Fuse Energy's September 2026 Fixed (18m) tariff charges 8.75p a day to stay connected to the gas grid, against a capped 29.68p. This piece judges that gas leg in isolation, and in isolation it does not hold up.
A standing charge that looks unbeatable
Standing charges are the fixed daily fee for remaining connected, billed whether the property is occupied or empty, and on gas Fuse charges 8.75p against a capped 29.68p and a competitive fix at approximately 29.80p.
That flat saving is the whole attraction, but Fuse recovers every penny of it on the unit rate.
How Fuse takes it back
Fuse charges 8.250p per kWh for gas, whereas the Q4 cap allows 7.97p and a competitive fix delivers approximately 7.33p.
Put that in pounds: every 1,000 kWh of gas costs £82.50 on Fuse, against £79.70 on the cap and £73.30 on the fix, so Fuse takes £2.80 more than the cap and £9.20 more than the fix for the same gas.
Those gaps are what eat the £76 standing charge saving. At £2.80 per 1,000 kWh it takes about 27,300 kWh to swallow it, which no household burns. At £9.20 the saving is gone by 8,350 kWh, and a typical home burns 11,500.
Two households, two opposite answers
The same gas deal produces opposite verdicts: a well insulated flat and a draughty house are not making the same decision.
Gas is predominantly heating, so a hard winter drives a household further beyond the crossover, and the term covers two winters with no way to reprice if the second bites.
Exit fees of £50 per fuel close the escape route, so a household that discovers in January it consumes more than it assumed remains committed until the term ends.
Small homes, good insulation, low gas use, and anyone whose bedroom is heated mostly by optimism. If 16 to 18 degrees and another jumper is already the house rule, this tariff is built for exactly that household.
The same applies to mid terrace flats, heat pump homes on gas backup, or a mostly empty property.
| Household | Gas used | Gas bill on Fuse | Against Q4 cap | Against a rival fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low use, warm winter | 8,000 kWh | £692 | Saves £54 | Saves £3 |
| Typical household | 11,500 kWh | £981 | Saves £44 | Costs £29 |
| High use, cold winter | 17,000 kWh | £1,434 | Saves £29 | Costs £80 |
| Large, cold home | 22,000 kWh | £1,847 | Saves £15 | Costs £126 |
The cap column flatters it, and the cap is what most switching journeys present to people. Notice it is not flat: the saving decays from £54 to £15 as the meter turns, because the unit penalty erodes it. Against the fixed deals this tariff competes with, only a light gas user finishes ahead.
This is the classic low standing charge trap: what looks cheaper on the headline number is what costs more over the year.
Every figure here represents the gas leg alone. A dual fuel household also has an electricity bill, and Fuse prices electricity below both the cap and this rival deal, so part of the gas loss is offset there. This is a verdict on the gas, not the entire bill.
Fuse itself is the other open question, holding a Trustpilot score of 4.8 from over 11,000 reviews but no Citizens Advice star rating, the measure that tracks ongoing service. SwitchInsights has flagged that gap before, and the wider Fuse review traces how the supplier prices across the rest of its book.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Fuse 18-month fixed gas deal a good deal?
It depends on how much gas the household consumes. Against the price cap the gas leg saves between £15 and £54 a year depending on usage, but against a competitive fix it wins only below approximately 8,350 kWh.
What is the catch with a low standing charge tariff?
The supplier recovers it through a higher unit rate. Fuse charges 8.75p a day for gas against a capped 29.68p, but its unit rate of 8.250p per kWh exceeds both the capped 7.97p and a competitive fix at 7.33p, so anything but a light user hands the saving back.
How much gas do I need to use before this tariff costs more?
Against a competitive fix the tipping point is approximately 8,350 kWh a year. A typical household consumes about 11,500 kWh, so an average home already sits nearly 40% beyond the point where the saving becomes a loss.
Does this comparison include electricity?
These figures cover the gas leg alone. A dual fuel household also has an electricity bill, and Fuse prices electricity below both the cap and this rival deal, so part of the gas loss is offset there.
Is a low standing charge tariff good for a cold winter?
A cold winter works against it. Heating drives gas use up, and every extra kWh is charged above both the capped rate and a competitive fixed rate, pushing the household further beyond the point where the saving is cancelled.
What are the exit fees on the Fuse 18-month fix?
Fuse charges £50 per fuel, so £50 on gas alone and £100 for a dual fuel household leaving early. That is a real constraint over 18 months, because a household using more gas than expected cannot leave cheaply.