RoomProrateWhen a housemate moves out: sharing the standing charge
Updated 2026-11-01
Written for the search "how to split bills with housemates" (Google autocomplete, 1 November 2026). The standing charge quote was checked on Octopus Energy's help page on 1 November 2026. The amounts are a fictional bill run through the RoomProrate calculator on 1 November 2026.
UK energy bills have two parts. The standing charge is, in Octopus Energy's words, "a fixed daily fee that gets added to your energy bill, regardless of how much gas or electricity you use". The rest is usage. When a housemate leaves partway through a bill, usage is easy to prorate by days, but the standing charge needs a decision.
Worked example: one housemate leaves mid-month
February electricity, 1 to 28 February (28 days): standing charge 14.00 (0.50 a day) and usage 84.00, all fictional. Kai and Mo live there all month. Jo's last day is 14 February. Usage uses the daily split in every row: 3.00 a day, shared by three people until the 14th and by two after it, so usage alone is Kai 35.00, Mo 35.00 and Jo 14.00.
| Standing charge agreement | Kai | Mo | Jo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared by all three | 39.67 | 39.66 | 18.67 |
| Shared by the two who stay | 42.00 | 42.00 | 14.00 |
| Follows the days, like usage | 40.83 | 40.83 | 16.34 |
If you type this bill into the calculator yourself, a share that ties on rounding can come out 0.01 different, because the leftover cent goes by the calculator's internal order of people. The total does not change.
Shared by all three, 14.00 does not divide into whole pence, so two of the three pay one penny more. Following the days means entering 98.00 as usage with no fixed charge. Every row adds up to 98.00. With person-days for usage and the standing charge shared by all three, the result is Kai 38.27, Mo 38.26 and Jo 21.47.
Which agreement fits
- Shared by all three fits a household that sees the standing charge as the cost of the account everyone used that month.
- Shared by the two who stay fits when the person leaving handed over their room at the start of the bill or a replacement is paying from then.
- Follows the days fits when the household treats the whole bill as one daily cost.
This page does not decide who is liable under a tenancy agreement; that depends on the contract and local rules. The calculator asks you to confirm who shares the fixed part of every bill, and asks again when someone's dates change. More on this in fixed charges, empty days and rounding.
Questions
Does a housemate who moved out pay the standing charge?
Only if your household agrees that they do. RoomProrate shares the fixed part equally among the people you tick for that bill. In the example, the housemate who left on 14 February pays 18.67, 16.34 or 14.00 depending on the agreement.
Should the standing charge be split by days?
It can be. A standing charge is charged per day, so some households let it follow the days each person lived there, the same as usage. To do that in RoomProrate, leave fixed charges blank and add the standing charge to usage.
See all guides.