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It’s normal for your credit to go down even when you’re not at home. One of the things that your top up payments covers is the daily standing charge.
It might also be that you’re paying back a debt. Here how to find out how much you’re paying back each day:
❯ Smart meter - see the FAQ How much debt do I have on my Secure 100 smart meter
❯ Traditional meter - see How much debt do I have
Household appliances
Household appliance left on standby will be using energy all day. These may include:
❯ Fridges and freezers
❯ Boilers
❯ Ovens
❯ Televisions and set top boxes
If you think that there’s too much background use then it might be worth having a chat with us about it.
If you’d like some helpful advice about how to use less energy and save money take a look at our energy saving guide.
As one of our customers you’re covered by our Ethical Price Policy – this means that you’re always on the best price that we can provide for you.
Until 2020, twice a year, the energy regulator Ofgem reviews the tariffs set by energy companies across the UK, to ensure that nobody is being charged an unfair amount. This means that twice a year, in April and October, our prices may change to comply with their regulation.
Despite this, and us doing our best to keep our prices as fair as possible there may still be times that you’re finding it hard to keep credit on your meter. We’ll do our best to help you out in these situations.
Keys & Cards
If you’re struggling because you don’t have an electricity key or a gas card then we’re going to need to know so please get in touch after reading our guides on what to do in those situations.
❯ See FAQ; 'I don’t have top up card or key'
Smart Meters
If you’re having a problem topping up your smart meter then we’d also need to know, but you might find the answer to your question in our smart meter Pay As You Go guide to save you calling us.
❯ See FAQ; 'How to top up your smart meter'
❯ If you’re not able to top up due to financial difficulties, we’d like to help you – this is assessed on a case by case basis.
❯ If we are able to lend you some credit for a short-term loan, you may need to speak to one of our specialists first. As we may not always be able to do this, it’s very important that you ask friends or family to see if they’re able to help you out before getting in touch.
❯ Speak to Citizens Advice if you’re finding that this is happening frequently.
Yes, you can.
If you’d like to register on behalf of family member or you are a carer who is authorised to act on behalf of a vulnerable customer, you can register for our priority services by either:
❯ Completing the online registration form using the Register button above and ticking the box “using a representative”
or
❯ Downloading the form, printing it out, completing it and posting it back to us. Just make sure to complete the “Representatives” section of the form.
Our address is Freepost ECOTRICITY.
Most of the time there’s only one display that you’ll need to look at on your Pay As You Go meter – the one that tells you how much credit you have!
Sometimes you’ll need to look at the others though - you might want to see the amount of energy you’re using, or if you’re repaying a balance through the meter you need to be able to see how much is left.
To see your meter displays, hold down the red A button until either the screen changes or the meter beeps. Press the A button again to scroll through the different displays. You’ll need the key to access any displays that relate to debt.
Taking the meter displays can be a bit confusing, so if you need a hand please get in touch.
Smart meters send us meter readings automatically, so you don’t need to take meter readings to send to us anymore. But if you’d still like to keep an eye on how much energy you’re using, here’s how to take meter readings from your smart meter.
Electricity
The display will show you your electricity meter reading in kilowatt hours (kWh).
❯ Press 9 on your keypad.
❯ It’ll look like this: XXXXXXX.X kWh
Economy 7
If you’re on an Economy 7 tariff, you’ll be able to see separate readings for your on and off peak use. The display will show you your electricity meter reading in kilowatt hours (kWh).
❯ For your off-peak meter reading; Press 6 four times until IMP RO1 appears on your smart meter display.
❯ For your on-peak meter reading; Press 6 again and IMP RO2 will appear on your smart meter display.
❯ They’ll both look like this: XXXXXXX.X kWh
Gas
The display will show you your gas meter reading in cubic meters (m³).
❯ Press 9 on your keypad.
❯ It’ll look like this: XXXXXXX.X m³
Don’t forget, you can also use your IHD (In-Home Display) to keep an eye on how much energy you’re using – daily, weekly and monthly.
Security has been a really important part of the smart meter programme from the start.
Smart meters don’t connect to the public internet – they operate on a secure system.
The meters store information about how much electricity and gas you’ve used, but they don’t store any personal details such as your name, contact information or bank details.
No one will be able to see your consumption data without your consent – it’s between you and your energy supplier.
If you’ve moved into a property that we supply
If the meter reading we’ve opened your account with isn’t right, then please let us know so we can look into correcting this. This frequently happens where you’ve moved into a property that we supply, and the previous resident hasn’t given us a final meter reading yet. If you have a tenancy agreement or inventory that would show the correct reading for the date that you became responsible for the property, please send us a photo of that part of the document so that we can update your account.
If you’ve switched to us
If you’ve switched to us but you weren’t able to send us a meter reading to open your account with, your first meter reading will have been estimated. If you provide us with an up to date, accurate meter reading, we can look into amending your opening meter reading.
We’d need to contact your old supplier to agree that reading with them, as they would have used the same estimated reading to create your final bill.
We’d only be able to do this if your reading fell outside of an industry tolerance however, as they have the right to refuse our request if it doesn’t. They are:
• For electricity a total of 250 kWh of energy. If you have a meter with more than one register, we’ll take all the readings into account.
