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Can I get a smart meter if I switch to you?

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How do I switch to People's Energy?

<div class="card-text cms_post_content">
It only takes 90 seconds for you to switch. We&rsquo;ll do the rest from there, including contacting your old supplier to let them know you're switching over. Remember, you'll still need to provide them with final meter readings.
Once we begin the switch-over process, it usually takes 21 days for the switch to take place. So sit back and relax.
Occasionally, there may be something that causes a short delay to the switch. For example, in rare cases, your current supplier may object to the switch. But don&rsquo;t worry - if there's any issue that's holding up your switch, we'll let you know.
</div>

How long does it take for my supply to switch over?

The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a government scheme that gives people living on a pension, or from low-income households, a &pound;140 discount on their electricity bill.
It&rsquo;s an important initiative to help those who need it most with their energy bills over the winter months.
We'll soon be opening applications for the Warm Home Discount for winter 2021/2022. We'll shortly be in touch with our members to let them know how they can apply.
Please note, we're note, we're not currently offering the Warm Home Discount for this winter (2020/2021).
We know that paying energy bills can be particularly tough over the winter. If you&rsquo;re worried about paying, we&rsquo;re here to help. You can speak to a member of our advice team Monday to Friday, 9.00am &ndash; 5.00pm, on 0131 378 7120.
<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/bills-and-payments/payment-difficulty/worried-about-paying-my-bill">Get more advice on what to do if you&rsquo;re struggling to pay</a>.

Do you offer the Warm Homes Discount?

If you're dealing with the loss of a loved one, our team are here to help. We'll do all we can to make handling the energy account as simple and stress-free as it possible.
When you're dealing with a bereavement, there's a few things you can provide us with to get the energy account sorted out:
<ul>
<li>A copy of the death certificate and details of executor, or the person responsible for the property moving forward. Please send these to <a href="mailto:bereavements@peoplesenergy.co.uk">bereavements@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a></li>
<li>Up-to-date meter readings</li>
<li>Contact details for whoever is taking over the property, where available</li>
<li>The bank details of the person who will be taking over the account</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h2>What happens next</h2>
Once we have this information, we'll generate a bill, using the meter readings you've provided.
We know that it all might feel too much to deal with right now. We're happy to work with someone you've nominated to manage things on your behalf. Just let us know if there's someone you'd like us to handle this with instead.
If the person you've nominated is taking responsibility for the account, but not actually paying the bills, then we'll need proof of Power of Attorney, and the relevant bank details.
&nbsp;
<h2>You can contact our team for help at any time</h2>
During this difficult time, our team will provide whatever support they can.
You can reach us by phone on <a class="tel-num" href="tel:+44131 285 5510">0131 285 5510</a>, or by emailing <a href="mailto:bereavements@peoplesenergy.co.uk">bereavements@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a>. Or, use the yellow livechat bubble at the bottom right of your screen to livechat with one of our advisors.
For full details, please see our <a href="https://cms-server.peoplesenergy.co.uk/uploads/_/originals/bereavement-policy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bereavement policy.</a>

What to do when an account holder has passed away

If you&rsquo;re of pensionable age, have young children or are disabledor chronically ill, we can add you to our Priority Services Register.
It's a free service we provide to give you some extra support when it comes to managing to your energy.
<h2>Who is eligible for the Priority Services Register?</h2>
You can be added to our priority services register if you:
<ul>
<li>are of pensionable age</li>
<li>have children in your home under the age of 5</li>
<li>are disabled or chronically ill</li>
<li>have a hearing or visual impairment or additional communication needs,</li>
<li>have a long-term medical condition, especially if it involves electricity powered support</li>
<li>are in a vulnerable situation like a mental health condition that impacts your understanding of your bill or another temporary circumstance, that means you need extra support for a period of time</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="card-title">How do I join the Priority Services Register?</h2>
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If you'd like to be added to the Priority Services Register, get in touch with us. You can tell us about your household situation by:
<ul>
<li>Calling us on <a href="tel:+44131%20516%207793">0131 516 7793</a></li>
<li>Emailing <a href="mailto:CustomerServices@peoplesenergy.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">customerservices@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a></li>
<li>Speaking with one of our team on livechat, which you can launch by clicking the yellow livechat bubble at the bottom of your screen</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="card-title">What proof do I need to be added to the Priority Services Register?</h2>
<div class="card-text cms_post_content">
You don't need any proof of disability or age to be eligible for the Priority Services Register. We can add you if you:
<ul>
<li>Would struggle to maintain your mental well being if you lost power for any length of time</li>
<li>Require support in some way</li>
<li>Have any physical or mental health condition which could be negatively affected if there was an issue with the power supply to your home</li>
<li>Experience temporary vulnerability, for example if you have just left hospital or suffered a bereavement</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 class="card-title">What extra support can I get if I'm added to the Priority Services Register (PSR)?</h2>
<div class="card-text cms_post_content">
We'll provide you with support that's tailored to your personal circumstances. This might include:
<ul>
<li>If you rely on your energy supply for any medical needs, giving advance notice of planned power cuts in your area&nbsp;</li>
<li>Prioritising support to you during an emergency such as an interruption your power supply</li>
<li>Providing account and billing information in a format that works for you, like audio or large print</li>
<li>Making arrangements for our metering partners to identify themselves if they come to your home, like giving a password</li>
<li>Providing a meter reading service or a smart meter if there's nobody in your home able to read your meter.</li>
</ul>
A nominee scheme is also available if you want to let a trusted family member or carer access your account on your behalf.
</div>
</div>

What extra support services are available for members (the Priority Services Register)?

We&rsquo;ve worked hard to make our statements as simple as possible. However, we have to include certain information, some of which can be quite hard to understand.
To help you find the information you need, we&rsquo;ve created a quick guide that explains the key parts of your statement.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Basic account information</h2>
At the top, the statement shows some basic information - your People&rsquo;s Energy account number, your statement number and your statement period, which tells you the dates for which you&rsquo;re being charged.
&nbsp;
<h2>Your current charges and account balance</h2>
The first part of the statement outlines the energy that you&rsquo;ve used since your last statement, and the payment that we&rsquo;ll take from your bank account.
&nbsp;
<h2>Your current account balance</h2>
Your current account balance shows whether you have built up credit, or are in debit.&nbsp;
If your account is in credit, it means that you've paid for more energy than you've used, and your account will show a positive balance. If your account is in debit, it means you've used more energy than you've paid for, and your account will show as a negative balance.
<a title="What does credit and debit mean" href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/bills-and-payments/your-statements/what-does-credit-and-debit-mean">Find out more about credit and debit on your account here.</a>
&nbsp;
<h2>Your monthly Direct Debit charge</h2>
This is the amount you&rsquo;ll pay by Direct Debit this month, and the date when we&rsquo;ll take the payment from your account.
&nbsp;
<h2>Account summary</h2>
The account summary shows how we&rsquo;ve worked out your account balance for the current statement period. It includes:
<ul>
<li>Previous account balance. How much your account balance was in debit or credit last month, before you paid.</li>
<li>Payment received. The amount you paid us since your last statement &ndash; thank you!</li>
<li>Credits/adjustments. Any credits that we have refunded to your account, or other adjustments. We make adjustments when energy usage that we&rsquo;ve billed you for in the past is different to what you&rsquo;ve actually used. For example, this happens if we have to estimate your bill because we didn&rsquo;t have your current meter readings. In this instance, we&rsquo;ll either credit you some money, or add a charge to cover any additional usage.</li>
</ul>
Together, these all add up to a total Balance Brought Forward. This is your account balance, before we add on any charges for the current month.
&nbsp;
<h2>Charges this month</h2>
Your statement also breaks down your total energy usage for the month. It outlines how much you paid for gas, and how much you paid for electricity, along with the cost of VAT. If we don&rsquo;t have a recent meter reading, you&rsquo;ll see an estimate of how much gas and electricity we think you&rsquo;ve used.
Adding together your Balance Brought Forward and your energy charges for the month gives you your current account balance.
&nbsp;
<h2>Details of your annual and monthly gas and electricity usage</h2>
The second part of your statement shows a more detailed breakdown of your electricity and gas usage. This includes:
<ul>
<li>The name of your tariff, and the end date of your contract if you&rsquo;re on one of our fixed-rate tariffs</li>
<li>Your payment method</li>
<li>An estimate of how much gas and electricity we think you&rsquo;ll use in a year</li>
<li>Your meter readings, and whether these are estimated, done by the industry, or done by you. An industry reading is a reading that&rsquo;s been given to us by your previous supplier, or taken by a meter reader who&rsquo;s visited your property</li>
<li>Unique numbers that identify your gas and electricity meters. For electricity this is MPAN, or meter point administration number. For gas, this is MPRN, or meter point reference number</li>
<li>Current gas and electricity prices, and standing charges.&nbsp;A&nbsp;standing charge is a fixed daily amount you pay for your gas and electricity. Standing charges are used to cover the costs of supplying energy to your home. Think of it like the line rental you pay on your landline phone connection, with your calls - or your energy use - added on as extra</li>
<li>The amount of gas and electricity you&rsquo;ve used over the past month, in kilowatt-hours</li>
<li>An explanation of how we work out your gas usage. This is a little more complicated than calculating electricity usage, as we need to convert a unit of measurement known as calorific values into kilowatt-hours</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
For any further questions about your energy statement, or if you're worried about how much you owe us, then you can <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">get in touch with our Member ServicesTeam</a>.

How do I read my statement?

A smart meter records your energy usage in the same way as a traditional meter. But it has the added bonus of automatically sending your meter readings, at least once a month, to your energy supplier. So no more meter readings! Your meter will connect through a communications hub to an industry network that passes your meter readings back to your supplier.
We&rsquo;ll be installing only Second Generation (SMETS2) smart meters. These are the newest generation of meters, designed to make the use of energy more efficient.
A SMETS2 smart meter is also compatible with energy supplier - so if want to join, or leave, People's Energy, then you don't need to worry about getting a new smart meter.

What is a smart meter?

<h2>No more estimated bills</h2>
Your smart meter will send us your meter readings automatically. So your bills will be based on accurate meter readings. You&rsquo;ll be charged for exactly what you use. And you won&rsquo;t have to take a meter reading again - ever.
<h2>You can see how much energy you use in real time</h2>
You can track your energy usage using your smart meter&rsquo;s In-Home Display or "IHD". This could mean energy savings just from understanding and tweaking your usage habits. Your smart meter can save you money by helping you change your habits - and help save the planet too
<h2>Help keep your energy costs down</h2>
We&rsquo;ll use your meter reading information, and those of all our smart meter members, to help us predict more accurately how much energy we need to buy. A more accurate forecast means we buy at a better price, helping to keep our costs down. And the cheaper we buy our energy, the cheaper we can sell it to you.

What are the benefits of a smart meter?

The UK has a wide range of gas inputs into the system: the UK&rsquo;s own gas production from the North Sea, piped imports from Norway and Continental Europe, storage, and liquefied natural gas tanker supplies from global markets.
There's no meaningful or commercial fracking of gas in the UK as of today, and we wouldn't support it if there was.
As long as the various gas supplies being injected into the system meet certain standards, the gas enters the National Transmission System (NTS). At that point, it becomes co-mingled with natural gas molecules from all the various types of supply. So, all forms of supply to the UK are co-mingled - and in theory, would be co-mingled with any gas that is fracked in the UK, or from anywhere else. Unfortunately, there's no way to control this unless you're in a closed gas grid with one source of supply. What this means is that it's impossible to specify the exact source of any gas you purchase - and this is the case for all energy suppliers.
So, there's no guarantee of which molecules end up in someone&rsquo;s pipe. But we can guarantee that we don't knowingly source gas from any fracking source in the UK, or elsewhere.

