STEM Online

Domestic utility reckoner

Which tariff is best for domestic consumption? Nowadays, there are many providers to choose from, and a range of tariffs, broadly characterised as follows:

  • Fixed: the standing charge and price per kWh are fixed for a contract period (typically 12 months), offering peace of mind and stability for household budget, but also the risk of paying over the odds if wholesale prices fall
  • Variable: price are reviewed every three months to follow wholesale market trends, meaning that the standing charge and price per kWh may vary from one quarter to the next
  • Daily: another more variable choice, made possible by remote access to readings from a smart meter, where the prices are updated once a day to follow market trends, possibly capped at some uncomfortable but finite level
  • Half-hourly: an even more dynamic approach (again, enabled by smart meter) where the prices applied are based on current movements in the wholesale market so the customer benefit from greener energy when prices are low and minimise consumption at peak times when prices are high using widely-available trackers.

The simple tool below calculates domestic utility bills over a twelve-month period and illustrates how these tariff options compare.

Figure 1: Live snapshot from the model

If you work for an energy provider and would like to make a tool like this available to your customers, Implied Logic can work with you on an approach which suits your specific tariff portfolio and current market position.

Our eSTEM technology generates the online version of the model automatically from a desktop version you have already tested, which means faster updates with minimal maintenance.

About the author

Robin Bailey is one of the lead architects of the STEM software with 30+ years' experience training colleagues and clients in a variety of workshop and critical support situations. He is that rare combination of engineer and communicator: if it moves, he will be the first to work out how, and thereafter to elaborate and share this knowledge.

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