Show the formula and working
This standing charge calculator works out what the daily standing charges on your electricity and gas cost over a bill period or a year, and what share of your total energy bill they make up. It is built for households in Great Britain using the Ofgem price cap figures, with editable rates and a euro switch for anyone in Ireland or the EU who pays a fixed daily or monthly charge. It also compares a low standing charge tariff with your current one and finds the break even usage.
Quick answer: Multiply the standing charge in pence per day by the number of days and divide by 100. At the Ofgem cap for October to December 2026, electricity at 54.83p and gas at 29.68p a day cost £308.46 a year. The standing charge calculator shows that is 17.4% of a dual fuel bill using 2,700 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas.
What Is a Standing Charge Calculator?
A standing charge calculator is a tool that turns a fixed daily charge into the amount you pay over a period, whatever energy you use. The formula in plain words: standing charges = pence per day x days / 100, worked out separately for electricity and gas. The tool adds your unit charges (kWh x unit rate) to show the total bill, the share taken by standing charges and your true price per kWh with the standing charge spread across your use.
A standing charge pays for the fixed costs of supplying your home, such as the networks and metering, as Ofgem sets out in its guide to the price cap and standing charges. It is charged every day even if you use no energy at all.
How Do You Use the Standing Charge Calculator?
- Enter the Number of days: 365 for a year, or the days on your bill.
- Check the Electricity standing charge, Electricity use over the period and Electricity unit rate.
- Leave Include gas ticked if you have gas, then check the Gas standing charge, Gas use over the period and Gas unit rate.
- To compare tariffs, enter the Other electricity tariff standing charge and Other electricity tariff unit rate, or set the unit rate to 0 to skip.
- Read the standing charges, the share of your bill and the break even use, then open “Show the formula and working” to see each step.
What Is the Standing Charge for Electricity and Gas?
From 1 October to 31 December 2026 the Ofgem cap sets the average electricity standing charge at 54.83p per day and the gas standing charge at 29.68p per day for direct debit customers in England, Scotland and Wales. Those figures come from the Ofgem price cap announcement. The cap is an average, and the charge on your bill depends on your region, meter type and payment method, so use the figure on your own bill when you have it.
How Much Do Standing Charges Cost a Year?
Electricity standing charges at 54.83p a day cost £200.13 a year, and gas at 29.68p a day costs £108.33 a year, so a dual fuel home pays £308.46 before using any energy. The lower your use, the bigger the share of your bill the standing charge takes.
| Electricity use per year | Standing charge | Unit charges at 26.32p | Total | Standing charge share | Price per kWh including standing charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 kWh | £200.13 | £263.20 | £463.33 | 43.2% | 46.33p |
| 2,000 kWh | £200.13 | £526.40 | £726.53 | 27.5% | 36.33p |
| 2,700 kWh | £200.13 | £710.64 | £910.77 | 22.0% | 33.73p |
| 4,000 kWh | £200.13 | £1,052.80 | £1,252.93 | 16.0% | 31.32p |
| 6,000 kWh | £200.13 | £1,579.20 | £1,779.33 | 11.2% | 29.66p |
The table uses the Ofgem cap electricity rates for October to December 2026. Our electricity bill calculator builds a full bill, and the gas bill calculator does the same for gas.
Is a Low Standing Charge Tariff Cheaper?
A low standing charge tariff is cheaper only if you use less electricity than the break even amount, because these tariffs usually charge a higher unit rate. With the default figures, a tariff at 30p a day and 32p per kWh beats the cap tariff below 1,596 kWh a year and costs more above it. At 2,700 kWh it costs £62.73 more. Enter the quoted rates in the comparison fields to find your own break even point.
Do You Pay the Standing Charge If You Use No Energy?
Yes. The standing charge is a fixed daily amount, so it applies to every day you have a supply contract, even in an empty home or a holiday let that is closed for the winter. The only way to stop paying a gas standing charge is to end the gas supply, which needs the supplier and the network to cap or remove the meter. Ask your supplier before doing this, as reconnection can be costly.
Worked Example: Standing Charges for a Year
Example: a dual fuel home in Great Britain pays the Ofgem cap rates for a full year of 365 days, using an example 2,700 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas. These are the calculator’s default inputs.
- Electricity standing charge: 54.83p x 365 = £200.13.
- Gas standing charge: 29.68p x 365 = £108.33.
- Standing charges: £200.13 + £108.33 = £308.46.
- Unit charges: 2,700 kWh x 26.32p + 9,500 kWh x 7.97p = £710.64 + £757.15 = £1,467.79.
- Share of the bill: £308.46 / £1,776.25 = 17.4%.
Spread across the electricity used, the standing charge lifts the real electricity price from 26.32p to 33.73p per kWh.
Standing Charge Calculator FAQs
How do I calculate my standing charge?
Multiply the daily standing charge in pence by the number of days on the bill and divide by 100 to get pounds. At 54.83p a day, a 31 day month costs £17.00 for electricity, and a year costs £200.13.
Why is my standing charge different from the price cap?
The Ofgem figure is an average for direct debit customers across Great Britain. Your charge depends on your region, your meter and how you pay, and some fixed tariffs set their own charge. Your bill shows the exact pence per day you pay.
Do I pay VAT on standing charges?
Standing charges are taxed the same way as the energy itself. Ofgem states there is no VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, while gas, including its standing charge, carries 5% VAT. The cap figures in the calculator already include any VAT that applies.
Can I avoid the gas standing charge?
Only by closing the gas supply and having the meter capped or removed, for example after switching to a heat pump and an electric hob. While you have a gas supply contract, the daily charge applies even in months when you use no gas.
What share of my bill is the standing charge?
For a typical dual fuel home on the October to December 2026 cap it is about 17 to 18%. Low users pay a much bigger share: at 1,000 kWh of electricity a year, the standing charge is over 43% of the electricity bill.
How do I compare two tariffs with different standing charges?
Enter your current rates and the other tariff’s standing charge and unit rate. The calculator shows the cost of each and the break even use. If your yearly use is below the break even figure, the tariff with the lower standing charge is cheaper.
Checked October 2026. Sources: Ofgem: changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026 (electricity 26.32p per kWh and 54.83p per day, gas 7.97p per kWh and 29.68p per day), Ofgem: Energy price cap and standing charges explained.