We don't support fracking

In 2020, People's Energy became a registered Community Interest Company (CIC). It's a type of social enterprise which exists to benefit the community, rather than shareholders.
As a CIC, we&rsquo;ve committed to these social objectives:&nbsp;
1. Helping individuals, families and households on low incomes, and especially those on pre-payment meters, access fairly priced energy.&nbsp;
2. Supporting community projects and&nbsp;charities&nbsp;that further the above aim&nbsp;
3. Reducing&nbsp;our environmental impact&nbsp;through&nbsp;increased sustainability and&nbsp;the provision of greener energy.&nbsp;
Becoming a Community Interest Company means our members know we're committed to our values. Social responsibility isn&rsquo;t a tick-box - it's a key part of what we set out to do: to make energy fairly-priced and affordable for all.
Read more about People's Energy becoming a <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/about/blog/we-are-now-a-community-interest-company">Community Interest Company.</a>

We're a social enterprise and registered Community Interest Company

Switching energy suppliers is usually straightforward. Sometimes, however,&nbsp; an energy supplier tries to take over the energy supply of a property by mistake. This is called an erroneous transfer, and it happens in around 1% of switches.
If it happens to you, we know it&rsquo;s frustrating and we&rsquo;re sorry for the hassle. We&rsquo;ll work quickly with the other supplier to things sorted out. You&rsquo;ll continue to be supplied with energy, and you&rsquo;ll pay only for the energy you use.
&nbsp;
Erroneous transfers usually happen for one of four reasons:
<ul>
<li>Human error, e.g. accidentally selecting the wrong address, usually a neighbour's, when signing up</li>
<li>The details of your meter details on the national energy database (used by all energy suppliers) are wrong, or bits are missing. This tends to be more common with flats and new-build properties</li>
<li>You change your mind and cancel during the 14 day cooling-off period, but we couldn&rsquo;t stop the switch in time</li>
<li>In rare cases, your details may have been used fraudulently to apply for a switch</li>
</ul>
<h2>&nbsp;</h2>
<h2>If we've taken over your supply by mistake, we'll put things right</h2>
If we've taken over your supply by mistake, we're sorry. Let us know, and we&rsquo;ll switch you back to your old supplier. This usually takes 20 days, but in some cases it may take longer.&nbsp; In the meantime, your old supplier will continue to bill you for energy as normal, just as if nothing had happened. There won't be any charge from us.
Or, if you want to stay with People&rsquo;s Energy, we&rsquo;d love to have you. Let us know and we&rsquo;ll get you signed up.
<h2>&nbsp;</h2>
<h2>If you've been switched away from us, we'll work to get you switched back</h2>
If you receive an email from us saying &lsquo;We&rsquo;re sorry to see you go&rsquo;, but you didn't sign up with another supplier, please let us know. It may be that another energy supplier is attempting to take over your supply by mistake. If we find out early enough, we can stop the switch so the sooner we know, the better.
If we can&rsquo;t stop it and the switch goes through, we&rsquo;ll ask the other supplier to switch your supply back to us. It should be sorted within 20 working days, but may take longer&nbsp; back over to us, as we&rsquo;ll need the agreement of the other supplier first.
You won't need to pay the supplier who has taken over your energy by mistake anything. We&rsquo;ll continue to bill you as normal, as if the switch never took place
You can find more information on erroneous transfers at the <a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/youve-been-switched-to-a-new-energy-supplier-without-your-agreement/">Citizens Advice Bureau</a>.&nbsp;
<h2>&nbsp;</h2>
<h2>The Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>
The process outlined above is regulated by the government's industry regulator <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/">Ofgem, </a>in the&nbsp;Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter. It lays out what energy suppliers must do, and when, so that your interests are protected throughout.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The 1.4 Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter (ETCC) is as follows:
1. If a customer believes that they have been erroneously transferred then they can contact either their old or new supplier. The contacted supplier will liaise with the other supplier to resolve the matter.&nbsp;
2. An appropriately trained representative of the contacted supplier should explain to the customer:
<ul>
<li>What action will be taken</li>
<li>When they can reasonably expect to be transferred back to their original</li>
<li>supplier</li>
<li>That they will only pay once for the energy consumed and where possible,</li>
<li>How their billing arrangements will be treated</li>
<li>How they will be kept informed of progress towards resolution</li>
<li>On request, how complaints will be resolved and, where appropriate, how compensation claims will be dealt with.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;3. The contacted supplier will send written confirmation of the details provided above within five Working Days of the customer contact. Where possible the supplier will include an explanation of why the erroneous transfer took place.
4. The customer will be provided with confirmation within 20 Working Days of their initial contact that they will be returned to their old supplier.
&nbsp;
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/supplier-guaranteed-standards-performance-switching-second-phase-final-decision-and-statutory-instrument">Guaranteed Standards for Switching</a>.
&nbsp;

I've been switched to you by mistake (an erroneous transfer)

&nbsp;If your energy supply has been switched to People&rsquo;s Energy and you weren&rsquo;t expecting it, we can help you find out why.
There are two reasons why your supply has been switched:
<ul>
<li>You've been switched by an auto-switching site you've signed up with in the past</li>
<li>You've been switched by mistake, known as an erroneous transfer</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h2>You&rsquo;ve signed up to a switching site and given them permission to switch your supply</h2>
&nbsp;
Energy auto-switching services compare energy prices across the market, and automatically switch you to the supplier that can offer you the best deal at the end of your current contract. This usually means a cheaper price for your gas and electricity, as well as top-rated customer service.
&nbsp;We partner with these auto-switching services:
<ul>
<li>Big Clean Switch</li>
<li>Look After My Bills</li>
<li>Quotezone</li>
<li>Switchcraft</li>
<li>Which?</li>
</ul>
If you&rsquo;ve signed up for one of these services in the past, that&rsquo;s probably the reason you&rsquo;ve been switched to us. Your switching service should have let you know that your supply is moving to People&rsquo;s Energy. We&rsquo;ll also have sent you a welcome email with your new tariff, supply start date and any other information you need.&nbsp;
Not sure about switching to us? There's lots of great reasons to stay:
<ul>
<li>We consistently provide some of the lowest tariffs on the market. You could save up to &pound;200*</li>
<li>We&rsquo;re a social enterprise, dedicated to ending fuel poverty</li>
<li>Our UK-based customer service is rated Excellent on Trustpilot</li>
<li>We're committed to supplying green electricity, and making renewable energy affordable for everyone</li>
</ul>
But if you&rsquo;re not sure about your switch to us, you have a 14-day cooling-off period to think it over. If you&rsquo;d like to cancel, just <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">let us know.</a>
&nbsp;
<h3>Your personal data is safe</h3>
Switching services send us some personal data when they switch a customer to another energy provider. We securely store all of your personal data, and our approach is honest and ethical - we only ask for the data we need to get your account set up. You can read more about how we handle your data in our&nbsp;<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/about/privacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">privacy policy</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>You&rsquo;ve been switched by mistake</h2>
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s possible you signed up to a switching site and forgot about it. So if you&rsquo;ve been switched to us and you weren&rsquo;t expecting to be, check this first.
But sometimes, an energy supplier takes over a gas or electricity supply by mistake. This is called an erroneous transfer.&nbsp;
There are a few reasons why this can happen &ndash; for example, if your meter details are wrong on the national energy database, or if someone accidentally used your address when they signed up with us.
If this happens to you, we&rsquo;re really sorry for the hassle. We&rsquo;ll work quickly with your original supplier to get this fixed. You&rsquo;ll continue to be supplied with energy throughout and you&rsquo;ll pay only for the energy you use - your old supplier will continue to bill you for energy as normal, just as if nothing had happened.&nbsp;
Find out more about what to do if your&nbsp;<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/erroneous-transfers-switched-by-mistake" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">energy supply has been switched by mistake.</a>
&nbsp;
*Against the price cap, based on medium consumption as defined by Ofgem

Why have I been switched to you?

We want to make managing your energy as simple as possible. The best way to do this is to register for an online account. It lets you do things like submit meter readings, check your account balance, or see your latest statement.
It&rsquo;s really easy to get set up.
&nbsp;
<h2>I&rsquo;m a new member - how do I register for my online account?</h2>
When you first sign up with us, we&rsquo;ll ask for your email address. This will be the email address that is linked to your online account.
Shortly before we start supplying you with energy, we&rsquo;ll send you an email inviting you to log in to your online account. All you need to do is click the invite link in your email and create a password - then you&rsquo;re in! It&rsquo;s that simple.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you haven&rsquo;t received your account invite email</h2>
If you haven&rsquo;t received your invite email, it&rsquo;s still easy to get access to your online account. Follow this&nbsp;<a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">link</a>&nbsp;and click Register.
You&rsquo;ll be asked to fill in your email address, postcode and People&rsquo;s Energy account number. You can find your account number in the welcome email we sent you when you first signed up for People&rsquo;s Energy. We&rsquo;ll then send you an email with a link to create a password, and you&rsquo;ll be able to log in. That&rsquo;s it!
&nbsp;
<h2>I&rsquo;m a current member - how do I access my account?</h2>
To access your online account, all you need to do is click the red Login button at the top right of this page. You&rsquo;ll need the email address you signed up with, and your password to log in.
&nbsp;
<h2>I&rsquo;ve lost my password &ndash; how do I get back into my account?</h2>
Don&rsquo;t worry if you&rsquo;ve forgotten your password. You can regain access to your account by going&nbsp;<a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>&nbsp;and clicking &ldquo;Forgotten Your Password?&rdquo;. We&rsquo;ll then send you an email that will let you reset your password. You can set up a new password for your account as often as you like.
&nbsp;
Need help getting into your account?&nbsp;<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Get in touch</a> with our Member ServicesTeam.

How do I access my online account?

If you&rsquo;d like to pay off all or part of a negative balance on your account (when your account balance is less than &pound;0, also known as a debit), it&rsquo;s easy to make a one-off payment. Just fill in our <a href="https://pay.peoplesenergy.co.uk/">online form</a>.
It normally takes 3-5 working days for the payment to appear on your account.
&nbsp;
<h2>At certain times of the year, it's normal to have a small debit on your account</h2>
It&rsquo;s ok to have a small debit on your account at certain times of the year &ndash; for example, after the winter when you&rsquo;ve had your heating and lights on more regularly.
We calculate the cost of your monthly Direct Debit payment to take into account your higher energy use over the winter &ndash; it&rsquo;s why we set your payments to be the same amount each month, even though your energy usage varies throughout the year. Your account will usually go back into credit (meaning your account balance will be more than &pound;0) over the summer, when your energy usage is lower.
However, if you&rsquo;re worried your account is going too far into debit, you may want to make a payment to clear some or all the balance.
&nbsp;
<h2>Regular meter readings help us make sure you&rsquo;re not underpaying or overpaying for your energy</h2>
To keep your account from drifting too far into debit, the best thing to do is to give your meter readings every month. It helps us get an accurate picture of how much energy you&rsquo;re actually using, and make sure you&rsquo;re paying the right amount for your energy.
If we know you&rsquo;re using more (or less) energy than expected, we can adjust your monthly payment &ndash; so there&rsquo;s no surprise bills down the line.
It&rsquo;s easy to submit your meter readings online &ndash; <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/how-to-read-your-meter/how-do-i-submit-my-latest-meter-readings">find out how here</a>.&nbsp;
Or, you can <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/how-to-read-your-meter">get help reading your meter here</a>.&nbsp;

How do I make a payment online?

Sometimes life throws us curveballs. All of a sudden, we're facing a change in our lives, like losing a job, illness or caring responsibilities. Before we know it, the bills are building up and it can all feel a bit too much.
We believe that whatever goes on in life, everyone has a right to have access to energy. If you're finding things tough, we can help.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you've missed a bill payment, we'll try to get in touch</h2>
If we spot that you have missed a payment, we'll do our best to get in touch as soon as possible.
It might be something easy to fix. For example, you may have accidentally cancelled a Direct Debit instruction. In these cases, we can quickly get your payments set back up again, or take a payment over the phone. This way, we can avoid the balance you owe increasing.
Sometimes, you may be facing a bigger change in your life. We know it's hard to keep track of everything if you're dealing with an big or sudden change in circumstances, especially an event like losing a loved one, the break up of a relationship or a redudancy. We want to make managing your energy bills as easy and as stress-free as possible.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you're experiencing payment difficulties, please let us know</h2>
If you're struggling to pay your bills, the best thing to do is to reach out to us as soon as possible. Our advice team is available to help Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm, on <a title="Advice team" href="tel:01313787120">0131 378 7120</a>.
Once we know you are struggling to pay, we can look at potential options for supporting you, like arranging a payment plan.
If we're not able to agree a payment arrangement, and you don&rsquo;t already have a prepayment meter, we may offer to install a prepayment meter, which will allow you to have more control over how much energy you use, and when.
We'll always try as hard as we can to find a solution that works, but under certain circumstances we may need to involve our debt collection agency. For example, if we're not able to get in contact with you, or if we can't agre on a suitable payment plan. We'll share your account information with them, and this may impact your credit score.
You can find out more in our <a href="https://cms-server.peoplesenergy.co.uk/uploads/_/originals/struggling-to-pay-policy.pdf">struggling to pay policy</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>Organisations that can help you with debt</h2>
We always recommend that you get in touch with us as soon as you find yourself struggling. However, you can also get free, confidential help and independent advice on managing debt from a number of national and local organisations.&nbsp;
All of the services below are free and confidential. Other organisations are available and we encourage you to find the one that works best for your needs.
&nbsp;
<h3>Money Advice Service</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website: <a href="https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en">www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>Citizens Advice Bureau&nbsp;</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website: <a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk">www.citizensadvice.org.uk</a></li>
<li>Phone: 0808 223 1133 (or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language)</li>
</ul>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>Scottish Debt Advice</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website: <a href="https://scottish-debt-advice.org.uk">scottish-debt-advice.org.uk</a></li>
<li>Phone: 0800 253 2042</li>
</ul>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>National Debt Helpline</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website: <a href="https://www.nationaldebtline.org">www.nationaldebtline.org </a></li>
<li>Phone: 0808 808 4000</li>
</ul>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>Stepchange</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website: <a href="https://www.stepchange.org/debt-info/debt-consolidation.aspx">www.stepchange.org</a></li>
<li>Phone: 0800 138 1111</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

I'm worried about paying my energy bill

Yes. You can ask for the amount you pay by Direct Debit to be changed at any time.
However, we set the amount you pay at the right amount based on how much energy we think you're going to use over the whole year. So, to avoid your account going far into <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/bills-and-payments/your-statements/what-does-credit-and-debit-mean">debit or credit</a>, it's best to keep your Direct Debit at the level we recommend.
To make sure your monthly Direct Debit is right, we always keep an eye on how much energy you&rsquo;re using. We&rsquo;ll let you know if we think the amount you're paying needs to change.
However, if your account balance is further in debit than you&rsquo;re happy with, you can increase your monthly payment. Or, if you think you&rsquo;re building up too much credit, you can ask for a refund &ndash; though remember, it&rsquo;s a good idea to have some credit on your account to help cover the cost of your higher energy usage in the winter.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;d like to discuss your monthly Direct Debit, our Member Support Team are here to chat things over by <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">phone, email or livechat</a>.
You can check your account balance&nbsp;<a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">online</a>, or find it at the top of your monthly statement.
Or, if you'd like to clear a debit on your account,you can make a <a href="Or,%20if%20you'd%20like%20to%20clear%20a%20debit%20on%20your%20account,%20you%20can%20make%20a%20one-off%20payment%20online%20here.">one-off payment online</a>.

