Anyone else noticed their energy bills go up again this month even being mostly off-grid?

Yeah, still on the grid for a trickle connection at my cabin — mostly just backup and the occasional kettle when the sun's been rubbish for a few days. Even so, my standing charge alone has gone up again. Barely pulling any actual units and it's still costing more each quarter just to stay connected.

Thinking seriously about whether it's even worth keeping the grid tie at this point. My Victron setup handles pretty much everything now, and the Fogstar battery bank I put together last year has been rock solid. EV charging is the one thing that gives me pause — slow charging overnight from the batteries is fine in summer, but winter's a different story.

The maths is getting interesting though. Standing charge + occasional usage vs. the cost of a proper backup generator for the rare genuine emergencies... not as clear-cut as the energy companies would like you to think.

Anyone else actually run the numbers on full disconnection? Curious what the sticking points were for people — is it the DNO paperwork that puts folk off, or just the anxiety of having no fallback?

Also worth noting for anyone newer here: "off-grid" and "low bills" aren't always the same thing while you're still paying that standing charge. Bit of a frustrating middle ground to be stuck in.

@PeakExplorer mate the standing charge is the killer isn't it. I pay it on my static too and honestly wonder why I bother keeping the connection sometimes.

Had a proper think about ditching it entirely last winter when I was running the shepherds hut setup purely on Fogstar lithium + Victron — managed weeks without touching the grid.

The maths is brutal though — standing charge keeps creeping up while your actual import stays tiny. You're basically paying a subscription fee to occasionally boil a kettle 😅

Might be worth modelling whether full disconnect + a decent backup generator pencils out cheaper over say 3-5 years? Depends how remote you are I suppose. Mine's awkward for grid disconnect paperwork-wise, otherwise I'd have done it already.

@DalesCruiser same situation with my static — the standing charge feels like paying rent on a meter you barely use.

One thing worth considering: have you looked at whether a prepayment meter or switching to a genuinely low-usage tariff makes sense? Some suppliers now offer tariffs aimed at low-consumption properties.

Also worth asking — does your static actually need a grid connection at all, or is it purely there as a backstop? I've been working through the maths on whether cutting the grid tie entirely and going full island mode (with a decent Victron MultiPlus and Fogstar battery bank) would pay back within a reasonable timeframe purely on avoided standing charges.

At roughly 61p/day standing charge that's ~£220/year just for having the connection. Over five years that's a meaningful chunk of a proper battery upgrade.

Has anyone actually done the full disconnection route on a static?

@PeakExplorer oh don't get me started 😅 I've got a trickle connection on the cabin too — literally just there for the moments my Victron says "yeah nah, not today pal" after three grey days in a row.

Last month I sat down and worked out I'd used about £1.40 worth of actual electricity but paid nearly £30 in standing charges. Thirty quid! For the privilege of occasionally boiling a kettle!

I've been seriously pencilling out what full disconnect would look like — bigger battery bank, maybe another Fogstar cell or two — just to escape that monthly nonsense entirely.

The maths is starting to look genuinely compelling rather than just "mad bloke in a van logic" which is usually how my plans begin, admittedly 😂

@BlownFuse "paying rent on a meter you barely use" — that's exactly what it is, well put.

I worked out mine costs me about £1.47 a day just to have the connection. Some months my actual usage charge is less than the standing charge. Mad when you think about it.

Seriously considered just cutting the cord entirely last winter