COVID-19 and paying your energy bills

What to do if you’re concerned about energy bills

1. First, make sure you’re not paying too much. Millions of UK homes are paying too much for their energy. Compare your current tariff with our low cost green suppliers. Our customers save over £230 a year on average (and 10% save over £400 a year).* Or, as a minimum, contact your current supplier to make sure you’re on their cheapest available tariff.
2.  Second, contact your energy supplier. The more they know about your circumstances, the more they can do to help. We’ve listed all the contact details for our panel of suppliers in this blog post. Bear in mind that at the moment they’ll be getting a lot of calls, so the best way to contact them is likely to be by email.
3.  Third, do what you can to lower your energy use. Turning your thermostat down even one degree can make a big difference to your bills. Make sure you’re not heating rooms you’re not using by turning down radiatorsUnplug devices when not in use

What to do if you can’t go out to top-up your prepayment meter

Contact your energy supplier. The government has stated that anyone unable to top up is entitled to help from their supplier, who will try to find alternative methods of topping up, which may include:

• Letting someone else top up for you
• Adding funds to your account
• Sending you a pre-loaded top-up card

Useful links if you’re worried about your energy bills

Citizens Advice dedicated coronavirus support page:
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/if-you-cant-pay-your-bills-because-of-coronavirus/

If you’re a prepayment customer, MoneySavingExpert has this post on how different suppliers are helping their customers to top up:
www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/03/energy-firms-move-to-help-customers-unable-to-top-up-due-to-coro/

Government guidance on coronavirus and claiming benefits:
www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/coronavirus/

Government guidance on what to do if you’re laid off or have reduced hours:
www.gov.uk/lay-offs-short-timeworking

Guidance from the energy regulator on what to do if you’re struggling to pay:
www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/household-gas-and-electricity-guide/who-contact-if-its-difficult-paying-energy-bills

Extra help for energy customers in particular groups:
www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/household-gas-and-electricity-guide/extra-help-energy-services

Stay safe, and if you have any questions at all about switching supplier or green energy, our team’s here to help as always. Just email us or use our live chat.    

* If you want to make sure you’re getting the very cheapest deal available, you could also consider using a whole-market comparison site like EnergyHelpline. Remember though, some of the very cheapest suppliers also have the worst customer service, and many will hike their prices at the end of an introductory offer, so check TrustPilot before you switch. It’s why we vet all our suppliers to make sure their customer service is up to scratch and why every switch through us is backed by our service guarantee.