Can I change the amount I pay?

If we&rsquo;ve increased your Direct Debit, it&rsquo;s because you&rsquo;re using more energy than you&rsquo;re currently paying for. The increase in your monthly payments will help to cover the cost of that extra energy, and prevent your account going into debit (when you owe money). The cost of the extra energy you&rsquo;re using is spread across those monthly payments - so you don&rsquo;t wind up with a lump sum to pay off unexpectedly when you come to the end of your contract.
We work hard to make sure your energy bills are set at the right amount for your usage, and to minimise changes to your monthly Direct Debit. However, we occasionally need to make some adjustments to what you&rsquo;re paying.
There&rsquo;s two reasons why we may need to do this.
&nbsp;
<h2>We now have meter readings to help us work out your energy usage more accurately</h2>
When you join People&rsquo;s Energy, we work out what your monthly Direct Debit payment should be. We do this by estimating your total energy usage for the next year, and then split it into equal monthly payments,&nbsp;so the cost of your energy is evenly spread over the year.
We base our estimate on the amount of energy you said you use when you signed up with us. Or, if you&rsquo;ve come to us from a switching site, we'll use the amount of energy they&rsquo;ve told us you use.
Sometimes, these estimates are based on average consumption figures, which might not be accurate for your property. After you switch, we can look at your meter readings and historical usage. This is the best indicator of what your likely future energy usage will be.
If we&rsquo;ve been using estimates of your consumption, your Direct Debit might be set too high or too low. Once we have meter readings and information on your historical usage, we&rsquo;ll know exactly how much energy you&rsquo;re using and we&rsquo;ll adjust your Direct Debit, if it needs it.
It&rsquo;s a great idea to give us your meter readings monthly. That way you can be sure you are paying just the right amount for your energy. You can let us know your latest meter readings easily just but clicking the link in your monthly reminder email. Or, submit your readings in just a couple of minutes through your <a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login">online account</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>You&rsquo;re using more or less energy than we expected over the course of the year</h2>
Over time, people's circumstances can change - and their energy usage can change too. So, we run regular account health check-ups to make sure your Direct Debit matches the amount of energy you&rsquo;re using.&nbsp;
There are lots of reasons why your energy consumption might have gone up over the past few months.&nbsp;For example, your energy usage might have gone up if another person has moved into your home, if an extension has been added to your property, or if you&rsquo;ve bought an appliance that eats up a lot of power, like a tumble dryer or an electric heater.
&nbsp;
<h2>We check that you're paying the right amount for the energy you're using</h2>
We regularly check your account to make sure the amount we&rsquo;ve set for your monthly payment is right, based on how much gas and electricity you&rsquo;re using. If we think your monthly Direct Debit payment needs to change, we&rsquo;ll let you know.
We&rsquo;ll only suggest an increase to your Direct Debit if you&rsquo;re using more energy than we expected, and we&rsquo;ll let you know in advance if your payment needs to increase. If you&rsquo;re using much less energy than we expected, we may suggest that you reduce the amount you&rsquo;re paying each month.
We&rsquo;ll always notify you by email before making any changes to your monthly Direct Debit. You can also easily clear a debt on your account by arranging <a href="https://pay.peoplesenergy.co.uk/">a one-off payment online</a>, or <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">speaking with one of our team</a>.
We know that no one likes their monthly payments to go up, and we always do our best to avoid making changes. Regular meter readings help us to do this, as this makes sure we have a really accurate picture of how much energy you&rsquo;re using (rather than relying on estimates). Which means there&rsquo;s no surprises for you down the line.&nbsp;
We'll send you a reminder to submit your latest meter readings every month. Or, <a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login">you can submit your meter readings via your online account</a>.

Why has my Direct Debit gone up?

<h2>If your account is in credit, you've paid for more energy than you've used</h2>
If you&rsquo;ve built up credit, it means there&rsquo;s money in your account. Some credit on your account is recommended, as it to helps to cover times when you use more energy, like in the winter, when you have the heating on more. But, if you'd like a refund, <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">let us know</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>If your account is in debit, you've used more energy than you'd paid for - but don't worry</h2>
There are times of the year when it's normal for your account to be in debit, like at the end of the winter (when your energy usage will probably have been higher). Your account will usually go back into credit in the summer when you&rsquo;re using less energy. But, if we think you&rsquo;re actually using more energy over the year than you&rsquo;re paying for, then we&rsquo;ll let you know that your monthly payment may need to change.&nbsp;
You can find your account balance on your monthly statement, or by logging in to your <a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login">online account</a>.
Alternatively, you can make <a href="https://pay.peoplesenergy.co.uk/">a one-off payment to your account online</a>, or get in touch with one of our <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">Member Services Team</a>.

What does "credit" and "debit" mean?

We feel very passionate about renewable energy and all our electricity comes from renewable sources. We&rsquo;ll be able to install smart meters in properties with solar panels.
If you have solar panels, we&rsquo;ll only be able to exchange your import meter when it is with People's Energy. But not your export meter which will be with another supplier, as we currently don't support these. Your In-Home Display or "IHD" will only show your energy consumption. It will not show the energy you are generating. This will still be shown on the bill with the supplier of your export meter.

Can I get a smart meter with you if I have solar panels?

You dictate how much data that we, as your energy supplier, will receive. Your account information will not be stored as data within your meter. It simply records your energy usage data, nothing else. You&rsquo;ll be able to see the tariff you are on so this can help you budget.

How much of my data will you have access to?

Smart meters are covered by strict product safety laws set by the UK government. Public Health authorities do not believe smart meters pose risks to your health. The exposure to radio waves from your smart meter are well within guideline levels and are many times lower than those emitted by your Wi-Fi and mobile phone.
Security was at the heart of the creation of the UK's smart meter programmers and the system has been designed specifically to prevent hacking. Smart meters don't use the internet and all communications are run through a closed system dedicated to smart meters. They don't retain any personal information.

Are smart meters safe?

For billing, we'll take readings from your smart meter every month. But, you can actually let us know how often you want us to receive your readings - half-hourly, daily or monthly. If we start taking daily reads, we&rsquo;ll give you seven days' notice. If you don't want this, you can opt out. We need your express permission to take half-hourly readings.
When we install your smart meter, we'll ask you how often you'd like us to take your meter readings. You can change this at any time by getting in touch with <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">our Member Services Team</a>.

How often will you collect my readings?

Yes! We're currently installing second generation (SMETS2) smart meters for our Direct Debit members.
We're starting with members in areas where we know smart network connectivity is good, and smart meters are likely to work well.
In some areas, the smart network has poor coverage, which means smart meters don't work well. If you live in an area where connectivity isn't as strong, there's a chance we won't be able to install a smart meter for you right now. Work is underway to improve the smart network across the whole UK, so when we're able to offer a smart meter in your area, we'll be in touch.
At the moment, we're also not able to offer smart meters for our Prepay members. We're working hard on getting this up and running, and should be able to offer smart prepay meters soon.
&nbsp;

When you get a smart meter, it's likely that your bills will actually decrease. This is because smart meters help us predict more accurately the amount of energy we need to buy on the wholesale market. Knowing this, lets us buy in advance when wholesale prices are lower. The cheaper we buy the energy, the cheaper your tariff. And you can monitor your usage which may help you become more energy savvy and use energy more efficiently.

Are my bills likely to go up or down if I get a smart meter?

Magnum Utilities are our partner for installing smart meters. They're specialists in the installation of smart meters in domestic premises across the UK. They're members of the Association of Meter Operators, and have the required safety accreditation to install your smart meter safely.
They may get in touch with you on our behalf to offer you a smart meter installation.
<img src="https://cms-server.peoplesenergy.co.uk/uploads/_/originals/magnum-utilities-web.png" alt="Magnum utilities" height="160" />

Installing your smart meter with Magnum Utilities

The Second Generation (SMET2) meters we&rsquo;re going to install are designed to transfer with you from one supplier to another, maintaining their functionality.
If you have a First Generation (SMET1) smart meter, this will be migrated over to the same network as the Second Generation (SMET2) smart meters, meaning it will then work across all suppliers. This process has started and aims to be completed by July 2021.

Will my smart meter work with other suppliers?

Yes, you can switch to us at any time. However, it's important to be aware that you may need to pay fees to your current supplier if you wish to leave your contract early.
Ofgem states that if you're within 42 days of the end of your contract, and have received the contract-ending notification letter from your current supplier, we can switch your supply without waiting for your contract to end. That means you can switch to us without having to pay exit fees, or other contract termination fees, to your current supplier (it's important to remember though, that not all suppliers will provide you with this notification).
If you have more than 42 days left before your contract ends, it may be easier for you to wait before applying to switch to us, as it means avoiding any fees that you might incur for leaving your contract with your current supplier early. As soon as you're within the 42-day window, we'd love to have you - and switching takes just two minutes.
If there's any other reason you'd like to request a change in the date we start to supply you with energy, then speak with one of our Membership Support Team.

Can I switch to you before my contract with my current supplier ends?

If you're switching the energy supply for your home, you don't need to let your current supplier know that you're switching - we'll do that for you.

Do I need to tell my current supplier I'm switching to you?

If you have already have smart meter, and you pay by Direct Debit, you can join People's Energy today.
Right now, we're not able to support smart prepay/top up meters. We're working on being able to offer this to members soon.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you have a SMETS2/second generation meter</h2>
If you have a second generation or SMETS2 meter, we'll be able to start communicating with your smart meter right away. When you switch, we'll need you to provide manual readings for a short time, but will soon be able to read them automatically as your current supplier does. We'll let you know when you can stop sending in your readings.
Find out how to submit a meter reading for your SMETS 2 smart meter.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you have a SMETS1/first generation meter</h2>
We're not yet able to automatically take meter readings for SMETS1 meters. Your smart meter will still work, but you'll need to send your meter readings in to us as you would a traditional or "dumb" meter.&nbsp;
The Data Communications Company (DCC) is working on updating all UK SMETS1 meters to get them switched over to the same network as second generation SMETS2 meters. Their goal is for all first generation meters to be upgraded by the end of Summer 2021. After this, we should be able to take your meter readings automatically as we would a SMETS2 meter.
Find out <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/submitting-your-meter-readings/how-do-i-submit-my-latest-meter-readings">how to submit a meter reading for your SMETS1 smart meter</a>.

Can I switch to you if I already have a smart meter?

The Government is encouraging all UK homes to have a smart meter in place by the end of 2024. But it's not compulsory and if you don&rsquo;t want one, you don&rsquo;t have to have one. However, we are bound by law to offer them to all of our members. When you receive communication from us about joining the smart world, just let us know if you are not interested.

What if I don't want a smart meter?

The Feed-In Tariff (FIT) scheme allows domestic customers to install solar panels, or other power generation units, in their own homes and sell the power generated back to their supplier.
Though we're planning to be able to offer feed-in tariffs to members in the future, it's not available for members right now. However, <a href="https://signup.peoplesenergy.co.uk/">you can still switch to us</a> to supply the energy you need, whilst continuing to sell your power back to your current Feed-In Tariff supplier.&nbsp;

Do you offer a Feed-in Tariff (FIT)?

<div class="card-text cms_post_content">
You are now properly signed up to switch &ndash; welcome, we're excited you are here!
We'll now tell your current supplier that you want to join us.
If they don&rsquo;t object, they will release your energy supply to us (objections occur on occasions).
Once your current supplier has released your account to us and we can take over your supply (usually around 21 days) we'll start asking you for your meter readings. We need the meter read within five days of the actual switch from your other supplier to us (either before or after the switch). Giving us your meter reads allows us to give you an accurate bill. That way you don&rsquo;t have to pay for more energy than you use.
</div>

I've accepted a quote with you. What happens now?

