Energy suppliers will be made to offer at least one tariff with lower standing charges as soon as January under plans confirmed by the industry regulator, but it ditched proposals to remove the fixed costs entirely for some deals.

Ofgem said it wants to give consumers more choice on how they pay standing charges, with the plans set to allow households to pay the costs as part of their unit rate by lowering the daily fixed amount.

If given the go-ahead, the new tariffs could be available by the end of January.

Standing charges are applied daily, regardless of how much energy the customer uses, and are used to cover the cost of supplying energy to homes and businesses.

They also cover the costs of building new network infrastructure and keeping the power on when energy suppliers go bust.

Campaigners say they are unfair because everybody pays the same rate, meaning they make up a far higher proportion of bills for people using less energy.

Ofgem stressed these charges cannot be removed entirely and that they can only be moved from one part of the bill to another, which means they are unlikely to mean lower energy costs.

It said it dropped earlier plans for tariffs with zero standing charges and much higher unit rates, as this could have unfairly impacted consumers with high energy needs, such as those who rely on power for medical reasons.

It is also looking to introduce a minimum usage on to the new tariffs so that those with second homes or properties left vacant for long periods do not disproportionately benefit.

Ofgem is now launching one final consultation on the plans, with aims to make a decision by the end of the year, paving the way for the new tariffs to be available to everyone across Britain by the end of January.

Tim Jarvis, director general of markets at Ofgem, said: “We’ve listened to thousands of consumers that wanted to see changes to the standing charge and taken action.

“We have carefully considered how we can offer more choice on how they pay these fixed costs, however we have taken care to ensure we don’t make some customers worse off.

“After examining all the options available to us, we believe that the right way forward is to require all major suppliers to offer at least one tariff with a lower standing charge.

“This will deliver the choice we know customers want, without having a detrimental impact on customers that have high energy needs.”

But he added: “We cannot remove these charges, we can only move costs around.

“These changes would give households the choice they have asked for, but it’s important that everyone carefully considers what’s right for them as these tariffs are unlikely to reduce bills on their own.”

It comes ahead of a 2% rise in energy costs when the next price cap change takes effect on October 1, which will see the bill for a typical household rise from £1,720 to £1,755 a year.

Martin McCluskey, minister for energy consumers, said: “Consumers should have freedom and choice when choosing an energy tariff that works for them.

“This proposal will make more tariffs available on the market, giving people more options to pay lower standing charges if that suits their needs.”

Ofgem said the new lower standing charge tariff mandate would be likely to only be a short-term measure while it moots permanent changes to allocate costs within the system, as the UK shifts towards renewable energy.

Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said it was a “small step forward” and called on the industry to make sure that households “properly understand the deals they are signing up for”.

“This development doesn’t negate the need for long-term reform to make the system fairer,” he added.

Michelob Ultra has become the top-selling beer in the US two year’s after its parent company’s Bud Light brand lost the title following a consumer backlash.

Anheuser-Busch, citing data from Circana, said on Monday that Michelob Ultra overtook Modelo Especial in US retail sales by volume in the year to 14 September.

Two years ago, Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light brand’s sales slumped after a boycott over its work with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Meanwhile, Constellation, which owns Modelo and Corona, has previously blamed its falling beer sales on tougher US immigration policies causing a drop in Hispanic consumers in the US.

About half of the Constellation’s sales come from Hispanic people in the US.

Earlier this month, Constellation cut its full-year guidance, pointing to a “challenging macroeconomic environment”.

Several consumer companies have in recent months highlighted a connection between US President Donald Trump administration’s stricter immigration policies and weak sales.

Coca-Cola and Colgate-Palmolive have also noted a slump in North American sales from Hispanic consumers.

Overall, the US beer industry has had a lacklustre year as US drinking habits are changing.

American have dialled down their beer consumption over the past four decades, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Anheuser-Busch’s recent success comes after a difficult 2023.

As well as being facing boycotts for its social media work with Ms Mulvaney, Anheuser-Busch response to the criticism, which included putting two executives blamed for the relationship on leave, was also criticised.

Bud Light sales sank and it lost its spot as the top-selling beer in the US after more than two decades.

Anheuser-Busch on Monday said the launch of Michelob Ultra Zero, a non-alcoholic beer, has helped propel the brand’s popularity.

The brewer has also invested in marketing for Michelob Ultra, including at the FIFA Club World Cup and other major sporting events.

Last Updated:September 23, 2025, 18:23 IST

Accenture plans a new campus in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, aiming to add 12,000 jobs, following TCS and Cognizant, amid changing US visa and outsourcing policies.

Accenture (File Photo)

Tech consultancy Accenture has proposed setting up a new campus in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, aiming to eventually add about 12,000 jobs to its workforce in India, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The move follows similar deals by IT firms Tata Consultancy Services and Cognizant, which are leveraging a new state policy offering leased land at 0.99 rupees ($0.0112) per acre to large firms willing to generate employment.

India is already Accenture’s largest employee base globally, with more than 300,000 of its 790,000 employees based in the country.

As part of the proposal being reviewed by the state government, Accenture has requested land of about 10 acres in the port city of Visakhapatnam on similar terms, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the matter is private.

Accenture did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The Andhra Pradesh government is eager to bring in Accenture, a state official said, adding that while approvals may take time, the proposal is expected to be cleared.

“It is not an unreasonable ask by Accenture, and the proposal will go through,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

It is not immediately clear how much Accenture intends to invest in setting up the campus.

TCS and Cognizant secured land leases under the policy to build campuses that could generate around 20,000 jobs in Visakhapatnam. Cognizant will invest $183 million, while TCS has earmarked slightly over $154 million for its facility.

Technology firms have been increasingly expanding to smaller Indian cities to tap lower land, rent and wage costs. Post-pandemic, many find it easier to hire locally in Tier-2 cities, reversing the earlier trend of workers migrating to major tech hubs.

This move comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy change requiring a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas, widely used by tech firms to hire skilled foreign talent. The move is expected to hurt the IT sector, by far the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year.

The sector also faces uncertainty as customers could delay or re-negotiate contracts as the U.S. debates a proposed 25% tax on American firms using outsourcing services.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)

Varun Yadav

Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst…Read More

Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst… Read More

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