Requirement to offer lower standing charge tariffs
Context and policy aims
Summary
We recap the outcomes from previous consultations as well as a working paper we circulated in July 2025. This includes an overview of the feedback we received, our updated case for change and our policy objectives.
Details
Feedback from our previous calls for input, consultations and technical working paper show that customers want choice over how they pay their standing charges.
In response to our domestic consumer research and online behavioural experiment from July 2025, we also found that:
- 62% of consumers think standing charges are unfair and want more control over how they pay for their energy, even if it means their bills might be higher
- 58% of participants from the online behavioural experiment want standing charges reduced or removed even if it increases the cost per unit of energy they use
Our updated case for change requires suppliers to offer at least one tariff with a significantly lower standing charge.
Before you give us your views
Read the full details in the Context and policy aims chapter of the consultation (PDF, opens in new window).