• For gas it depends on what kind of meter you have. For a more modern metric meter it would need to be 108 cubic meters (m3) but for the older imperial meters it would be 38 cubic feet (ft3).
If you contact us with up to date meter readings (and even better, photos of the readings), we’ll do our best to amend your opening meter reading.
Having a gas safety check reduces the risk of gas leaks and the danger of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Most gas appliances, related flues and other gas fittings should be checked and serviced every 12 months.
Any work should be carried out by:
❯ A Gas Safe Register™ engineer who,
❯ Must hold a valid certificate of competence, certified by The National Accredited Certification Scheme for Individual Gas Fitting Operatives (ACS).
You can find a list of Gas Safe Register™ engineers in your area on the Gas Safe Register™ website.
All gas appliances and gas fittings must be installed in accordance with:
❯ The Gas Safety (Installation & Use) regulations
❯ Building regulations
❯ Manufacturer’s installation instructions
Installations should also comply with the British Standards and Regulations for electrical installations.
If you're a tenant, it's your landlord's legal duty to maintain gas appliances, carry out an annual gas safety check and provide you with a copy of the completed Gas Safety Check certificate.
It’s important to get your boiler and appliances checked if you use other fuels such as coal, wood or oil. Chimneys should be swept at least once a year. Keep chimneys, flues or vents clear.
Am I eligible for a free gas safety check?
If you're an Ecotricity gas customer you may be eligible for a free gas safety check if you fulfil all of these conditions:
❯ Own your home and live in it with others (landlords must carry out gas safety checks for tenants)
❯ Be in receipt of a means-tested benefit
❯ Not have had a gas safety check carried out at the premises in the last 12 months
And one of the following:
❯ Have at least one child under the age of five
OR
❯ Be of pensionable age, disabled or chronically sick and either:
❯ Be the sole occupier at the property
❯ Live with others who are all of pensionable age, disabled, or chronically ill or under 18
We'll carry out a free gas safety check – on request – on your gas appliances and gas fittings each year. This doesn't replace the need for regular servicing, but it'll give you additional peace of mind.
A Gas Safe Register™ engineer will carry out the safety check and check that your gas appliances are safe and not emitting harmful carbon monoxide. If necessary, we'll advise you on the options available for repairing or replacing any unsafe appliances.
If you think you qualify for a free gas safety check, please call us on 0345 555 7 100 and we’ll send you a Priority Services Form.
What happens during a gas safety check?
The engineer will check your gas appliances and tell you if they're unsafe. They'll explain why and record this information in legible writing.
The important words to look out for are 'condemned', 'spillage', 'carbon monoxide', 'CO' and 'blockage'. Some engineers carry a multi-fuel gas analyser that reports what's being emitted from a condemned appliance – keep this reading if you can. The engineer will advise you if/how your appliance can be repaired if it's condemned.
Red warning notices are placed on any appliances that fail the gas safety check.
It's illegal for anyone – other than a Gas Safe™ Register engineer – to remove these notices. You can find out more at gassaferegister.co.uk
If you’ve paid your bill and the payment isn’t showing up there can be a few good reasons for that. If you’ve got a Pay As You Go smart meter we’ve got a separate guide to help you find out why your top up isn’t showing.
See our guide article I've topped up but there's no credit on my meter.
If you’ve made a payment then it’s just a case of waiting for it to show up on our system, so nothing to worry about. Card payments, Direct Debits and bank transfers will show on your account by the end of the next working day – so for bank holidays and weekends this might take a little longer to appear.
If you’ve sent in a cheque it can take up to five working days from when we receive it for the payment to clear.
If you’ve paid in cash at a PayPoint using the barcode on your bill, or at a Post Office using your Post Office Payment card, this can take up to 10 working days to reach us. Because they take so long, we recommend that you make these payments as soon as you can once you’ve got your bill so that the payment doesn’t reach us late.
The Warm Home Discount scheme is a programme run by the government and large energy suppliers to help households living in or at risk of fuel poverty.
The scheme launched in April 2011 as a means to give vulnerable households money off their energy bills.
It was initially due to run until the end of 2016 but has now been extended to 2021.
If you qualify for a Warm Home Discount Scheme payment, it won’t affect your Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment.
Does Ecotricity participate in the Warm Home Discount Scheme?
Yes. New guidance from the government and Ofgem means that energy companies with over 150,000 customers now take part in the scheme, so all eligible customers on electricity supply with us are entitled to receive Warm Home Discount payments.
Eligible customers will automatically receive Warm Home Discount Scheme credit on their bill to help with the cost of heating and powering their home. Eligibility is determined by the government and includes customers who receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit. To find out if you are eligible, check out the DWP Warm Home Discount Scheme website.
How to get help if you’re struggling to pay your energy bills
If you’re finding it difficult to pay your energy bills, the best thing to do is to get in touch with us as early as you can on 0345 555 7 100. We’ll do everything we can to make paying your bill as easy as possible for you.
Can't find an answer to your question?
Send an email to home@ecotricity.co.uk
Alternatively, if you would like to speak with someone, give us a call on 0345 555 7 100
Between 8.30am – 6pm Monday to Friday
Prefer to phone a landline? Call 01453 761482
Smell gas? Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999