Prepayment meters

Prepayment meters are a ‘pay as you go’ option which allows you to pay for your energy before you use it. There are two types of meter: 

• Traditional prepayment meter – check your energy usage on the meter itself and top up using a key or card. 
• Smart prepayment meter – check your usage, top up and track any debt repayments using an online account or by calling our team.  

How can a prepayment meter help you manage your energy? 

• See what you’re spending – because you pay for your energy before you use it, there are no surprise bills. 
• Repay debt without building up more – repay a debt at the same time as paying for your energy.  

What are the advantages of prepayment meters?  

• Rental properties can have smart prepay meters installed allowing for different tenants over time to either pay monthly or pay by topping up depending on their preference and convenience. 
• Our Smart Pay As You Go tariff is the same price as the traditional prepayment tariff – so costs stay the same if you have a smart meter installed. NB. These costs are lower than pay-monthly. 
• You can top up a Smart Pay As You Go meter from home, either online or by calling our team on 0345 034 2400.   
• Smart Pay As You Go meters have friendly non-disconnection hours overnight between 4pm and 10am the next day on working days. This also lasts 24 hours during weekends, and on bank holidays – meaning no more waiting for the shops to open before you can top up again. 
• More support available if something goes wrong and includes the option to call us if you want to top up. 
• In-home display allows for an easy view of your usage, current balance, activation of £15 emergency credit, and re-enabling your electric supply  
• Includes email and text notifications when your balance drops below £10 and £5, as well as a reminder on your in-home display. 
• If you’re a dual fuel customer, your can top up each meter balance separately, to make it easier to track your balance and payments. 

What are the disadvantages of prepayment meters? 

• There is a risk of a meter being installed in an area where it cannot/struggles to connect. This means we may not be able to honour the prepayment rates, or you may need to input a code for your meter to register a top-up. 
• Smart prepay meters can get disconnected meaning access to supply can be restricted, unless customers are eligible for our never disconnect service where the meter will not disconnect if balances goes below £0. 
• If you get disconnected, buttons on the meter must be pressed on the meter to reactivate the supply again. 
• Costs cannot be spread out across the year like they can with a credit meter, meaning a credit cannot be built up over summer to be used over winter as easily. 
• Bear in mind that even at times when you’re not using much energy, your daily standing charge will continue to be deducted from your balance and you will need to have enough credit to cover this.   

These are the circumstances in which you may be eligible to get a prepayment meter: 

• Under agreement – when you’ve requested one and we agree that it’s a suitable payment method for you. 
• Payment plan – when you request one to help you pay an outstanding balance and we agree that it’s the best repayment option for you. 
• Debt repayment – if you’ve defaulted on an agreed arrangement to pay off a debt. 
• Debt repayment under warrant – if you don’t agree a debt repayment plan with us, prepayment meters can be installed under warrant through our partners Engage & SMS to ensure you can repay your debt and your ongoing consumption. 

Will I have to pay to have a prepayment meter installed? 

We won’t charge you if you’ve agreed with us to have a prepayment meter installed.  

You will only be charged if we have had to get a warrant to install the meter. The charge will cover the cost of obtaining the warrant and is capped by Ofgem at a maximum of £150.  

How are prepayment meters installed? 

Prepayment meters will be installed by a qualified engineer, and only where it’s safe and practical to do so. For example, if your current meter is in an unsafe or inaccessible location, we will try to move it. If this isn’t possible, we won’t be able to install a prepayment meter. 

Will I receive a smart or traditional prepayment meter? 

Wherever possible we install smart prepayment meters for our customers. If there isn’t full smart connectivity in your area, we will install a traditional prepayment meter. 

Can I have my traditional prepayment meter replaced with a smart one? 

If you’d like your traditional prepayment meter replaced with a smart one, get in touch with us and we’ll organise getting you switched over. Email hello@goodenergy.co.uk 

How much will my prepayment energy tariff cost? 

Prepayment prices are covered by the energy price cap and regulated directly by Ofgem. They are reviewed every three months. More information can be found here. 

If we change our prices, the settings on your meter will be changed from the date the new prices apply – we’ll give you reasonable notice if your prices change by email or letter.  

Will I receive bills? 

No. Because you’ll pay for the energy you use in advance, you won’t receive a bill. Instead, you’ll receive an annual statement showing your current tariff, usage and payments, along with an estimate of how much you’ll use the following year. 

Paying for your energy usage 

You can pay for your ongoing usage and any debt on your energy account at any time using your online Smart Prepayment account. You can also call one of our Clean Energy Specialists on  0345 034 2400.

If we’ve agreed a debt repayment plan with you, you’ll be able to confirm the details of your repayments by emailing us hello@goodenergy.co.uk or by calling us on the number above. See the Debt repayment with prepayment meters for more information about this. 

Paying for your energy usage 

You will have a key or card that you top up and insert into your meter to pay for your ongoing usage and any debt on your energy account. Cards and keys can be topped up at your nearest Paypoint, PayZone, or Post Office outlet. 

If we’ve agreed a debt repayment plan with you, you’ll be able to see the details on the meter. 

Checking your balance 

If you have a traditional prepayment meter, it’s important to regularly check the balance on your meter, as it won’t alert you when your credit is getting low. Check your balance by pressing A or 1 on your meter.

Using your meter key or card 

You must only use the key or card provided by Good Energy to purchase credit and insert into your meter. This will make sure your payments are applied to your Good Energy account. 

