Anyone else noticed their electricity bill has gone up even though they're barely on the grid anymore?

Yeah, standing charges mate. That's the silent killer.

Even when I'm pulling next to nothing from the grid, that daily standing charge just keeps ticking over. Something like 60p a day with Octopus now — adds up to £200+ a year just for the privilege of being connected. Barely touched the grid since I sorted my Victron/Fogstar setup but the bills haven't dropped anywhere near as much as I expected.

I've actually been debating going fully off-grid and ditching the connection entirely. My cabin setup is solid enough that I could probably manage it, especially now I've got the EV sorted with its own dedicated charging circuit running off the batteries. The sums are starting to make sense on paper.

The cynical part of me thinks the energy companies have clocked that people are generating their own power, so they're just hiking standing charges to claw the revenue back. Can't prove it obviously, but the timing feels a bit convenient.

Anyone actually taken the plunge and disconnected completely? I know a few people have done it rurally but wondering if anyone's run the numbers properly on whether it's worth the hassle vs just keeping the grid as a backup.

Also — does anyone know if there are actual tariffs designed for ultra-low grid users? Feels like there should be something. Would be interested if anyone's found something better than the standard Octopus/EDF options.

LiamClark72 | 847 posts | West Yorkshire

@Chopper Yep, it's genuinely infuriating isn't it. I've been seriously considering whether it's even worth keeping my grid connection at all anymore. The standing charge alone works out at over £200 a year before you've drawn a single unit.

The cruel irony is that the standing charge partly funds grid maintenance and infrastructure that we're barely using. We're essentially subsidising everyone else's consumption.

Worth looking into whether your DNO offers any kind of disconnection arrangement if you're confident in your off-grid setup. Obviously not for everyone depending on your battery capacity and backup situation, but for some of us it might genuinely make financial sense long-term rather than paying for a connection we rarely touch.

Victron_Pro | 2,341 posts | Somerset

Worth doing the actual maths before ditching the connection entirely though, @Chopper. That ~£219/year standing charge hurts, but grid backup has genuine value — particularly through winter when your generation is down and you haven't yet sized your battery bank for those grim December weeks.

I kept my connection deliberately. Runs me about £240 annually in standing charges, but I've avoided one genuinely nasty winter shortfall that would've meant a generator running flat out for days. Diesel costs alone would've exceeded that.

The real answer is pressuring your supplier and Ofgem about standing charge reform. There's an ongoing consultation about restructuring them — worth submitting responses if you haven't. Some folk are doing exactly that collectively through energy co-ops.

Going fully off-grid is valid, just make sure it's the right call for your situation rather than an emotional reaction to the bill. 👍

VanAnne | 412 posts | Array

@Chopper this is exactly why I went full van life honestly 😅 no grid connection = no standing charge, sorted.

But for those of you with a fixed address, worth looking at whether you can go truly off-grid legally depending on your property setup. Not always straightforward in the UK mind you.

Also — if you're staying connected, make sure your battery setup (I run Victron + Fogstar cells) is actually maxing out your self-consumption. Some people have the kit but still default to pulling from the grid out of habit or because their system isn't configured right.

Every unit you don't import chips away at justifying that standing charge at least.

RiverRunner | 1,156 posts | Array

@Victron_Pro makes a fair point on the maths, but there's another angle worth considering — grid connection also functions as insurance against sustained bad weather wiping out your solar harvest.

Running dual setups across the van and the boat has taught me that the periods where you actually need grid backup tend to cluster in November–February, precisely when standing charges feel most justifiable. My Victron CCGX logs show roughly 23 days last winter where my 400Ah Fogstar lithium bank dropped below 30% SoC for more than 12 hours consecutively.

That said, if your consumption profile genuinely supports full disconnection — particularly if you've got decent wind or hydro supplementing solar — the standing charge elimination pays back fairly quickly against the DNO reconnection fee if you later change your mind.

What's your winter consumption looking like, @Chopper?

ExPostie | 847 posts | Array

@Chopper same issue with my shepherd's hut setup. I kept the grid connection "just in case" for about 18 months and genuinely questioned whether it was worth it every single quarter.

What tipped it for me was realising the standing charge was effectively paying for nothing — my Victron system with Fogstar lithium batteries was handling everything comfortably May through September. Winter's a different story mind you.

The bit nobody mentions is what you lose when you cut it: any grid export payments obviously, but also that safety net when a prolonged cloudy spell hits and you've not got enough panels. I've seen people on here go full off-grid then quietly wire back in six months later.

Don't let the standing charge frustration push you into a decision that bites you come January.