We’d really recommend that you only use this in an emergency because you’ll need to pay back what you’ve used before you’re able to use it again. Don’t forget that your daily standing charge will still be taken from the meter, but during this time we won’t take any debt repayments that you should be making. 

You’ll need to pay back all of the emergency credit that you’ve used (as well as any debt balance that has built up such as standing charge) to be able to access your energy supply again.

If your meter doesn’t automatically let you use the emergency credit, then you’ll need to manually tell it to do so. There are three ways you can do this.

If you don’t have any gas, we’ll need your meter displays to work out why. Here’s how to take them:

❯      Press the red A button to see displays 1, 2 and 3.

❯      Without the card in the meter, press and hold the A button until you hear the meter beep and the display changes. You’ll then be able to press the A button to scroll through the other displays.

❯      If no new displays have appeared and the meter didn’t beep, put the card in the meter and hold down the A button.

❯      The display should change, and you’ll be able to scroll through the other readings by tapping the A button.

If you’re still unable to take your displays, please get in touch and we can talk you through it. If you’re using your meter to pay back a debit balance, you can check how much is left to pay by looking at display 27 for accrued debt, and display 31 for loaded debt.

Your meter can show a lot more information, though. For example, you might want to see the amount of energy you’re using. If you’re repaying a balance through the meter, you might want to see how much is left.

If you don’t have any electricity or your most recent top up hasn’t gone on to the meter, we’ll need information from your meter displays to work out why. We recommend taking photos or making a note of the info on each screen.

Here’s how to bring up each display on your meter:

❯      Without the key in the meter, press the button to scroll through displays A through K

❯      Insert your key in the meter and press the button to scroll through displays R, S and T – these displays relate to debt.

A full list of the displays and what they mean is below:

We’d really recommend that you only use this in emergencies, because you’ll have to pay back all the emergency credit you’ve used before you can access it again. Also, because we assume that the only time you’re going to use this feature is in an emergency – and therefore need to use the energy – we don’t take your daily standing charge from the meter. This can mean that you can start to build up a debt on the meter that will need to be paid back when you next top up. Because of this we’d advise that you keep a £10 float on your meter at all times.

If your meter doesn’t automatically let you use the emergency credit, then you’ll need to manually tell it to do so. Put your electricity key or gas card in the meter, and a message will appear on the screen advising you to press the A button to activate the emergency credit feature.

If you’re having a hard time keeping credit on the meter, please get in touch with us because we might be able to help you out.

Top up online

1. Log in to either the app or our online account and press ‘Top up’.

2. If you’ve already added your payment card to your account, you can choose it from the list that we’ll show you – otherwise just select ‘Add new card’

3. Choose the amount you’d like to top up. If you have both electricity and gas, you can choose which meter you’d like to top up and how much on each one

4. Then just pop in your card’s security code and we’ll process your payment

5. You’ll get a receipt that will include a 20 digit vend code, which will allow you to add the credit yourself if you need to add it manually.

6. The credit should be added to your meter immediately but can occasionally take up to 30 minutes. If you’re off supply and need to add the credit manually, then see our guide How to manually add credit to your smart meter above.

Top up using the automated phone line

If you don’t have access to the internet, we have a dedicated automated phone line for topping up smart meters.

1. Simply call 0345 812 4444 – once you’re connected you’ll be asked whether you’re calling to top up your meter, or to get the vend code for your last top up. We’ll always ask if you’d like us to text you the vend code at no charge, so you have a record of your top ups to hand!

2. You’ll then be asked which meter you’d like to top up. If you have both gas and electricity with us we’ll top them both up, just pick the one that you’d like to top up first. You’ll then need to type in the details for your credit or debit card into the handset, so make sure you have that to hand before you call.

3. The credit should be added to your meter immediately but can occasionally take up to 30 minutes. If you’re off supply and need to add the credit manually, then see our guide on How to manually add your credit to your smart meter above.

 How to top up your smart pay as you go meter in the Ecotricity App

On your IHD there will be buttons for electricity, gas or dual fuel. If you choose the energy type that you’d like to check you’ll be given the up to date balance on your meter. If your IHD doesn’t have a very good connection to your meter – maybe there’s a thick wall or the distance is too far – then you can get this information directly from the meter itself. All you need to do is press 7 on the keypad. 

If you need to top up your meter you can do so easily through our app or online account.

We don’t want you to go off supply when we’re not about to help you, so we allow you to exceed your emergency credit during these times.

Because these times are subject to change, the best way to check them is on your meter. 

You’ll need to go to the meter itself and press the number 8 button on the keypad. 

