Across the country, families, pensioners, and people living with illness are facing impossible choices because of soaring energy costs. Even before a single light is switched on or a heater is used, households are hit with a standing charge — a fixed daily fee that must be paid no matter how little energy is consumed.

 

This system is deeply unfair. It punishes those who use the least energy — often pensioners, people who are unwell, and households already struggling to make ends meet. Many are forced to choose between heating their homes, buying food, or paying for essential medication.

 

On top of that, the cost of gas and electricity remains far too high. Energy is a basic need, not a luxury. No one should be pushed into poverty, debt, or ill health because they cannot afford the essentials of heat, light, and power.

 

For most households, that fixed cost now adds up to nearly £300 a year, before a single unit of gas or electricity is used. And when you multiply that across the 28 million homes in the UK, energy companies are taking in an astonishing £8 billion every year — not for energy supplied, but for meters merely existing.

Families cutting back on usage to save money still can’t escape it. Pensioners heating one room in midwinter still pay it. Households with prepaid meters — often the poorest — are hit hardest, paying more than those who consume the most.

This isn’t fairness — it’s a penalty for simply being connected to life’s essentials.

 

We call on the government and energy regulators to:

 • End unfair standing charges on energy bills

 • Bring down gas and electricity prices so they are affordable for everyone

 • Protect vulnerable households from being disproportionately impacted by rising costs

 

It’s time to put people before profit. Energy should be fair, affordable, and accessible to all. Please sign this petition to demand urgent change.