There's lots of different types of electricity meters, but they're easy to read once you know how.
Find out how to read a:
<ul>
<li><a href="#read-single-rate">Traditional (single rate) electric meter</a></li>
<li><a href="#read-dual-rate">Two rate electric meter</a> (also known dual rate, or Economy 7)</li>
<li><a href="#read-digital">Digital electric meter</a></li>
<li><a href="#read-dial">Dial electric meter</a></li>
</ul>
We'll send you an email when it's time to submit your meter readings. However, you can give us you latest meter reading at any time.
You can easily submit your readings in just a couple of minutes through your <a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login">online account</a>.
If you haven't got an online account, find out <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/manage-my-account/how-do-i-access-my-online-account">how to get set one set up</a> in just a couple of minutes.
&nbsp;
<h2 id="read-single-rate" aria-level="3">How to read a single rate electric meter</h2>
Read the numbers on your meter from left to right. Ignore any numbers in red, or in a red box.
In this example, the meter reading is 65319.
<img src="https://cms.peoplesenergy.co.uk/uploads/_/originals/single-meter-how-to-read-your-meter-2.png" alt="Single Meter How To Read Your Meter 2" width="330" height="60" />
&nbsp;
<h2 id="read-dual-rate">How to read two-rate electric meters (Economy 7)</h2>
A two-rate or dual-rate meter measures two different rates for your energy usage &ndash; one for nighttime (off-peak hours) and one for the daytime (peak hours). You&rsquo;ll need to provide meter readings for both.
<ul>
<li>Your meter will have two rows. One will be marked &ldquo;Low&rdquo; or &ldquo;Night&rdquo;, and the other will be marked &ldquo;Normal&rdquo; or &ldquo;Day&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Read the numbers from left to right to get your reading for each row. Ignore any numbers in red, in a red box, or after a decimal point.</li>
</ul>
In this example, the meter reading for the Day rate is 65319 and for the Night rate is 25318.
<img src="https://cms.peoplesenergy.co.uk/uploads/_/originals/dual-rate-how-to-read-your-meter-2.png" alt="Dual Rate How To Read Your Meter 2" width="343" height="214" />
&nbsp;
<h2 id="read-digital">How to read a digital electric meter</h2>
Read your display from left to right, ignoring any numbers in red, or any figures that appear after a decimal point.
In this example, the meter reading is 65319.
<img src="https://cms.peoplesenergy.co.uk/uploads/_/originals/digital-how-to-read-your-meter-2.png" alt="Digital How To Read Your Meter 2" width="339" height="54" />
&nbsp;
<h2 id="read-dial">How to read a dial electric meter</h2>
A dial electric meter has 5 or more dials. Each dial has a pointer that turns to point to a number between 0 and 9.
Each dial moves in a direction opposite to the one right before it. So, if the first dial moves in a clockwise direction, the one to the right of it will move in an anti-clockwise direction. There may be an arrow on each dial to show which way the dial pointer will move.
To keep track of the numbers, you may want to write these down before submitting them.
In the example below, the meter reading is 56514.
<img src="https://cms.peoplesenergy.co.uk/uploads/_/originals/dial-meter-how-to-read-your-meter-2.png" alt="Dial Meter How To Read Your Meter 2" width="780" height="153" />
<ul>
<li>Read the dials from left to right. We only need the numbers from the first 5 dials - ignore the dial marked in red.</li>
<li>When the pointer is in between two numbers, record the lower one. But if the pointer is between 0 and 9, always write down 9.</li>
<li>If the dial points exactly to a number, check the dial to the next dial along to the right. If the dial to the right points to 9, then take one away from the number on the dial you&rsquo;re currently reading. For example, if the dial you&rsquo;re reading shows 4, but the dial to the right of it reads 9, then the number you&rsquo;d write down is 3.</li>
</ul>
Not sure how to read your meter? Our team is available to help on <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">livechat, email or phone now.</a>

How do I read my electricity meter?

There are three main kinds of gas meters: digital metric, imperial, or dial.
Find out how to read your:
<ul>
<li>Digital metric meter: If your meter has 5 numbers to the left of a decimal point, it&rsquo;s a newer metric meter</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Imperial meter: If your meter has 4 numbers to the left of the numbers in red, it&rsquo;s probably an older-style imperial meter</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Dial meter: A dial gas meter will have 4 dials for you to read from</li>
</ul>
We'll send you an email when it's time to submit your meter readings. But you can give us you latest meter reading at any time.
You can easily submit your readings in just a couple of minutes through your <a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login">online account</a>.
If you haven't got an online account, find out <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/manage-my-account/how-do-i-access-my-online-account">how to get set one set up</a> in just a couple of minutes.
&nbsp;
<h2 aria-level="3">How to read a digital metric gas meter</h2>
A digital metric meter will show 5 numbers, followed by a decimal point and some more numbers. Reading left to right, write down the first 5 numbers. Leave out the numbers after the decimal point.
&nbsp;
<h2 aria-level="3">How to read an imperial gas meter</h2>
An imperial gas meter will have 4 numbers, followed by 2 numbers shown in red. Reading left to right, write down the first 4 numbers. Leave out the numbers in red.
&nbsp;
<h2 aria-level="3">How to read a dial gas meter</h2>
A dial gas meter has 4 or more dials. Each dial has a pointer that turns to point to a number between 0 and 9. It may help to write down the numbers first before you submit your reading.
&nbsp;
Each dial moves in a direction opposite to the one before it. So, if the first dial moves in a clockwise direction, the one after it will move in an anti-clockwise direction. There may be an arrow on each dial to show which way the dial pointer will move.
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Read all the numbers on the first four dials. Ignore the big dial, the red dial, or the dial marked 1/10.</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">When the pointer is in between two numbers, record the lower one. But if the pointer is between 0 and 9, always write down 9.</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">If the dial points exactly to a number, check the dial to the next dial along to the right. If the dial to the right shows 9, then take one away from the number on the dial you&rsquo;re currently reading. For example, if the dial you&rsquo;re reading shows 4, but the dial to the right of it reads 9, then the number you&rsquo;d write down is 3.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Not sure how to read your meter? We're here to help.Get in touch with our team on <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">livechat, email or phone now</a>.

How do I read my gas meter?

A prepay or "pay-as-you-go" meter allows you to buy your energy in advance, before you use it (just like a pay-as-you-go phone).
To access your gas and electricity, you'll top up your meter with credit that you've bought from a local shop, garage or Post Office. There's different ways to top up, but you'll usually use a card or a key to do this.&nbsp;
Because you pay for your energy as you use it, you won't get regular bills from us.&nbsp;
A prepaid gas or electricity meter can help you to budget for your energy use. You know how much energy you've got, how much you're using each day, and when it's running low.

What is a prepay / pay-as-you-go meter?

We offer tariffs for traditional prepay meters, so if you already have a prepay meter, you can switch to us in just a couple of minutes. All you need to do is select "prepay meter" when you go through our <a href="https://signup.peoplesenergy.co.uk/">easy online quote process</a>.
Right now, we're not able to offer tariffs for smart prepay meters. We're currently working to get this up and running, and will be able to offer it as an option for members soon.

Can you install prepay meters?

If you're moving in or out of a property, please let us know. Before&nbsp;you move out, make sure&nbsp;you use all&nbsp;the&nbsp;credit on your meter. But, if there&rsquo;s credit left over, we can refund this to you.

How do I cancel my prepay gas and electricity when I move house?

You can top up your gas card or electricity key at any of the following shops:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://consumer.paypoint.com/">Paypoint</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder">Post Office</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.payzone.co.uk/consumers/">Payzone</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Hand over your card or key the shop agent and they'll top up your card for you. You can pay for your top up using a card or cash.
When you put the topped-up card or key in the meter, the credit will transfer over.

Where can I top up?

Emergency credit is bit of credit you can "borrow" from your meter to keep your power on in the case of emergency. It means you don't need to worry about your gas or electricity going off if you're not able to top up.
Don't worry - there's no extra charge for using your emergency credit. But, you will need to repay the emergency credit you used when you top up.
<div class="">
<h2>How to get emergency credit on your gas meter</h2>
</div>
There's &pound;5 emergency credit available on your gas meter.
If your gas meter beeps, it&rsquo;s a warning that you have less than &pound;2 of Credit remaining. At this point, you can access your emergency credit.
To activate the emergency credit, put your card in the meter and press the red button.
<h2>You'll need to pay back the emergency credit you use</h2>
You'll need to pay back any emergency credit you use. You'll also need to pay the <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/prepayment-pay-as-you-go-meters/daily-standing-charges">standing charge</a> that's taken daily from your credit.
These will automatically come off the credit you add the next time you top up. To fully repay your emergency credit and standing charges, you'll need to top up by at least &pound;10.

What is emergency credit and how do I get it?

Friendly emergency credit is a feature of most prepay electricity meters.
It&rsquo;s to stop you from getting stuck without electricity at times when the shops aren&rsquo;t normally open for you to top up &ndash; like late at night, or early in the morning.
It's automatically activated when you run out of credit during certain hours. During the summer, it will activate if your credit runs out between 9pm and 9am. In the winter, it will activate if your credit runs out between 8pm and 8am.
Remember, you can only access friendly emergency credit during the hours listed above. If you run out of credit before 8pm in the winter, or 9pm in the summer, then your friendly emergency credit won't activate, and your gas or electricity will stay off until the next time you top up.
Find out more about <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/what-is-emergency-credit">emergency credit and keeping your power on when your top-up is running low</a>.

What is “Friendly Emergency Credit” and why is it on my meter?

There's a couple reasons why your prepay meter might be showing that a debt.
&nbsp;
<h2>You've used up some, or all, of your emergency credit</h2>
You need to pay this back, so when you top up, your meter will take the cost of the emergency credit you've used off the total amount of credit you've added.
&nbsp;
<h2>You owe money for daily standing charges</h2>
A standing charge is a small daily fee that's used to cover the costs of supplying energy to your home (including things like maintaing the cables and pipes that takes electricity and gas into your home). Think of it like the line rental you pay on your landline phone connection.&nbsp;
Even if you haven't used any gas (like in the summer, when you probably have on your heating a lot less), you'll still have to pay a standing charge every day.
If you're not topping up enough to cover this standing charge, along with the energy that you're using, then you can build up a debt on your meter.

Why is my meter showing a debt?

<h2>How to check what you owe on your gas meter</h2>
<ul>
<li>If your screen is off, press the red button once.</li>
<li>When the balance is showing, press the red button again (without holding it down). You should now see the &ldquo;owed&rdquo; screen.</li>
<li>This screen will show how much you owe the meter for your emergency credit and standing charges. Your gas meter won&rsquo;t take the daily standing charge from your emergency credit balance, instead it will add it to this screen.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h2>How to check what you owe on your electricity meter</h2>
<ul>
<li>If your emergency credit is in use, Screen A will show your available balance followed by &ldquo;E&rdquo;. For example "&pound;4.72E".</li>
<li>Screen B will show the minimum top up required before the meter returns to normal, example - &pound;8.00.</li>
</ul>

I've used my emergency credit. How can I check how much I owe?

A&nbsp;standing charge is a fixed daily amount you pay for your gas and electricity.
Standing charges are used to cover the costs of supplying energy to your home. Think of it like the line rental you pay on your landline phone connection, with your calls - or your energy use - added on as extra.
You need to pay your standing charge even if you're not using much, or any, gas or electricity (like in the summer, when we have our heating and lights less often, or when you go away on holiday).
So, remember to top up enough to cover these daily charges, along with any energy you're using.&nbsp;

What are daily standing charges? 

Yes. We all use less gas in the summer. But you&rsquo;ll need to keep your meter topped up with enough credit to pay your <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/prepayment-pay-as-you-go-meters/daily-standing-charges">daily standing charge</a>.
That way, you avoid building up any debt on your meter that you'll need to repay down the line. Any debt you build up on your prepay meter will be taken off your credit the next time you top up.

Do I need to top up in the summer?

<h2>If you have enough credit to pay for energy over the next 5 working days</h2>
The best thing to do is to email us at <a href="mailto:prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk">prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a>. We can send you a new key in the post.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you're likely to run out of energy soon</h2>
When your meter shows that you have less than 50p credit remaining, give us a call on on 0131 510 3169.

I've lost my meter box key or card

Sometimes life throws us curveballs. Whether it&rsquo;s losing a job, coping with illness or managing caring responsibilities, we know things can change unexpectedly. Before we know it, the bills are building up and it can all feel a bit too much.
Energy is a human right. Whatever goes on in life, we know that keeping your energy on is one of your top priorities &ndash; and it&rsquo;s ours too. If you&rsquo;re finding things tough, we can help.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you&rsquo;re struggling to pay, please let us know right away</h2>
If you're having trouble paying, the best thing to do is to reach out to us. Our advice team is available to help on <a href="tel:+44131%20510%203169">0131 510 3169, </a>Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 8.00pm, and at weekends, 9.00am-5.00pm.
Once we know you&rsquo;re having trouble paying, we&rsquo;ll looking into the options available to best support you.&nbsp;
You can see more details at our&nbsp;<a href="https://cms-server.peoplesenergy.co.uk/uploads/_/originals/struggling-to-pay-policy.pdf">Struggling to pay policy</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>There's free and independent advice available on managing debt</h2>
We always recommend that you get in touch with us as soon as you find yourself struggling. However, you can also get free, confidential help and independent advice on managing debt from a number of national and local organisations.&nbsp;
All of the services below are free and confidential. Other organisations are available, and we encourage you to find the one that works best for your needs.
&nbsp;
<h3>Money Advice Service</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website: <a href="http://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en">www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>Citizens Advice Bureau or Citizens Advice Scotland</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/">www.citizensadvice.org.uk</a></li>
<li>Phone: 0808 223 1133 (or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language)</li>
</ul>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>Scottish Debt Advice Website</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://scottish-debt-advice.org.uk/">scottish-debt-advice.org.uk</a></li>
<li>Phone: 0800 253 2042</li>
</ul>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>National Debt Helpline</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationaldebtline.org/">www.nationaldebtline.org</a></li>
<li>Phone: 0808 808 4000</li>
</ul>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>Stepchange</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stepchange.org/debt-info/debt-consolidation.aspx">www.stepchange.org</a></li>
<li>Phone: 0800 138 1111</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

I'm struggling to pay

If your supply is off but there&rsquo;s credit on your meter, it could be a wiring fault. Check your trip switches.
If you&rsquo;re not sure how to do this, or if the fault re-occurs, or the trip switch fails to re-set, it's best to contact a qualified electrician.
If there&rsquo;s no display when you press the blue button, there could be a power cut. Call 105 to contact your local electricity distribution company, who'll be able to give you more information.&nbsp;
<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/emergency-and-safety">Find out more about what to do in a power cut</a>.
&nbsp;

Why don't I have any electricity?

If your meter has stopped working, please call us on <a href="tel:01315160587">0131 516 0587</a>. We&rsquo;ll get an engineer out to fix this and get your gas and electricity supply back up and running as soon as possible. We're open Monday to Friday 9am - 8pm, and at weekends 9am-5pm.&nbsp;
Get more information on what to do:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/emergency-and-safety">If you think there's been a power cut</a></li>
<li><a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/prepayment-pay-as-you-go-meters/meter-error-codes">If your meter is showing an error code</a></li>
</ul>

My meter has stopped working and I don't have any energy

Error messages on your prepay meter can show because of a faulty card or key, or due to an issue with the meter itself.
&nbsp;
<h2>First of all, try removing your card or key</h2>
If the message disappears, then it may be that there's a problem with the card or key itself. Try wiping it with a damp (not wet) cloth to remove any debris that may be stopping the device from working, and reinsert it into the meter.
&nbsp;
<h2>If there's still an error message</h2>
If there's still an error message even after you've removed your card or key, it could be an issue with the meter. If that's the case, please email us at <a href="mailto:prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk">prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a> or call us on <a href="tel:0131 510 3169">0131 510 3169</a> and we&rsquo;ll be able to help.&nbsp;

There's an error code on my prepay meter, what should I do?

