Powys households are paying hundreds of pounds a year on top of their energy bills, due to their network supplier’s standing charges, a new analysis shows.

Anti-poverty campaigners say the fees, which vary by almost £100 across the country, are a sign of Britain’s “broken” energy system, and warned high bills meant many customers will be “dreading the onset of winter”.

A standing charge is a fixed daily fee added to household gas and electricity bills by the network operator, regardless of energy consumption. It covers the cost of supplying the property with gas and electricity and is collected on behalf of the network companies in charge of the pipes and wires.

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This charge varies significantly between regions, resulting in higher energy bills for households in some parts of Great Britain.

The cost is determined by Ofgem, the regulatory authority, and the distribution network operator, responsible for maintaining the network in the region.

The new Warm This Winter Tariff Watch Report, produced by analysts from Future Energy Associates, has revealed charges can vary by as much as £95, depending on the region.

There are three different network operators in Powys, meaning costs vary between different areas of the local authority.

The figures show the maximum standing annual charge in Powys is £339.46, which includes £109.15 for gas and £230.32 for electricity.

This means Manweb – the operator with the highest standing charge in the area – fixed a price of £87.88 more a year than the cheapest standing cost across Great Britain, which is £251.58 for areas covered by London Electricity.