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<p>The standing charge element of the bill is commonly associated with covering the
costs of, amongst other things, metering and billing as these are costs which the
supplier will incur regardless of if any gas is consumed. These costs include the
administrative costs of maintaining a customer account and providing bills and the
cost of reading the meter and undertaking a periodic safety check. A supplier will
also still be required to pay charges to the local gas network company for maintaining
the connection and the distribution network which enables supply.</p><p>If a customer
does not wish to pay a standing charge they can switch to a supplier with a tariff
which features a standing charge set at zero.</p><p>Ofgem has been clear that consumers
in vulnerable situations should not have to pay a standing charge if they are not
consuming gas at all and should not have to pay for the removal of their meter, should
this be appropriate, and has written to suppliers confirming this.</p>
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