Don't worry! If you've been billed twice, it's likely that you've received a bill from both us (your new supplier) and your old supplier.&nbsp;
Energy companies collect bills at different times. Some bill at the end of the month (known as billing "in arrears"), and some in advance, at the beginning of the month. People's Energy collects billing in advance of your monthly usage. If your old supplier collects payment in arrears from the previous month, then you may receive two bills at the same time. One from us, one from them.
It's important to remember that you are not being charged twice. If you didn't know you were getting another bill from your old provider, and are worried about paying, <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">our Member Services Team</a> will be happy to discuss payment options. We're here to help.

I've just switched to you - why have I been billed twice?

&nbsp;
Last updated: 14 January 2021
It continues to be a difficult and worrying time for us all, and there&rsquo;s lots of changes happening right now.
We&rsquo;re following government and NHS guidelines, and doing everything we can to keep things as normal and as safe as possible for our customers and our staff. Thanks to all our members for bearing with us over the past few months.&nbsp;
If there's any new updates that might affect your service, we'll add them in here. We'll also be in touch by email to let you know.
You can also search for general advice and FAQs in our <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help">Help hub</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>We&rsquo;ve paused door-to-door sales for the time being</h2>
&nbsp;
We partner with door-to-door sales teams who work on our behalf to tell people about People&rsquo;s Energy, and how switching to us might benefit them.
Our priority is ensuring the health and safety of our members of the public, and we take this duty of care extremely seriously. Our field teams follow strict rules on social distancing and hygiene. However as a precaution, we&rsquo;re pausing all our door-to-door sales activity, until further notice.
<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/extra-help-for-members/door-to-door-sales">Find out more in our latest update on door-to-door sales</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>We&rsquo;re installing smart meters in England and Wales only</h2>
&nbsp;
In England and Wales: We&rsquo;re continuing to install smart meters through our engineering partner Magnum Utilities, with strict guidelines in place to ensure your smart meter installation is safe and carried out with minimum contact.
Your engineer will practice social distancing, and will wear and use personal protective equipment throughout the appointment.
Before your appointment, we&rsquo;ll get in touch to find out if anyone in your household is elderly, vulnerable, or displaying symptoms of coronavirus. If they are, we&rsquo;ll put a hold on your installation for now.
In Scotland: In line with guidance from the Scottish Government, as of 14&nbsp;January, we have paused smart meter installations in Scotland. Emergency maintenance and repairs on smart meters will continue to go ahead.
<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/smart-meters/smart-meter-installations-during-covid-19">Get more information on smart meter installations in your area.</a>
<h2>Please keep submitting your meter readings</h2>
&nbsp;
Many of us are spending a lot more time at home at the moment. It&rsquo;s likely that your energy usage is going to go up.
To avoid an unexpectedly high bill, please submit your meter readings regularly. It helps us keep track of how much energy you&rsquo;re using, and means we can make any changes to your Direct Debit that may be needed.
Find out how to&nbsp;<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/how-to-read-your-meter/how-do-i-submit-my-latest-meter-readings">submit meter readings</a>, or get advice on&nbsp;<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/how-to-read-your-meter">how to read your meter</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>Advice for our prepayment members</h2>
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re worried you about getting out to top up, running out of credit, or that you may lose power, we&rsquo;re here to help. We&rsquo;ve put together <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/extra-help-for-members/coronavirus-advice-prepayment">some FAQs on managing your prepay energy over the pandemic</a>. Or, please reach out to our prepayment team, on <a href="tel:0131%20510%203169">0131 510 3169</a>, or over on our <a href="https://prepayment.peoplesenergy.co.uk/">prepay site livechat</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you&rsquo;re struggling to pay, let us know</h2>
&nbsp;
We know that paying your energy bill may be tougher than ever right now. We&rsquo;re here to help. If you&rsquo;re worried about paying for your energy, please give our advice team a call. We&rsquo;ll take a look at your situation, and talk over some options, like setting up a payment plan. They&rsquo;re available to speak Monday to Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm, on 0131 378 7120.
<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/struggling-to-pay">Get further advice on what to do if you&rsquo;re struggling to pay your energy bill</a>.&nbsp;

Latest coronavirus advice for members

Last updated: 5 January 2021
<h2>We&rsquo;ve paused door-to-door sales for the time being</h2>
&nbsp;
Our priority is ensuring the health and safety of our members of the public, and we take this duty of care extremely seriously. Our field teams follow strict rules on social distancing and hygiene. However, as a precaution, we&rsquo;re pausing all our door-to-door sales activity, until further notice.
<h2>We&rsquo;re making sure our visits will are safe when we start door-to-door sales again</h2>
&nbsp;
We know that right now, it&rsquo;s more important than ever to make sure that both members of the public and our sales teams feel as safe as possible. We&rsquo;re not sure when we&rsquo;ll get back out knocking doors again. When we do, it&rsquo;ll be in full compliance with government safety guidelines.&nbsp;
These safety measures include:
<ul>
<li>Social distancing, maintaining a safe distance of at least 2 metres at all times</li>
<li>Carrying and using personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks and shields, and hand-sanitiser</li>
<li>Contactless door knocking and bell ringing</li>
<li>Contactless sign-up</li>
</ul>
Our representatives will look out for anyone who&rsquo;s self-isolating, or not comfortable with a doorstep visit. They won&rsquo;t enter a resident&rsquo;s home, or engage with elderly or vulnerable people. They&rsquo;ll ask a short series of questions to establish if there may be a greater risk from interaction &ndash; if that&rsquo;s the case, they&rsquo;ll move on straight away.
Additional precautions taken by our sales teams will be:
<ul>
<li>Maintaining good hygiene, including cleaning hands regularly with soap and sanitising with anti-bacterial gel</li>
<li>Any sales representative displaying coronavirus symptoms will not attend work, and will follow government and NHS guidance</li>
<li>Any sales representative who has tested positive for coronavirus, or come into contact with someone who has tested positive, will self-isolate and follow government and NHS guidance</li>
<li>Regular, up-to-date COVID-19 safety and hygiene training for all sales representatives</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h2>If something&rsquo;s not right, let us know</h2>
&nbsp;
We hold our sales partners to a high standard at all times. If you&rsquo;re not happy with a visit you&rsquo;ve had from one of our representatives, please&nbsp;<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/how-do-i-make-a-complaint">reach out to us so we can investigate</a>.

Are you still doing door-to-door sales at the moment?

Helping our members stay safe and keep warm has never been more important. We know there&rsquo;s a lot to worry about right now. We&rsquo;re here to make sure keeping your gas and electricity on isn&rsquo;t one of them. If you&rsquo;re having difficulties managing your energy, our dedicated team are here to support you.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you&rsquo;re struggling, the best thing to do is to let us know right away</h2>
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re worried that about paying for credit, or that you won&rsquo;t be able to get out to top up, the best thing to do is to get in touch with us as soon as possible. The sooner we know you&rsquo;re struggling, the quicker we can get you help. Reach us on:
<ul>
<li>Our dedicated prepay <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/prepay">livechat </a></li>
<li>By phone on <a href="tel:+44%20131%20510%203169">0131 510 3169</a></li>
<li>Email at <a href="mailto:prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk">prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a></li>
</ul>
Our team are available 9am-8pm from Monday to Friday, and 9am-5pm at weekends.
<h2> If you&rsquo;re worried about topping up</h2>
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a good idea to think about who might be able to top up your prepay meter card or key for you in case you have to isolate - like a family member, friend or neighbour. But if you&rsquo;re not able to get out to a shop, we&rsquo;ll do everything we can to make sure your heating and your lights stay on.
 Here&rsquo;s what to do if you&rsquo;re worried about topping up:
&nbsp;
<h3>Q: I&rsquo;m self-isolating and can&rsquo;t top up my meter. What should I do?</h3>
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re self-isolating and unable to leave your house to top up, you can ask a member of your social bubble to top up your card or key for you, and drop off to you contactlessly (for example, by putting through your letterbox).&nbsp;
To keep you and the person topping up for you safe, wash your hands before and after handling your key or card. You can also gently wipe your key or card with a damp cloth or an anti-bacterial wipe. Make sure to not get the key or card wet (this could cause problems when you put back in the meter).
If you don&rsquo;t have someone who can do your top up for you, or if you still need some support with topping up, then please speak to one of our team. They&rsquo;ll be able to talk you through some options for getting credit added to your meter whilst you&rsquo;re not able to go out.
&nbsp;
<h3>Q: Is it possible for you to give me more emergency credit?</h3>
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not possible for us to add more emergency credit to your meter. But, if you&rsquo;re not able to top up, or if you&rsquo;re struggling to pay for credit, then our trained advice team are here to help. You can reach them on l<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/prepay">ivechat</a>, by email <a href="mailto:prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk">prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a>&nbsp;or by phone on <a href="tel:+44%20131%20510%203169">0131 510 3169.</a>
&nbsp;
<h3>Q: What if the shops are shut and I can&rsquo;t top up?</h3>
&nbsp;
All Post Offices and most Payzones and Paypoints are classed as essential services, so they&rsquo;ll stay open for you to top up, even in a lockdown situation. Their opening hours may be affected, so it&rsquo;s worth double checking they&rsquo;re open before you go.
&nbsp;
Find your nearest top-up point, and their opening hours:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://consumer.paypoint.com/">Paypoint store</a></li>
<li><a href="https://storelocator.payzone.co.uk/">Payzone store</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder">Post Office</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
For electricity only: if it&rsquo;s outside normal shop opening hours, and you&rsquo;re worried about running out of credit, you may be able to access Friendly Emergency Credit on your electricity meter. If you run out of credit between 8pm and 8am, your Friendly Emergency Credit will automatically activate, and will keep your electricity supply on until you can get out to top up. Remember, you&rsquo;ll need to pay it back &ndash; it&rsquo;ll automatically be taken off your credit the next time you put your topped-up key in the meter.
 Or, if you&rsquo;re worried you&rsquo;re going to lose power, then please get in contact with us as soon as you possibly can on <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/prepay">livechat</a>, or by phone on <a href="tel:%20+44%20131%20510%203169">0131 510 3169</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Q: I&rsquo;m using up my credit more quickly than normal because I&rsquo;m at home much more right now, what should can I do?</h3>
&nbsp;
Spending more time at home probably means that you&rsquo;re using more energy for heating, lights and cooking right now. But, there are a few things you can do to cut back on the amount you&rsquo;re spending on energy. Read our guide on low-cost ways to <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/about/blog/cut-your-energy-bill-in-10-easy-steps">make your home more energy efficient over the winter</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you&rsquo;re struggling to pay&nbsp;</h2>
&nbsp;
We know that for many people, paying for energy is tougher than ever right now. If you&rsquo;re facing difficult financial circumstances that have been caused, or made worse by the coronavirus pandemic, our dedicated team will do all we can to support you.&nbsp; If you&rsquo;re struggling to pay for credit, please let us know right away. We&rsquo;re look at your individual situation and discuss some options with you.&nbsp;
 You can reach us on our <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/prepay">prepay livechat</a>, by email at <a href="mailto:prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk">prepaymenthelp@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a> or by phone on <a href="tel:+44%20131%20510%203169">0131 510 3169</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you&rsquo;re about to lose power&nbsp;</h2>
&nbsp;
If you have less than 50p on your gas or electricity meter, please call us straight away so we can help you keep your energy supply on. You can reach us on <a href="tel:+44%20131%20510%203169">0131 510 3169</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>Providing extra support for vulnerable members</h2>
&nbsp;
We provide free extra support services for members who are vulnerable, dealing with medical conditions, or otherwise may have difficulties in managing their energy. Find out about <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/extra-help-for-members/priority-services-register">our Priority Services Register, and how to apply</a>.
&nbsp;

Coronavirus advice for prepayment members

You can submit readings quickly and easily at any time in your People&rsquo;s Energy online account.
Just click &ldquo;Submit meter reading&rdquo; in the Meter Readings section and you&rsquo;ll be able to add in your current gas and electricity readings.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oSwgmq43b70?feature=emb_title" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
If you haven&rsquo;t got a People&rsquo;s Energy account yet, it&rsquo;s easy to get set up.&nbsp;Find out how to access your online account.
Having trouble reading your meter? Get help with our&nbsp;<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/how-to-read-your-meter">meter reading guides</a>.