The meter display will show you when the friendly credit times are specifically, but they usually follow this pattern:

❯      Friendly credit will turn on half an hour before our contact centre closes between Monday and Friday, and turn off at 8:30am the following working day. 

❯      For instance, if we were closing at 7pm on a Tuesday the friendly credit would turn on at 6:30pm and turn off at 8:30am Wednesday morning. 

❯      If it was a Friday and we were closing at 6pm then your friendly credit would turn on at 5:30pm Friday evening and turn off at 8:30am on the Monday morning.

Friendly credit is also turned on for bank holidays when our call centre is typically shut – although we do have an emergency contact line.

You can take this to a PayPoint or Post Office to top up – the credit will automatically be added to your smart meter within an hour.

You’ll be given a receipt with your 20-digit vend code on it – please keep this, just in case you need to add the credit to the meter manually. The credit can take up to an hour to be added to your meter.

This service is only available to customers who don’t have a bank account, but we’re hoping to offer it to all of our Pay As You Go customers in the future.

When your meter goes into armed mode it prevents you from using any energy in your home. This is to ensure that it’s safe for an engineer to work on if they’re called out.  

Your meter may go into armed mode if there’s been a power cut or you’ve used all of your emergency credit. If your meter is in armed mode it will look something like this:

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. 

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

Please don’t call from a mobile as this may ignite a spark. Use a neighbour’s phone or take a mobile phone outdoors.

You should also:

❯      Check the pilot light – turn all gas appliances off. If the pilot light remains on there may be a gas leak.

❯      Turn the main gas tap off – do this by turning the emergency control valve on the pipe leading into the meter to the ‘OFF’ position. The gas supply is off when the ridged line on the spindle is across the pipe.

❯      Open doors and windows to clear the gas.

❯      Don’t turn light switches on or off, use doorbells, mobile phones or any other electrical switches.

❯      Don’t smoke, light a match or use any other kind of naked flame.

❯      Don’t leave it to someone else – you could be putting yourself and others at risk.

If your meter has credit on it but you’re not getting gas coming through, there are several things that could have happened. 

If there’s an error message on the meter, we’ll need to know about it in case there’s a fault. 

However, there are some common error messages below and the things that you can do to fix them.  

If the screen is blank or says ‘Call help’ then please get in touch as soon as you can. 

If your meter is a smart meter it may be in ‘Armed Mode’ – we’ve got a guide on how to put it back in normal operation here.

Card Fail 35, Card Fail 38, Dead Card or CNA

The meter is having an issue reading the card. Try cleaning it with a soft cloth and re-inserting it.

Card Fail 4       

The card was too cold for the meter to read it. Try to keep it somewhere warmer.

Has the meter been capped?

A cap is a small metal disc inserted into one of the gas pipes right next to the meter.  

❯      If you own the property, you’ll need to call a gas safe engineer to remove it if it’s safe to do so. 

❯      If you don’t own your property, speak to your Landlord or Letting Agent to get further advice.

Is the main gas tap on?

There will be a valve, normally right next to the gas meter, that you can use to stop the flow of gas down the pipe to your boiler.  

The handle should be pointing the same way as the gas pipe. If it’s not, then the flow of gas has been interrupted.

❯      In an emergency we may have lent you some credit which you now need to pay back

❯      Your daily standing charge may have built up if you’ve not topped up in a while

❯      You may have a large balance that you’re paying back from a previous credit account

This can be stored on your meter two different ways:

❯      Accrued debt – shown as part of your balance

❯      Loaded debt – shown as part of a debt repayment plan that we’ve set up with you.  

It’s possible to have both kinds of debt on your meter, so check both types so that you know how much you owe in total.

Is there a red light on your meter?

Yes 

This means that there is power going to the meter and so you should have electricity. If it’s safe to do so, you should check your fuse box and trip switches. All the trip switches should be in the on position. 

❯      If one isn’t then it may indicate that a circuit in your property has been overloaded.  

❯      If the switch won’t come on, or if this happens a lot, then you might need to speak to an electrician to have it looked into. 

❯      If all of your switches are in the on position and you still don’t have power, then please let us know as we may need to offer you further assistance.

No 

This means that you’re being affected by a power cut so the meter isn’t getting power. You need to speak to your distributor - the people that maintain the power lines into your property. 

The best thing to do is to ring 105 for the National Power Cut Helpline. They’ll be able to offer further assistance or advise you of how long they think the power cut may last for.

Even if the lights are on in your neighbour’s house, or streetlights are on you may still have had a power cut to your property so it’s worth checking your meter.

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.