Pandemic takes its toll on electricity demand will cost about £500 million this summer

[#1]

The lack of demand for electricity will cost National Grid about £500 million this summer

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/slump-in-electricity-use-to-cost-500m-says-national-grid-v0tbxsx7...

https://gridwatch.co.uk/  

[#2]

It’s time to grab a fixed price contract. There’s some good deals out there at the moment.

[#3]

Not sure where I read it but there was a claim that bills would go down !
Reason why I remembered it was that I am on a fixed term contract to October 2021 and as a result would not benefit from any price drop ?

[#4]

Don't think it's related to this, but I'm actually for once in my life ahead with my gas & electric bills, building up a nice surplus on the PAYG app thingy for when winter returns (prediction; certain rags will be predicting the worst winter on record for decades, and it doesn't happen, because it never does!), kind of a nice feeling if I'm honest... 😁

[#5]

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@twocvbloke wrote:

Don't think it's related to this, but I'm actually for once in my life ahead with my gas & electric bills, ...

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Perhaps due to a broken oven?   

[#6]

That could have some part in it... 🤣

[#7]

So if you don't use as much electricity as you 'should' you get penalised, and they keep telling consumers to use less,  fit LED bulbs, only boil as much water as you need etc. - seems we can't win.

[#8]

It's the same for pretty much everything, use less, pay more, so use less, so pay more, ad infinitum, I'm sure if they had their way, they'd not supply a thing and still insist we pay up regardless...

[#9]

@twocvbloke I think that if you use no gas or electric you still have to pay the daily standard charge!

[#10]

Indeed there is the standing charge for gas & electricity, to avoid paying that you need to go for complete disconnection & go off-grid, assuming they let you of course...

[#11]

I'm not sure on the present situation, but a few months ago there were at least a couple of suppliers offering zero standing charge tariffs.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/electricity-standing-charge/

So if you're a low-user those might prove cheaper than deals where you do pay a standing charge.

[#12]

Well thanks to my Smart Meter and forward thinking energy supplier i get paid to take energy from the grid at times of low demand...

[#13]

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@RobPN wrote:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/electricity-standing-charge/

So if you're a low-user those might prove cheaper than deals where you do pay a standing charge.

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I'm with ebico which frankly is a pale shadow of what they used to be thanks partly to various new regulations. They are slowly coming over to the darkside.

That link doesn't quite tell the whole story. As with ebico, and probably other zero standing charge suppliers, You can't use next to nothing and pay next to nothing. There is a minimum amount to use. You are told before you sign up this is the least amount you have to be sure of using or don't sign up. Not quite sure what would happen if you don't use that amount........ It's currently not a high figure £52 a year each on gas and on electric.

[#14]

Southern Electric and British Gas used to have no-standing-charge tariffs where the first few hundred kWh used were charged at a higher rate than later ones.  There obvioulsy came a point when it made no difference whether you chose to pay a standing charge or not.  I only use gas for heating and hot water so my gas bills were very low (less than £6 once) in two quarters, making it worth not paying a standing charge.  I left BG, and SE reintroduced the standing charge at £100 pa for electricity and the same for gas.  This fee has now gone up several times and is different for each fuel.  I'm in favour of paying for what I use, and that includes internet usage, but that's no longer widely available.

[#15]

@Jonpe That standing charge is a bit high - what is it per day?