If you have a first generation smart meter (known as SMETS1 meters), we won't be able to take your meter readings automatically. Your meter will continue to work, but in &ldquo;dumb&rdquo; mode, like a traditional meter that you read off manually.
To make sure your bills are as accurate as possible, please continue to send us your meter readings every month. <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/submitting-your-meter-readings/how-do-i-submit-my-latest-meter-readings">Find out how to submit your meter readings easily online</a>.
You might have a smart meter with a keypad, or with "A" and "B" buttons. You can find instructions for reading both both below.
&nbsp;
<h2>Reading a smart meter with a keypad</h2>
&nbsp;
For&nbsp;smart electricity meters, your reading will be a number followed by &ldquo;kWh&rdquo;.
For smart gas meters, the reading will be a number followed by &ldquo;m3&rdquo;.
&nbsp;
<h3>How to read a single rate electricity smart meter</h3>
&nbsp;
Press 9 on the keypad. Your smart meter screen will show IMP KWH, followed by 8 numbersw and &ldquo;kWh&rdquo; &ndash; for example, 0001234.5.
This figure is your latest reading. We only need the first 7 numbers for your meter reading (that includes any zeros at the start) - leave out any numbers after the decimal place.
&nbsp;
<h3>How to read a two rate electricity meter (sometimes known as Economy 7)</h3>
&nbsp;
If you have a two-rate meter, you&rsquo;ll need to supply a meter reading for your energy usage during daytime/peak hours and nighttime/off-peak hours.
<ul>
<li>To get your nighttime/off-peak reading: Press 6 on the keypad until you see IMP R01, followed by 8 digits. We only need the first 7 numbers (that includes any zeros at the start) - leave out any numbers after the decimal place.</li>
<li>To get your daytime/peak hours reading: Press 6 on the keypad until you see IMP R02, followed by 8 digits. Again, we only need the first 7 numbers (including any zeros) - leave out any numbers after the decimal place.</li>
</ul>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>How to read a smart gas meter</h3>
&nbsp;
Press 9 on the keypad. VOLUME will appear on the screen, followed by 6 numbers and &ldquo;m3&rdquo;. For example, 00123.4.
This is your meter reading. We only need the first 5 number (including any zeros at the start) &ndash; leave out the number after the decimal place.
&nbsp;
<h2>Reading a smart meter with A and B buttons</h2>
&nbsp;
<h3>How to read a single rate electricity meter</h3>
&nbsp;
Tap the green A button 3 or 4 times to go through the options. Keep pressing A until the screen shows "Total Act Import&rdquo;. A reading should appear, followed by &ldquo;kWh&rdquo;. This is your meter reading.
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>How to read a two rate electricity meter (sometimes known as Economy 7)</h3>
&nbsp;
If you have a two-rate electricity meter, your meter will have two readings &ndash; Rate 1, and Rate 2. You&rsquo;ll need to write down both. To get your first-rate reading, press the green A button until you see "R1". To get the second-rate reading, press the green A button until you see &ldquo;R2&rdquo;. If you go too far, keep pressing the button. It'll loop back around.
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>How to read your smart gas meter</h3>
&nbsp;
If your screen is off, press the red button to wake it up.
Press the button until the screen shows &ldquo;Credit On&rdquo;, then press it again until you see &ldquo;Meter Index&rdquo;. The number shown will be your meter reading.

How do I read my smart meter?

Last updated: 14 January 2021
&nbsp;
<h2>We&rsquo;re installing smart meters in England and Wales only right now</h2>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>Smart meter installations in Scotland are on hold, except for emergency maintenance</h3>
&nbsp;
In line with guidance from the Scottish Government, as of 14 January, we have paused smart meter installations in Scotland.
&nbsp;
If you have a smart meter installation booked, our smart meter installation partners Magnum Utilities will be in touch with you to confirm cancellation of your appointment. We&rsquo;ll get in contact with you to re-book your appointment to have a smart meter fitted once restrictions on non-essential maintenance and construction in Scotland are lifted.
&nbsp;
Emergency maintenance and repairs on smart meters will continue to go ahead. If you think your smart meter may be causing a problem with your gas and electricity supply, please contact our member services team:
<ul>
<li>Via livechat (just click the yellow bubble at the bottom of this screen)</li>
<li>By phone: <a href="tel:0131 285 5510">0131 285 5510</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h3>We&rsquo;re still installing smart meters in England and Wales, under strict safety measures&nbsp;</h3>
&nbsp;
For the time being, we're continuing to install smart meters in England and Wales.
Our installations are carried out by Magnum Utilities, with strict guidelines in place to ensure your smart meter installation is safe, and carried out with minimum contact. Your engineer will:
<ul>
<li>Before entering the property, ask if you or anyone in your household have symptoms of coronavirus, are self-isolating, shielding, elderly, vulnerable, or are otherwise uncomfortable with going ahead with your smart meter appointment. If necessary, we&rsquo;ll reschedule your installation for another time.</li>
<li>Limit the amount of time they spend in your home, and always keep a 2-metre distance.</li>
<li>Wear full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including a visor or a mask, disposable gloves, and shoe covers.</li>
<li>Clean down any areas with antiseptic wipes before and after the installation.</li>
<li>Frequently wash their hands, or sanitise their hands using anti-bacterial gel.</li>
<li>Leave an in-home display (IHD) for your smart meter. Instructions for use will be emailed to you separately.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
For the safety of you and your engineer, we also ask that you please:
<ul>
<li>Leave all internal doors open to minimise contact with door handles.</li>
<li>Wherever possible, maintain a 2-metre distance from your engineer. If you can, please go to another room in your home for the duration of the installation.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
You won&rsquo;t be asked to sign your engineer&rsquo;s tablet at the end of the installation.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://magnumutilities.com/about-us/covid-19/">Find out more about Magnum Utilities' Covid-19 safety protocols</a>.
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;ve booked a smart meter to be fitted and you or anyone in your household is displaying symptoms of coronavirus, or is self-isolating, please get in touch to cancel your appointment. We&rsquo;ll reschedule your appointment to go ahead at a later date.

Smart meter installations during the Covid-19 pandemic

If you&rsquo;ve recently joined us from an auto-switching site, welcome! We&rsquo;re&nbsp;really glad&nbsp;to have you as one of our members.&nbsp;&nbsp;
We always&nbsp;work hard to make sure&nbsp;that your energy bills are set&nbsp;at the&nbsp;right amount&nbsp;for your energy usage.&nbsp;But sometimes we may need to make some adjustments after you&rsquo;ve joined, based on information&nbsp;on your energy usage that we receive&nbsp;only after&nbsp;you&rsquo;re one of our members.&nbsp;&nbsp;
We normally&nbsp;have to&nbsp;do this if you opted&nbsp;for&nbsp;your&nbsp;auto-switching site to estimate how much energy you use&nbsp;each year, rather than providing&nbsp;exact usage figures in pounds or&nbsp;KWh&nbsp;(the unit that gas and electricity is measured in).&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;ve chosen&nbsp;to provide estimated rather than actual usage,&nbsp;then&nbsp;your switching site will&nbsp;use the average cost of energy for your area and the size of property you live in to&nbsp;estimate&nbsp;what your&nbsp;annual&nbsp;energy usage is likely to be.&nbsp;They&rsquo;ll then use this figure to find a deal to suit you&nbsp;(usually one that&rsquo;s cheaper than the tariff you&rsquo;re currently on).&nbsp;However, sometimes the&nbsp;estimate isn&rsquo;t accurate.&nbsp;If that&rsquo;s the case, and your energy usage is&nbsp;actually higher&nbsp;than the estimate your&nbsp;switching&nbsp;site made on your behalf, then&nbsp;your Direct Debit may be too low. We&rsquo;ll&nbsp;need to adjust&nbsp;it to better reflect the actual amount of energy&nbsp;you&rsquo;re using.&nbsp;
We&nbsp;do this about a month after you&rsquo;ve&nbsp;switched&nbsp;to us.&nbsp;We&nbsp;always keep an eye on your account, but this&nbsp;is&nbsp;the earliest point at which we can check that you&rsquo;re paying the right amount based on your energy usage. This is because&nbsp;the information we use to do these checks &ndash; your meter readings and your historical energy consumption &ndash; aren&rsquo;t accessible to us before then.&nbsp;&nbsp;
We know it&rsquo;s frustrating when&nbsp;your bill goes up and you weren&rsquo;t expecting it.&nbsp;Our tariffs are consistently some of the cheapest on the market,&nbsp;so even if we&nbsp;have to&nbsp;adjust your Direct Debit, you&rsquo;ll still be getting great value&nbsp;for your energy.&nbsp;Submitting regular meter readings helps us make sure&nbsp;the amount you&rsquo;re paying for your energy is as accurate as possible.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;ve switched to us&nbsp;via an auto-switching site and&nbsp;have questions about your bill or your energy usage, then&nbsp;drop us an email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:customerservices@peoplesenergy.co.uk">customerservices@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a>,&nbsp;chat&nbsp;with a member of our Member Services Team&nbsp;via our&nbsp;livechat, or&nbsp;give&nbsp;us a&nbsp;call&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="tel:01312855510">0131&nbsp;</a><a href="tel:01312855510">285</a><a href="tel:01312855510">&nbsp;5510</a>.&nbsp;

I've joined you from an auto-switching site. Why has my bill gone up?

If you joined People&rsquo;s Energy recently but your Direct Debit has gone up, it&rsquo;s usually because we now have information that shows you&rsquo;re likely to use more energy than we originally estimated when you first signed up.
When you sign up with People&rsquo;s Energy, we ask you to provide us with your annual energy usage. It helps us work out how much energy you&rsquo;re likely to use in the year ahead. Some people opt for us to estimate their annual energy usage when they sign up, rather than providing an actual figure for how much energy they&rsquo;ve used over the past year. We use&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/gas/retail-market/monitoring-data-and-statistics/typical-domestic-consumption-values">average energy consumption figures from Ofgem</a> to do this. Or, if <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/bills-and-payments/your-direct-debit/bill-increase-after-auto-switching">you've joined us via an auto-switching site</a>, we'll use the estimate they gave us.
Sometimes this estimate doesn&rsquo;t line up with the actual amount of energy you use. If that&rsquo;s the case, and you&rsquo;re using more energy than we estimated on your behalf, then your Direct Debit may set be too low. Over time your account may fall into debit (you'll owe us money), as you won't be paying enough to cover the cost of the energy you're using - which could mean an unexpected bill at the end of your contract.
We normally get the information we need to check how your actual energy usage compares to the usage we&rsquo;ve estimated for you shortly after you&rsquo;ve switched. It includes your latest meter readings, and the historical energy consumption for the property you live in. At this point, if we can see that you&rsquo;re using, or likely to use, more energy than you&rsquo;re paying for, then we&rsquo;ll adjust your monthly payments to cover the cost of that extra energy &ndash; and stop your account balance from slipping into debit.

I’ve just joined you. Why has my bill gone up already?

On a fixed rate tariff, the price you pay for your energy is locked in &ndash; that means that even if the wholesale price of energy goes up (or down), you&rsquo;ll always pay the same price per unit.
However, it doesn&rsquo;t mean that the amount you pay each month is also fixed. The price you pay per unit of energy won't change, but if you start using more of those units than we've calculated, then we may need to adjust your payments. So, it's same price for the units, but the more units you use, the higher the cost.
We run regular account health check-ups to make sure that you're paying the right amount each month (not too much, or too little) for your energy usage. So we'll let you know if we think your monthly payments need to change.&nbsp;
Regular meter readings help us to get a clear picture of how much energy you're currently using. You can submit these easily in just a few clicks through <a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login">your online account</a>.

Why has my monthly payment gone up when I'm on a fixed rate tariff?

If your account is currently in credit, but we&rsquo;ve increased your monthly payment, it&rsquo;s because our account health check has shown you&rsquo;re using more energy than we expected, and you&rsquo;re likely to tip into debit over the remaining months of your contract. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Going into a little bit of debit on your account is normal, especially after the winter. It's balanced out in the summer, when your monthly payments "replenish" your credit level to cover the cost of the extra energy you use during the colder and darker months. But if you&rsquo;re using a lot more energy than you have done in the past, that credit will get eaten up at a quicker rate, and you may eventually go into debit. So, if we think that that's likely to happen - even if there&rsquo;s some credit in your account right now &ndash; we&rsquo;ll increase your monthly payment, to help you avoid a surprise bill at the end of your contract.
Sending in your meter readings regularly helps us make sure you&rsquo;re paying the right amount to cover the cost of your energy. It means that when we check in on your account, we don&rsquo;t have to rely on estimated readings, which often don&rsquo;t accurately reflect the amount of energy you&rsquo;re actually using. You can submit readings through&nbsp;<a href="https://quote.peoplesenergy.co.uk/#/login">your online People&rsquo;s Energy account</a>.

Why has my monthly payment gone up when my account's in credit?

To calculate how much you need to pay each month (and if your payment needs to go up, or go down, based on your energy usage), we make a prediction about how much energy you&rsquo;ll use over the months ahead - a bit like an energy forecast. We look at three sources of information to do this:
<ul>
<li>The amount of energy you&rsquo;ve used in the past, based on the meter readings you&rsquo;ve sent into us. If we have to use estimated readings, it&rsquo;s harder for us to get a good idea of how much energy you&rsquo;re really using &ndash; so&nbsp;<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/submitting-your-meter-readings/how-do-i-submit-my-latest-meter-readings">let us know your updated readings</a>&nbsp;every month if you can.</li>
<li>The amount of energy that has been used in your property over the past three years</li>
</ul>
With this mix of information, we can get a good picture of how many units of energy you're likely to use throughout the different months of the year. We then turn this into a figure for your monthly payment. How much energy you use can change over time, so we'll check in on it to make sure you're not paying too little (or too much!) for your energy. If we think your payments need to be adjusted, we'll get in touch.

How do you work out what my monthly payment should be?

If it suits you better, it&rsquo;s possible to make a one-off payment to balance your account. But, if your account has slipped into debit, or we predict it will soon, it&rsquo;s best to consider the increase to your monthly payments that we&rsquo;ve recommended.
Think of it as little and often - increasing your monthly payment means you&rsquo;re able to spread the cost of the extra energy we&rsquo;ve predicted you&rsquo;ll use. So, you pay a bit more each month, rather than having to shell out a chunk upfront now - or at the end of your contract.

