Will I still pay standing charges after my gas meter is removed?

The order of events matters. The meter is removed by your energy supplier, not by the gas distribution network. Northern Gas Networks advises contacting your current gas supplier and arranging for the meter to be removed before the planned disconnection date³. IGEM, the gas industry body, states that the network operator will not disconnect pipes and equipment until the meter has been safely removed by the energy supplier⁴. Until that happens, the standing charge continues.

The cost of removal is not published as a single national figure. The Energy Saving Trust says the cost varies according to supplier², and Wales & West Utilities notes that its own meter moves start at £1,200, which is a different service from removal⁵. One consumer guidance figure puts a supplier's charge for removing and replacing a meter at around £200 in a meter-testing case⁶. Prices are supplier or installer quoted.

How standing charges work and why they continue while a meter is in place

Ofgem describes the standing charge as a daily payment made even on days when no energy is used⁷. It is not a usage charge and it is not avoidable by turning the gas off at the appliance. Smart Energy GB explains that standing charges are fixed daily amounts that help cover the cost of meter installation and maintenance for all meters, both smart and traditional⁸. The House of Commons Library adds that the charge recovers the costs of providing and maintaining the wires, pipes and cables that deliver power to a customer's door, along with the staff and buildings an energy business needs to function⁹.

That structure explains why a household that has stopped using gas still pays. The meter is still installed, still owned by the supplier, and still requires maintenance and reading. Northern Gas Networks states that the supplier is responsible for the installation and maintenance of the gas meter and owns the gas¹⁰. Cadent says the supplier owns the meter and the gas and is responsible for installation, maintenance and billing¹¹. SGN states the same responsibility sits with the supplier, not the network¹². The Welsh Government's climate action guidance notes that if a smart meter stops working, the supplier is responsible for maintenance and will fix or replace it¹³.

Prepayment customers see the charge accrue even with no credit. The Centre for Sustainable Energy explains that if a meter is not topped up, the daily standing charge builds as a debt, and top-ups may be used to pay off previous weeks' unpaid daily charges¹⁴. Confused.com notes that even with no credit on the meter, the supplier still charges daily, recovered on the next top up¹⁵. The Centre for Sustainable Energy adds that a customer cut off after stopping top-ups remains liable to the standing charge¹⁶. National Energy Action describes the same mechanism: when credit is used up, standing charges accrue as a debt on the meter that must be cleared in full before accessing energy again¹⁷.

The charge is also a policy instrument. The Warm Home Discount consultation describes it as a fixed daily fee applied to all customers regardless of energy usage, used to recover supplier costs¹⁸. The Debt Relief Scheme working paper proposes recovering costs through standing charges for electricity customers and volume charges for gas customers¹⁹. Anglesey Council's consumer guidance notes there is only one charging structure, made up of a standing charge and the unit prices of gas and electricity²⁰. Tracker tariffs can discount against the price cap using standing charges²¹.

Disconnection and meter removal: who does what

The division of labour is consistent across the networks. Wales & West Utilities states that gas meter removal is arranged through your energy supplier, not directly through the network¹. Northern Gas Networks says the same: you will need to arrange your gas supplier to remove the gas meter before the network can disconnect the supply³. IGEM confirms the network operator will not disconnect pipes and equipment until the meter has been safely removed by the energy supplier⁴.

The supplier's role extends to the meter itself. Northern Gas Networks states the supplier is responsible for the installation and maintenance of the gas meter and owns the gas¹⁰. Cadent says the supplier owns the meter and the gas and handles installation, maintenance and billing¹¹. SGN states the supplier is responsible for the maintenance of the gas meter and for sending bills¹². The Welsh Government's guidance confirms that if a smart meter stops working, the supplier fixes or replaces it¹³.

The network's role is the pipework and the supply point. SGN states it can disconnect a gas supply if the customer no longer needs it, and can move an existing meter or gas pipe²². Wales & West Utilities notes that pipe removal is chargeable, quoted individually, and can only proceed once every meter on site has been safely removed, which matters for multi-property sites, redevelopment or demolition¹.

