A pay as you go meter allows you to pay for your gas and electric as you go. This means that you pay up front for the energy you use and won’t receive a bill from us.
A pay as you go meter is not the best option for everyone. To find out if one would suit your lifestyle we’ve got advice to help you decide:
- A pay as go meter must be kept in credit at all time, otherwise your gas and electricity supply will stop. To avoid this you’ll need to keep the meter topped with credit and think about how you use your electricity and gas.
- Meters can be topped up at PayPoints, so it’s a good idea to consider how close you live to a shop or a post office with this facility. You can find your nearest PayPoint outlet here.
- Keeping your meter topped up is really important, especially if there are things in your home that require a constant charge such as medical equipment.
- It’s important to ensure you have enough credit to last until you’re able to top up again
- We have lots of different ways to pay which could be more convenient for you. And before we arrange to fit a pay as you go meter, we’d like to consider these other payment options with you.
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- You can pay your energy as you go - this means you won’t receive a bill.
- You can see how much energy you use on a daily basis.
- Any outstanding debt from past bills can be added to the meter and spread into affordable weekly payments.
- The meter has an emergency credit facility, ensuring you’ve got electricity or gas if you can't buy credit immediately.
- We’ll send you an annual statement so you can see how much energy you used throughout the year.
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- You have to remember to keep the meter topped up or your electricity or gas supply may stop unexpectedly.
- Most customers use more energy in the winter. So you’ll need to top up with more money during the colder months, unlike a monthly Direct Debit which lets you budget and spread costs evenly throughout the year.
- Gas pay as you go customers can find themselves paying up to £25 more a year than customers choosing other payment options. This covers a gas prepayment premium (this is the additional metering and supply costs associated with gas pay as you go meters).
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It’s important to look after your key/card, keeping it clean and in good working condition. If it gets dirty or damaged it may not work.
Replacement personal keys and cards may be charged for, so it’s important to look after yours.
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Usually we’ll be able to fit a pay as you go meter. However there may be occasions when it is difficult. For example, your current meter position may be hard to reach or in a shared area of a rented property. That means we won’t be able to install a new meter without moving the position first, and there may be high costs to you or your landlord.
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Don't forget to check you’ve got enough credit in your meter to last until you get back. Whilst you’re away the meter will still collect weekly repayments towards any money you may owe from past bills, even if all your appliances are switched off.
And make sure you have enough credit to keep any appliances running that you do leave on (eg fridge, freezer) as there’ll be nobody at home to start the emergency credit.
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If you think a pay as you go meter is the right plan for you, contact us and one of our expert advisers will be happy to help.
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