My bill's about to go up. Can I make a one-off payment instead?

What you should do and who to call if you smell gas, suspect a carbon monoxide leak, or have a problem with your gas and electricity supply.

What to do in an emergency

Emergency and safety

Stealing gas and electricity is a serious crime. Find out about the risks of energy theft, how to spot the signs of meter tampering, and how to anonymously report an energy crime.

Reporting energy theft

Energy theft and meter tampering

We know that sometimes things can go wrong. If we’ve fallen short of your expectations, we’re sorry. We’ll do as much as possible to put things right.   To start with, let us know what the problem is. We’re available by email, phone, livechat, or you can write to us as well. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Find out how to make a complaint about our service, and our complaints handling process.

Have we let you down?

How to make a complaint

Switching to People's Energy takes just two minutes. Whether you're thinking of joining us or have already signed up, find everything you need to know about your switch.

Getting started

Joining us

Find out what to do:
<ul>
<li>If you can smell gas</li>
<li>If you&rsquo;re worried about carbon monoxide</li>
<li>If you&rsquo;re experiencing a power cut</li>
</ul>
<h2>&nbsp;</h2>
<h2>If you can smell gas</h2>
&nbsp;
Call the <a href="https://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/gas-transmission/safety-and-emergencies/emergencies-and-safety-advice">National Grid Emergency Helpline</a> for free on <a href="tel:0800%20111%20999">0800 111 999</a>. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
&nbsp;
Make sure to stay safe by taking these steps:
<ul>
<li>Put out any naked flames, such as candles</li>
<li>Open all the doors and windows</li>
<li>Don&rsquo;t light matches or cigarette lighters</li>
<li>Don&rsquo;t turn on light switches or anything electrical on or off, including your mobile phone</li>
<li>If you can, turn your gas supply off at the meter, unless the meter is in the cellar. Leave it switched off until you&rsquo;re sure it&rsquo;s safe to put back on</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h2>If you&rsquo;re worried about carbon monoxide</h2>
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re concerned that fumes containing carbon monoxide may be coming from a gas appliance, please call the <a href="https://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/gas-transmission/safety-and-emergencies/emergencies-and-safety-advice">National Grid Gas Emergency Helpline</a> on <a href="tel:0800%20111%20999">0800 111 999</a>. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
&nbsp;
<h2>If you&rsquo;re experiencing a power cut</h2>
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;ve lost your electricity supply, there may be a power cut affecting your local area. Contact your local network operator by calling 105 from a UK landline or mobile. It&rsquo;s free of charge.
&nbsp;But, before you call:
<ul>
<li>Check if your neighbour&rsquo;s power is out. If it is, there&rsquo;s likely a problem with your local network and you should call 105</li>
<li>Check your fuse box and trip switches. It&rsquo;s possible that there&rsquo;s a blown fuse &ndash; this is often the case when you&rsquo;ve only lost power in some parts of your home</li>
</ul>

Your Direct Debit

<h2 aria-level="3">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 aria-level="3">What is energy theft?&nbsp;</h2>
Energy theft&nbsp;is when someone tampers&nbsp;with, or&nbsp;tries to bypass or&nbsp;&ldquo;fix&rdquo;&nbsp;a&nbsp;gas or electricity meter&nbsp;so it doesn&rsquo;t record energy usage correctly.&nbsp;They do this to make it look like they&rsquo;re using less energy than they really are,&nbsp;to avoid paying their full gas or electricity bill&nbsp;&ndash; or to get out of paying for energy altogether.&nbsp;
Energy theft, also known as meter tampering, is a crime, and&nbsp;can lead to a fine and prison sentence.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s&nbsp;also extremely dangerous,&nbsp;carrying the potential risk of property damage, serious injury or even death.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2 aria-level="3">How do I spot if my meter&rsquo;s been tampered with?&nbsp;</h2>
It&rsquo;s not always easy to see if a meter&rsquo;s been tampered with. But there are a few signs to look out for. &nbsp;
&nbsp;
Signs of gas meter tampering&nbsp;might include:&nbsp;&nbsp;
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">The&nbsp;meter&nbsp;has been&nbsp;been&nbsp;turned around the wrong way&nbsp;</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">The dials&nbsp;aren&rsquo;t&nbsp;moving&nbsp;(even when the gas is on), or have been removed entirely</li>
</ul>
There&rsquo;s&nbsp;a&nbsp;smell of gas, or smell of burning,&nbsp;near the meter box&nbsp;
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">There&rsquo;s&nbsp;rubber tubing instead of pipes&nbsp;</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">A prepayment&nbsp;meter&nbsp;that&nbsp;says&nbsp;there&rsquo;s&nbsp;no credit available,&nbsp;but&nbsp;the gas is still on</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Signs of electricity meter tampering include:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">The meter casing may be&nbsp;damaged, melted, scorched, or&nbsp;there&rsquo;s&nbsp;no meter casing at all&nbsp;</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">The cables have been disconnected, or there are&nbsp;extra wires attached to the meter&nbsp;</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">A prepayment meter that&nbsp;says&nbsp;there&rsquo;s&nbsp;no credit, but the electricity is&nbsp;still&nbsp;on&nbsp;</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">The dials&nbsp;aren&rsquo;t&nbsp;moving&nbsp;(even when the electricity is on)</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">There&rsquo;s&nbsp;a smell of smoke or burning, or&nbsp;there are sparks or smoke near the meter box</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Other things to look out for include:
<ul>
<li>Landlords that don't let you access your meter</li>
<li>Calls or emails from anyone offering free gas or electricity, or claiming to sell cards for more energy than you would otherwise pay for</li>
</ul>
Get more&nbsp;advice on recognising energy theft and meter tampering at <a href="https://www.stayenergysafe.co.uk/">Stay Energy Safe</a>&nbsp;(run by&nbsp;Crimestoppers).&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2 aria-level="3">Can smart meters be tampered with?&nbsp;</h2>
Yes, and they can still be unsafe. If you think your smart meter has been tampered with, please report it.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2 aria-level="3">I think someone is stealing gas or electricity. How do I report it, and&nbsp;can I do it anonymously?&nbsp;</h2>
You can report energy theft anonymously&nbsp;and securely&nbsp;by getting in touch with&nbsp;Stay Energy Safe, which is operated by&nbsp;Crimestoppers.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Call them&nbsp;on <a href="tel:0800%20023%202777">0800 023 2777</a>.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s&nbsp;free, and lines are open&nbsp;24/7</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Fill out&nbsp;their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stayenergysafe.co.uk/report-energy-crime/">online form</a></li>
</ul>
Reporting is 100% anonymous.&nbsp;You can find out more on how reporting an energy crime works, and how your anonymity is protected, over at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stayenergysafe.co.uk/faq/">Stay Energy Safe FAQs</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2 aria-level="3">What&nbsp;are the risks of energy theft?&nbsp;</h2>
Anyone in a property that has a meter which has been tampered with or bypassed&nbsp;could potentially be affected,&nbsp;along with people in neighbouring homes.&nbsp;The risks are&nbsp;extremely&nbsp;serious, and&nbsp;can&nbsp;even&nbsp;be&nbsp;life-threatening.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3 aria-level="3">Gas meter&nbsp;tampering can cause fire and explosions&nbsp;</h3>
Gas meters that have been tampered with are more likely to cause gas leaks.&nbsp;If gas builds up, it can cause&nbsp;health problems like headaches, memory loss, and loss of consciousness.&nbsp;Leaked gas is&nbsp;also&nbsp;highly flammable &ndash;&nbsp;turning on a light switch is enough&nbsp;to cause an explosion.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Electricity meter tampering can cause electrocution, burns and fires&nbsp;</h3>
Tampering&nbsp;with an electricity meter can make switches and appliances&nbsp;become&nbsp;&ldquo;live&rdquo;, and can cause electrocution, burns&nbsp;and electrical fires. Tampered meters with exposed&nbsp;wires also carry the risk of electrocution.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3 aria-level="3">Energy theft is a criminal offence, and offenders will be prosecuted&nbsp;</h3>
Energy theft is a serious crime. Penalties&nbsp;for offenders&nbsp;include&nbsp;heavy&nbsp;fines and&nbsp;a prison sentence.&nbsp;
As an energy supplier,&nbsp;we&rsquo;re&nbsp;legally obliged&nbsp;to&nbsp;take action to identify and&nbsp;investigate the theft of energy.&nbsp;You can read more about&nbsp;our obligations at&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="http://c//Users/JaneSommerville/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/BI6BAAUA/Theft%20Charter%20(DCUSA%20%20SPAA)%20v3.0.pdf">Energy Theft Charter</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The risks and consequences of energy theft are very real. You can read about real-life stories of energy theft at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stayenergysafe.co.uk/stories/">Stay Energy Safe.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

How to read your meter

Your statements

Submitting your meter readings

Information on your prepay meter, including advice on topping up, troubleshooting and managing your energy throughout the year.
Right now, we're offering tariffs for traditional prepay meters only. We're working hard on getting smart prepay meters and tariffs up and running as quickly as possible, and will be able to welcome smart prepay members soon.

Prepayment / Pay As You Go meters

Payment difficulty

Smart meters

If you've received a bill from People's Energy and you wish to pay it online, please do so here. You can also add money to your account if you have an outstanding balance.
<h2>Top up your account</h2>
Add money to your account.
<a href="https://pay.peoplesenergy.co.uk"> <button class="btn btn-secondary" type="button">Top up my account</button> </a>
<h2>Have you been contacted by Opos?</h2>
If you were recently contacted by Opos to make a payment you can do so here.&nbsp;
<a href="https://pay.peoplesenergy.co.uk/?ref=opos"> <button class="btn btn-secondary" type="button">Pay here</button> </a>

Make a payment

<h2>Email</h2>
You can also reach us by email c<a class="sc-dWcDbm gylweC" title="mailto:customerservices@peoplesenergy.co.uk" href="mailto:customerservices@peoplesenergy.co.uk" data-renderer-mark="true">ustomerservices@peoplesenergy.co.uk.</a>
<h2 data-renderer-start-pos="200">Call us</h2>
Our phone lines are open from 9.00am-5.00pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9.00am-4.00pm on Fridays. If you have an emergency or have lost your gas or electricity supply, our out-of-hours team are also here to help on weekday evenings until 8pm, and at weekends 9.00am-5.00pm.
<h2 data-renderer-start-pos="525">Getting through to us faster</h2>
We know no-one likes waiting. For the quickest response, you may want to get in touch with us outside our peak hours.
The best time to contact our team is generally after 10.00am and before 5.00pm.
We tend to be busier first thing in the morning, 9.00-10.00am. At these times, we&rsquo;ll still get to you as quickly as we can, but you may need to wait a little longer. You can also find help, advice and FAQs at our Help section.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<h2>Phone</h2>
<div>Domestic:<a href="tel:0131 285 5510"><button>0131 285 5510</button></a></div>
<div>Prepayment: <a href="tel:0131 510 3169"><button>0131 510 3169</button></a></div>
<div>Business: <a href="tel:0131 370 1770"><button>0131 370 1770</button></a></div>
</td>
<td>
<h2>Our location</h2>
<div>People's Energy</div>
<div>2 Wester Shawfair</div>
<div>Danderhall</div>
<div>Dalkeith</div>
<div>EH22 1FD</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>What happens after you&rsquo;ve made your complaint</h2>
On the day we receive your complaint, one of our team, will contact you to discuss your concerns and try to resolve your issue immediately. We'll confirm with you what we have done to resolve your complaint. If we're unable to resolve your complaint immediately (for example, if we need information from somewhere else), we'll follow the complaints process outlined here.
We&rsquo;ll acknowledge your complaint in writing and provide you with a unique reference number - it's helpful if you can quote this in any communications with us whilst your complaint remains open. We aim to resolve your complaint within 5 working days. However, depending on the complexity of the issue this make take longer (for example, where a third-party is involved that we need to get information from). In these of cases, we'll contact you every 7 days to let you know of any delays and what we're doing to progress your complaint.
We'll gather all information we can to review your complaint and, based upon our findings, contact you as soon as we can to confirm our solution.
If you're satisfied with what we propose, we'll take all the necessary steps to sort this for you. Once we've done everything agreed, we&rsquo;ll confirm to you that we&rsquo;ve closed your complaint.
If you're not happy with the initial resolution by our team, you can request that we escalate your complaint, using your unique reference number. Our agents will already have advised their Team Leader of the issue and may have requested advice or guidance. Our Team Leader will review any escalated complaint to see if they have anything additional to add or if we have missed something. They may need to contact you again for more information.
In a very limited number of circumstances, if you don&rsquo;t believe we've resolved the issue to your satisfaction, you can progress to the final stage of our process, where the complaint and resolution will be reviewed by a senior member of the team.&nbsp;&nbsp;If they don't agree with the escalated solution we've offered, or if they believe we need to do something different, they'll provide you with an alternative resolution. Their decision is the final step we can take. Either way, we'll be in touch to let you know of the outcome.
Once we've done everything agreed, we&rsquo;ll confirm to you that we&rsquo;ve closed your complaint. If, for whatever reason, we don&rsquo;t manage to resolve your complaint within 8 weeks, we'll let you know and advise of your right to take your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.
If you're satisfied with our resolution for your complaint, and don&rsquo;t believe your complaint has been resolved, we'll send you a &lsquo;deadlock&rsquo; letter. This is our final decision notification and means that we can't see an alternative way to resolve your complaint.
This will explain why we have done what we have, and will also inform you of your right to contact the Ombudsman should you wish to escalate further.&nbsp;
<h2>Impartial advice and information on energy complaints</h2>
You can contact the <a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk">Citizens Advice Bureau</a> at any time for impartial and confidential advice, including during the complaints process.&nbsp; You can call for free on <a href="tel:0808%20223%201133">0808 223 1133 </a>or <a href="tel:0808%20223%201144">0808 223 1144</a> for Welsh language.
If you're happy with our decision as laid out in our final decision, &lsquo;deadlock&rsquo; letter, you can contact the <a href="https://www.ombudsman-services.org/sectors/energy">Energy Ombudsman</a>. You can call for free on <a href="tel:0330%20440%201624">0330 440 1624</a>.
<h2>Our complaints performance</h2>
We report every three months on our complaints, and the issues behind them - so we can get them fixed. See our latest update on how we're doing with our complaints here.
<section class="complaints-advice"></section>

Our most-asked questions on how to read your meter, and submitting your meter readings&nbsp; - plus everything you need to know on smart meters and prepay / pay-as-you-go meters.

