Understanding unit charges & standing charges
What is the unit charge (p/kWh)?
The unit charge (shown either on your bill or your pay-as-you-go unit), is quoted as pence per kilowatt hour (p/kWh). A kilowatt hour (kWh) is the unit of measurement used to calculate the cost of the heat that has been supplied to your property via the communal heating network. Your heat meter measures how many kilowatt hours of heat you have used.
How is the unit charge (p/kWh) calculated?
The unit charge includes all of the bulk fuel costs that your heat supplier uses to generate heating and hot water in the communal plant room.
What is a daily standing charge?
The daily standing charge (shown either on your bill or your pay-as-you-go unit), is quoted as pence per day (p/day). This charge is a set, daily charge that is applicable across your development in order for your heat supplier to recover their costs for operating the heating and hot water network.
How is the daily standing charge calculated?
The daily standing charge (shown either on your bill or your pay-as-you-go unit), includes the costs that your Management Company has to pay in order to get the heat to your home – whether you use it or not. These costs typically include the standing charges that the heat supplier has to pay their utility provider (e.g. a gas company) for the gas supply, plus the costs incurred by pumping the hot water around the heat network.
When looking at the charges applied to you via a tariff and standing charge, it is useful to consider that even if no one at your development used any heating or hot water, your heat supplier would still have the same fixed costs from their bulk energy supplier. Therefore, your heat supplier has to recover the costs of getting heating and hot water to each home via a set daily standing charge.
What is the admin standing charge?
The admin standing charge (if applicable) relates to our fees for the service we offer to the Management Company. Our fees can be collected one of two ways, either the management company may choose to apply it to the schemes services charges OR they will ask for them to be recovered via the heat meter bills. This fee is shown separately as a daily charge.
Why are my tariff and standing charge different from those advertised by energy suppliers?
Energy suppliers’ tariffs are charges for the direct provision of gas whereas your scheme is providing your property with heating and hot water. Your Management Company will be paying a bulk bill for energy (eg: gas), from its chosen energy supplier which they then turn into heating and hot water in your communal plant room.
The heating and hot water delivered to your apartment has already been through the Scheme’s gas boiler and some heat is lost between the plant room and your apartment.
You should also note that in an apartment block with a heat network system, the amount of heat that you need to heat your home is much less than in a traditional house due to the modern way the development has been built. For example, the walls, floor and roof have much thicker and effective insulation. Therefore, your heating bills should be much lower than if you lived in an older building with its own gas boiler. However, this is of course subject to individual heat usage.
Can I change to a different tariff?
Taconova UK have been instructed by your Management Company to apply a specific tariff and standing charge in order for them to recover their energy costs. We are therefore not able to change your tariff in the same way as an energy supplier can suggest different tariffs. Please note that our clients do not make any profit via your tariff nor your standing charge.
Who is my energy supplier?
Taconova UK is not an energy supplier. We are a metering and billing agent that operates on behalf of your Management Company. Heat suppliers receive their bulk energy supplies from a range of suppliers. This detail should be included in your welcome pack.
Can I change to a different supplier?
Your Management Company will negotiate the bulk energy supply for your heat network from a number of providers. Your schemes boiler plantroom provides you with heating and hot water by converting the bulk energy supply into heat. Please note that we have no involvement in the process of choosing energy suppliers.
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Contact Information
Taconova UK Ltd
Adress: 2a Baxter Rd
Sheffield, S6 1JF
Phone: 0114-231-3700