To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the standing charges per quarter and the unit charge in pence/kWh for electricity prices as a weighted average of the 12 regional companies for each year since 1991–92; what each figure represents as a percentage increase or decrease on the previous year's figure; what were the changes in the retail prices index over the same period; and if he will make a statement.
[holding answer 24 May 1993]: Average standing charges in England and Wales in £/quarter and unit rates in P/kwh for standard domestic tariffs are tabulated.
1 April 1991
| 1 April 1992
| 1 April 1993
| |||
Average Standing Charge (£'s) | 10·41 | 10·55 | 10·56 | ||
Average Unit Rate (pence) | 7·55 | 7·71 | 7·53 | ||
RPI (per cent.) | 4·3 | 1·3 |
Unit rates increased by 2·1 per cent. in nominal terms from 1 April 1992 but decreased by 2·3 per cent. in nominal terms from 1 April 1993. On the same basis standing charges increased by 1·3 per cent. and 0·1 per cent. respectively over the same periods. These figures exclude discounts associated with payment methods.
The prices charged by RECs, including standing charges and unit charges, are limited by price control formulae, which are overseen by the Director General of Electricity Supply (DGES). Further information is available from the DGES.