The 54.83p a day standing charge: £200.13 a year, and why the calculators leave it out

The standing charge is a fixed daily amount you pay for your electricity supply, however much or little you use. Under Ofgem’s price cap, the GB average for Direct Debit from 1 October to 31 December 2026 is 54.83p a day, which is £200.13 over 365 days (54.83 × 365 = 20,012.95p).

It depends where you live

Ofgem says standing charges differ by region because of how many people live there, how much energy is used, the energy the supplier needs to buy and the cost of the local network. The 54.83p figure is an average. Ofgem publishes the cap figure for every region, by payment method, and has a postcode lookup to find your region: use its unit rates and standing charges table rather than a copy here that could go out of date.

Tariffs that aren’t on the cap set their own. Octopus’s EV tariffs, for example, publish regional standing charges; see UK EV tariffs compared.

Why the calculators on this site leave it out

Moving a kWh from the day to the night changes what you pay for that kWh. It doesn’t change the standing charge, which you pay either way. So every saving on this site is a unit-rate saving, and the standing charge is mentioned but not included. It does matter when you compare two tariffs that have different standing charges, so add 365 × each standing charge when you compare quotes.

Lower standing charge tariffs: the trade-off

• Ofgem decided against requiring every supplier to offer a lower standing charge tariff for now. Instead it started a one-year pilot in June 2026, with tariffs first offered to eligible customers of EDF, E.ON, Octopus and British Gas, and a cap on how many can join.
• Ofgem says a dual-fuel customer on a pilot tariff could expect to pay about £150 a year less in standing charges than on the price cap, split across both fuels, and that it expects suppliers to set higher unit rates on these tariffs.
• So a lower standing charge only saves money if you use little enough energy. The break-even is: yearly standing charge saving ÷ extra pence per kWh = the kWh a year below which the tariff is cheaper. Use the figures in the supplier’s offer.

Ofgem also says the pilot tariffs may not be cheaper than other tariffs already available, and suggests talking to your supplier about whether one would suit you.

Questions people ask

What is the electricity standing charge from October 2026?

Under Ofgem’s price cap, the GB average for Direct Debit from 1 October to 31 December 2026 is 54.83p a day, about £200.13 a year. It varies by region and payment method.

Why is my standing charge different from 54.83p?

The 54.83p is an average. Ofgem’s regional table shows the cap for your region and payment method, and tariffs outside the cap set their own.

Does an off-peak tariff reduce the standing charge?

No. Moving use to cheaper hours changes the unit cost, not the standing charge. Some tariffs have a different standing charge, so compare 365 × the daily charge as well as the rates.

Are there tariffs with a low or no standing charge?

Ofgem started a lower standing charge pilot in June 2026 with EDF, E.ON, Octopus and British Gas. Ofgem expects these tariffs to have higher unit rates, so they suit lower users.

Is this financial advice?

No. Check your bill and your supplier’s current offers.

Sources

• Ofgem, energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (1 October–31 December 2026)
• Ofgem, price cap 1 October–31 December 2026
• Ofgem, lower standing charge tariffs: next steps (pilot from June 2026)
• SmartShift UK, UK EV tariffs compared (checked 15 October 2026)

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