Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2022 to Question 145873 on Energy: Standing Charges, whether maintenance on infrastructure accounts for a proportion of the rise in the standing charges.

Standing charges are a daily fixed amount paid for the supplying of gas and electricity. It varies by region due to the different costs to transport power.

The charge pays for the costs that are fixed for a supplier on a per customer basis. Including service administration fees, connections to and maintenance of energy networks and Government schemes to help reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty. The standing charge is passed on to consumers as a flat rate per day rather than as a percentage charge based on how much energy they use.

More information can be found at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/check-if-energy-price-cap-affects-you.