Meters and readings

Most-asked questions on your paying your energy bill, including how to make changes to your monthly Direct Debit, why your Direct Debit might change, and understanding your monthly statement from us.
You can also:
<ul>
<li>Make a <a href="https://pay.peoplesenergy.co.uk/">one-off payment to your account</a></li>
<li>Get dedicated information on <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/meters-and-readings/prepayment-pay-as-you-go-meters">paying for energy if you're on a prepay tariff</a></li>
</ul>

Bills and payments

Moving house

No one likes hanging around on the phone. You can manage most elements of your account whenever you want and wherever you want in through your People's Energy online account.
If you don't yet have an online account with us, <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/manage-my-account/how-do-i-access-my-online-account">getting set up takes just a couple of minutes</a>.&nbsp;
Or, you can contact us on <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/contact-us">email, phone or livechat</a>.

Manage my account

Been switched by mistake? If you've been switched to or from People's Energy and you weren't expecting, find out what to do and how we'll sort it out for you.

Switching problems

We're a new kind of energy supplier. Feel like you've heard it all before? We get it. Here's how we're doing things a bit differently - and why we'd love to have you join us.
<ul>
<li>We&rsquo;re a company with strong values. We put people first, and we mean it: we're on a mission to make energy affordable for all. Find out about <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/about/about-us">what we stand for</a>.</li>
<li>We&rsquo;re believe in energy that&rsquo;s kind to people, and kind to the planet too. Find out more about <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/our-energy">our commitment to green, renewable energy</a>.&nbsp;</li>
<li>We&rsquo;re want our members to have a real say in what we do. Find out about <a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/about/about-us">our open approach that sets us apart from the Big 6</a>.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
More FAQs about People's Energy:

About People's Energy

If you need some extra support, we're here to help. From coping with health issues to suffering a bereavement, we can make things a little bit easier.

Extra help for our members

In 2019, the&nbsp;<a href="https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/shivering-winter-wonderland-7-top-tips-make-your-home-warmer/">Energy Saving Trust</a>&nbsp;reported that four out of ten people avoid switching on heating during colder spells, and a third can&rsquo;t make their home as warm as they&rsquo;d like due to the extra cost of their bills.
There are already an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nea.org.uk/">4 million households in fuel poverty in the UK</a>, and with many more dealing with increased financial hardship as a result of the current pandemic crsis , that number is likely to go up.&nbsp;
People&rsquo;s Energy are fighting to make energy affordable for all &ndash; and joining us helps us get closer to our goal of stamping out fuel poverty for good. But small savings can still make a difference too. We&rsquo;ve pulled together our best energy-saving tips on how to keep your home warmer for less.
&nbsp;
<h2>Simple ways to save money on your heating</h2>
&nbsp;
1. Turn your thermostat down by one degree.&nbsp;More than half of our fuel bills goes towards providing heating and hot water. But a little less heat can go a long way. Our top home energy-saving tip is to turn your thermostat down by one degree, saving you around &pound;80 a year.
2. Block draughts with a little DIY.&nbsp;40% of heat loss in an average home is through draughts around doors, windows and floors. Professional draught-proofing can save around &pound;20 a year on energy bills, but can cost around &pound;200 for the work upfront - DIY tricks like blocking draughts using towels or self-adhesive window strips, and keeping curtains shut, are simple ways to help to keep the cold out and the heat in on a budget.
3. Make your radiators work harder.&nbsp;Making your radiators work harder is another way to save. Bleeding them once a year helps to keep them efficient, as this releases any trapped air that stops the warm water circulating. Fixing reflective foil (or even standard kitchen foil!) behind your radiators is an old-school hack to stop heat escaping through walls (that&rsquo;s about 35% of heat loss in the average home). Remember to check if you have&nbsp;<a href="https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/cavity-wall-insulation/">cavity wall insulation first</a>&nbsp;&ndash; this trick only works for homes with solid walls.
4. Take control of the temperature with a smart thermostat.&nbsp;If you&rsquo;re able to spend a little more upfront, smart room thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves are great ways to make sure you don&rsquo;t spend money heating rooms you&rsquo;re not using. They regulate temperature in different rooms of your house, and could save you around &pound;75 a year.
&nbsp;
<h2>Energy-saving tips for the kitchen</h2>
&nbsp;
5. Fill your dishwasher and swap your running tap for your washing up bowl.&nbsp;Even small changes can add up to savings. According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average UK household can shave around &pound;40 off their annual energy bills by using kitchen appliances a little more smartly. Only run your dishwasher when it&rsquo;s full, or use a washing up bowl rather than a running tap &ndash; which could save &pound;25 a year.
6. Only fill the kettle with what you need.&nbsp;You can even save money on your cup of tea &ndash; only fill your kettle with the water you need, and it could save you around &pound;6 a year.
7. Use the right ring for you pan size.&nbsp;Likewise, only boil the water you need when you&rsquo;re cooking food, and use the right ring for your pan size.
8. Save by using your microwave.&nbsp;Microwaves and slow cookers are also super-efficient ways to heat and cook food, so opt for those as an alternative to your oven for extra savings.
9. Keep your fridge clean and cool.&nbsp;Your fridge drinks a lot of energy as it&rsquo;s on 24/7. Older fridges in particular will use more, so it&rsquo;s worthwhile making sure it&rsquo;s not working harder than it needs to. Dust the coils regularly. And always cool food before putting it in the fridge &ndash; your fridge has to use more energy to bring down the temperature of warm food.
&nbsp;
<h2>Making laundry more energy-efficient</h2>
&nbsp;
10. Wash at 30 degrees, with a full load.&nbsp;Washing machines are one of the most frequently-used appliances in our homes. Washing at 30 degrees uses 40% less electricity than washing at a higher temperature, and waiting until you have a full load means you&rsquo;re not running your washing machine more than you need to. You can save around &pound;5 on your annual energy bill.&nbsp;
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h2>Save with shorter daily showers</h2>
&nbsp;
11. Cut your shower by 2 minutes.&nbsp;17% of the average heating bill goes towards heating water in the home. Swapping baths for showers is a great way to cut water consumption, with further savings to be had from stepping out of the shower earlier &ndash; cutting your shower down by a couple of minutes can save around &pound;5 per person a year.
12. Fit an efficient shower head.&nbsp;If you&rsquo;ve got a shower that takes hot water straight from your boiler or hot water tank (rather than an electric shower), fitting a water-efficient shower head is a great way to cut back on hot water without losing the power shower effect. For a small upfront cost (normally &pound;20-30), a water-efficient shower head could save a four-person household (e.g. a family of four or a shared student flat) as much as &pound;70 a year on gas for water heating, as well as a further &pound;115 a year on water bills if they have a water meter.&nbsp;
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h2>Switching off to save</h2>
 14. Turn off appliances on standby.&nbsp;Your TV, phone charger and games console are still switched on, even in standby mode, and can eat up an extra &pound;30 of energy a year. You can either switch off at the plug, or if you have an appliance you don&rsquo;t want to switch off (like your set-top box), use a standby saver plug which will switch everything off apart from one or two devices you want left on. &nbsp;
15. Turn off lights when you leave a room.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s the simplest trick in the book (but sometimes the hardest!) If you switch a light off for just a few seconds, you&rsquo;ll save more energy than it takes to turn the light on again. Flipping the switch can save you around &pound;14 a year on your annual energy bill.
&nbsp;
<h2>A smart meter can help you make extra savings</h2>
&nbsp;
Saving is easier when you know what you&rsquo;re spending. A smart meter with an in-home display will show how much energy you&rsquo;re using, and exactly what it&rsquo;s costing. Keeping an eye on what you&rsquo;re spending on energy in real-time can encourage energy-saving habits &ndash; like our tips here. The government estimates that a display can help reduce a household&rsquo;s electricity use by 2.8%, and gas use by 2%. If you&rsquo;re a member of People&rsquo;s Energy, we can install your smart meter for free.<a href="https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/help/smart-meters">&nbsp;Find out more about smart meters.</a>
&nbsp;
All figures from the Energy Saving Trust.

Energy efficiency

Last updated: 23 December 2020
On 16 December 2020, People&rsquo;s Energy was affected by a cyber security data incident. In the vast majority of cases, no financial information for our domestic members was compromised. However, some of our members&rsquo; other personal information was accessed.
We understand that this is a cause of real concern and we're really sorry that it happened.
We&rsquo;ve put together some FAQs to answer some of the questions you might have. &nbsp;You can also reach us on our dedicated phone number <a href="tel:+441313782357">0131 378 2357</a>, or by emailing <a href="mailto:helpline@peoplesenergy.co.uk">helpline@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>What happened?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>
On Wednesday 16 December, we discovered that an unauthorised third party had gained access to one of the systems we use to store some of our members&rsquo; data. As soon as we became aware of what was happening, we acted immediately to close down the route being used to get into our system, and to stop access to any further information.
We&rsquo;ve informed the Information Commissioner&rsquo;s Office and the energy industry regulator, Ofgem. We&rsquo;re following their guidance and are keeping them updated on the situation.
&nbsp;
<h2>Is the incident ongoing?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>
No. We&rsquo;ve identified how our security was compromised, and the incident has been stopped.
&nbsp;
<h2>What&nbsp;data was accessed?&nbsp;</h2>
For all members, certain personal details were accessed. This includes names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, email addresses, People&rsquo;s Energy account numbers, tariff details, and gas and electricity meter identification numbers.
Online People&rsquo;s Energy account passwords were not accessed during the incident and remain secure.
For a very small number of members, some partial financial data was compromised. We&rsquo;ve contacted the members affected.
&nbsp;
<h2>Are my financial details secure?&nbsp;</h2>
For the majority of members, your financial data, including bank details, are secure and were not accessed.
Unfortunately, for a very small number of our customers (0.1%), some partial financial data was compromised. We&rsquo;ve contacted the members affected to discuss the nature of the impact, and to suggest the steps they can take in response to the incident.
Our detailed investigation of the extent of the incident has now been completed.
&nbsp;
<h2>How many people have been affected?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>
The personal details outlined above were accessed for all our members. This includes both current members and former members who&rsquo;ve used us as their energy supplier in the past. We&rsquo;re doing everything we can to contact everyone affected to explain what&rsquo;s happened.
For a very small number of our members, some partial financial data was also compromised. Those members have been notified separately. If you haven&rsquo;t heard from us directly about this, your financial data was not accessed.
&nbsp;
<h2>What should I do now?&nbsp;</h2>
Please be vigilant. It&rsquo;s possible that the party responsible for this incident may try to get in contact with you. Some of the ways you can help to keep your information safe are:
<ul>
<li>Watch out for&nbsp;suspicious calls or emails. Don&rsquo;t click links within emails you don&rsquo;t recognise.</li>
<li>Delete&nbsp;texts from numbers or names you don&rsquo;t know.</li>
<li>Let us know if you receive any suspicious or unsolicited emails, in particular any that appear to come from People&rsquo;s Energy.</li>
</ul>
If you&rsquo;re suspicious about an email, call or letter that appears to come from People&rsquo;s Energy, please contact us straight away. You can reach us on our dedicated phone number <a href="tel:+441313782357">0131 378 2357</a>, or by emailing <a href="mailto:helpline@peoplesenergy.co.uk">helpline@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a>. We&rsquo;re experiencing higher call volumes than normal, so if you can, please email rather than calling. We&rsquo;ll get back to you as fast as we can.
&nbsp;
<h2>Do I need to change my&nbsp;People&rsquo;s Energy&nbsp;account details?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>
No. As your password wasn&rsquo;t compromised,&nbsp;your online account remains&nbsp;secure.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>What measures are you putting in place to stop something like this happening in the future?&nbsp;</h2>
We&rsquo;re currently working with a dedicated external security team to add additional protection to our systems. Your financial data is kept in a separate system with enhanced security. &nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>A company called Magnum Utilities has&nbsp;contacted me about a smart meter installation, is this&nbsp;genuine?&nbsp;</h2>
Yes. Magnum Utilities is the company we partner with to carry out the installation of our smart meters. They may get in touch with you by phone or email to arrange for your smart meter to be installed.
&nbsp;
<h2>Who can I talk to about this?&nbsp;</h2>
We&rsquo;ve set up a dedicated team to deal with any questions or concerns you&nbsp;may&nbsp;have. You can reach us by phone on&nbsp;<a href="tel:0131%20378%202357">0131 378 2357</a>, or by emailing&nbsp;<a href="mailto:helpline@peoplesenergy.co.uk">helpline@peoplesenergy.co.uk</a>. We're here 9am-8pm (9am-5pm over the weekend).
We&rsquo;ll do our best to deal with all&nbsp;your&nbsp;queries as quickly as possible. Please bear with us &ndash; your patience is really appreciated.&nbsp;

We’re here to help