounts as they do not exist with the energy companies.
2 Likes
No - I doubt that very much. They wouldn’t expend that much thought on us. They just don’t care! Simples! It won’t get better till we get rid of Boris and his cronies…even then we may have problems but surely a better chance!
I’m with Octopus and typically they’ve decided my direct debit should be increased massively. I’m not sure exactly when energy companies decided we should pay upfront and often in excess of the bills and having to go to great lengths to get our money back. I still believe we should get our energy, then the bill, then pay it. I format an excel spreadsheet with the prices and it calculates the total bill as soon as I enter the meter reading and I set the direct debit at around 85% of the average and pay the residue up front when submitting the meter reading.
I’ve noticed that a lot of you pay a fixed sum every month. Do you get a bill every quarter when this monthly sum is taken into account and adjusted accordingly? I mean how how does the company ask for more money or give you a refund and how often?
As you will have gathered my meter is read and I am billed quarterly and pay the bill as a lump sum every quarter currently by direct debit which is about $200 to $250 a quarter. I am just trying to grasp how you are billed.
I take a reading, everyday around this time for yesterdays usage and, enter the results into a spreadsheet. The DD is paid at the start of the month (in advance) so I know what the financial position is at any moment in time, the energy companies seem to be allowing for a fair sized buffer credit, but, it is only a question of time before things start to fail.