For electricity, the equivalent rule is that disconnection of an electricity meter is arranged through your electricity supplier²³. The same principle applies: the meter is the supplier's asset and the supplier arranges its removal.

The Area Based Scheme: the only process that ends a gas standing charge

The Scottish Government's Area Based Scheme documentation states that meter removal with pipework capped at the emergency control valve is presently the only process by which a gas standing charge may cease to be levied, because the meter typically belongs to the supplier²⁴. That is a strong statement of the position: capping a meter, moving a meter or leaving a supply unused does not end the charge. Only removal does.

The scheme documentation also sets out the safety framework. Remedial repairs, alteration and reinstatement of a certified gas installation must proceed in accordance with the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, as amended in 2018²⁴. That is the regulatory basis for the work, and it applies to the pipework after the meter has gone.

IGEM's guidance adds an important qualification. The capped gas pipe will still be live, but the household will no longer pay standing charges or for gas usage⁴. The pipe carrying gas to the property might remain in place⁴. So removal of the meter ends the charge, but it does not necessarily mean the pipe is gone or that the supply point is dead.

That distinction matters for safety and for future plans. The Health and Safety Executive states that if there is a live gas supply to rented premises, a safety check will need to be carried out irrespective of whether a tenant uses gas²⁵. A capped but live pipe therefore still carries obligations for landlords.

SGN offers a free live or dead check to find out if a property has a gas supply²². That check establishes whether the supply point is live before any work is arranged, and it is the practical first step for a household that is unsure of the position.

Life after gas: bills, tariffs and what changes when you go all-electric

Removing the gas meter removes the gas standing charge and the gas usage charge¹. What remains is the electricity bill, which carries its own standing charge. Uswitch explains that a standing charge covers the fixed costs of providing your home with both gas and electricity, each with its own charge²⁶. National Energy Action notes that dual-fuel customers may pay a separate standing charge for gas and electricity²⁷. British Gas Energy Trust defines the standing charge as the daily fixed costs of supplying gas and electricity to your home²⁸.

The all-electric household therefore pays one standing charge instead of two. That is the direct financial effect of meter removal, and it is the point of the exercise for a household that has already switched heating and cooking to electricity.

No standing charge tariffs exist as an alternative, but they work differently. National Energy Action explains that they charge a much higher unit rate for the first two units of gas and electricity used each day, then a lower, more normal rate for all other usage²⁷. Uswitch notes that these tariffs typically charge higher unit rates, which could result in higher energy bills²⁹. The Energy Saving Trust notes that a bill identifies the tariff by name and shows the price per unit and any standing charge³⁰.

For a household going all-electric, the practical position is that the gas standing charge ends with the meter, and the electricity standing charge continues. The capped pipe may remain live⁴. The gas account is closed once the meter is removed and the supply disconnected. The household's remaining dependence is on the electricity grid and its supplier, not on the gas network.

Where a meter move differs from removal

SGN states it can move an existing meter or gas pipe²². A move is not a removal. The meter stays in place, the supply point stays live, and the standing charge continues. Wales & West Utilities notes that the cost of moving a gas meter starts at £1,200, with an online portal for an instant quote⁵. That figure is for a move, not a removal, and it is quoted individually.

The Energy Saving Trust says that if a gas supply is terminated, there may be a cost for removal of the meter, and the cost varies according to supplier². Which? notes that while meter testing is free, suppliers can charge for the cost of removing and replacing a meter³¹. Citizens Advice gives a figure of around £200 for a supplier's charge for removing and replacing a meter in a meter-testing case⁶. These are different services and different prices, and none of them is a published national tariff.

For a household weighing up removal, the sequence is: establish whether the supply is live, arrange the supplier to remove the meter, then let the network disconnect. The standing charge stops when the meter is gone¹. The pipe may remain⁴. The gas emergency number, 0800 111 999, applies throughout³.