If you receive a new meter key or card, you must insert it into your meter to register it. After that, you’ll be able to take it to be topped up. 

What to do if your key or card is faulty or lost 

Please contact Good Energy to get a replacement key. As soon as you receive it, remember to insert it into your meter to register it. After that, you’ll be able to top it up. 

How to avoid fraudulent payments 

You must only top up your key or card at approved outlets including Paypoint, PayZone or the Post Office. Do not buy electricity or gas credits from anyone selling door-to-door, as these are not accepted and classed as fraudulent, so you will only end up losing money.  

Any credits bought via an unapproved outlet will not show on your account, and you’ll be responsible for paying outstanding charges. 

Authorised credit outlets will provide you with a receipt, which you can use to check the payments shown on your statement. We recommend keeping your top-up receipts in case we need to see copies, in the event that you have any queries about your payments. 

Smart prepayment meter advice 

If you have a smart prepayment meter and your active balance (the balance which excludes any debt being repaid) falls below £5, you will receive a notification confirming when your gas and/or electricity supply will be disconnected. You should aim to top up using your Smart Prepayment account before that point to cancel the disconnection. 

Your smart prepayment meter will not disconnect when our offices are closed, in case you need support with topping up or reconnecting your meter.  

For example, if you run out of credit when our office closes on Friday, your meter will not disconnect until 10am the following Monday. In this scenario, if you don’t top up in the meantime, any energy you use between Friday and Monday will be added to your ‘active debt balance’ and repaid the next time you make a top-up payment. 

if you need to use emergency credit, detail on how to access this can be found in our guide.

Traditional prepayment meter advice 

If you have a traditional prepayment meter, it’s important to regularly check the balance on your meter, as it won’t alert you when your credit is getting low. Check your balance by pressing A or 1 on your meter. 

If your balance drops below £0, your supply may disconnect unexpectedly.

Your active balance must be above £0 to cancel the disconnection. But don’t worry, if you’re not able to top up straight away, you can activate the emergency credit function on your meter. 

How to use emergency credit 

If your balance drops below £0, your prepayment meter can provide you with emergency credit to keep you on supply until you can top up. This is usually £5. Once you use all the emergency credit, your supply will disconnect until you top up. You’ll need to pay back the emergency credit and anything else you owe to return your meter to normal use. 

If you need to use emergency credit, insert your key or card into your meter when the credit falls below £1. Your meter will display ‘E’ if it’s an electricity meter or ‘Emergency credit in use’ if it’s gas.  

Important things to remember: 

• You’ll need to top up with enough to repay the emergency credit you’ve used; cover any standing charges that accumulated while you were using emergency credit; bring your balance above £0 to pay for your ongoing usage; and cover any debt repayment rates. 
• Debt repayments will not be collected while you’re in emergency credit, so it’s important to avoid using it where possible so that you don’t fall behind with your repayment agreement. 
• Never get into the habit of relying on emergency credit – it’s there for safety to help you stay on supply short term, until you can top up. 

To check how much you need to top up to get out of emergency credit, press the button B or 2 on your meter. 

What to do if you can’t afford energy 

If you have stopped using energy because you can’t afford to make further payments, please contact us immediately and we will review your circumstances.  

For out of hours assistance please call our emergency line on 0345 034 2400 or 0800 254 0022 . For ways to save energy and money, please contact us for energy efficiency advice. 

If you think something is wrong with your meter, please email hello@goodenergy.co.uk and we will get back to you within 72 hours.  

If it is an urgent query, please call 0345 034 2400  to speak to a Clean Energy Specialist. If you report a fault with your meter that needs assessing or fixing, we will arrange a time with you to visit your property. 

What is a debt recovery rate?
When prepayment meters are used to recover debt, we apply a set daily amount onto your prepayment account that will be collected from your meter alongside your energy usage and standing charge payments. This helps you gradually pay off your debt at a level you can afford. 

How are debt recovery rates calculated?
We take into consideration your personal circumstance, whether you receive certain benefits and any information provided by Citizens Advice or another group acting on your behalf. We will agree with you weekly repayments that are affordable and enable you to get out of energy debt. This weekly amount will be split into a smaller daily recovery rate. 

If we’ve been unable to discuss repayments with you, we’ll arrange for debt to be repaid over 18 months. Please tell us straight away if this is unaffordable. 

You can see your credit or debt balance on your meter if you have a traditional prepayment meter, or in your Smart Prepayment account if you have a smart meter. Alternatively, you can call us on 0345 034 2400 or 0800 254 0022, or email us at hello@goodenergy.co.uk.  

If your circumstances change and you can no longer afford the agreed debt repayment amount, please contact us. We can re-assess your circumstances and change the repayment amount to something more suitable. 

What happens when your debt is repaid? 

Once you have repaid the debt balance, any payments you make will go towards your ongoing consumption and the debt recovery rate will be cancelled. 

Requesting a credit meter 

When your debt is paid in full, we can consider switching you back to a credit meter once we have reviewed the following: 

• You have £0 of debt on your account 
• You have a consistent record of payments while on Smart Prepay, with infrequent self-disconnections (when you run out of credit on your meter) 
• We’re confident that switching you back to credit would not make you financially vulnerable. 
• You agree to setting either a Fixed or Variable Direct Debit. 
• You may also be able to request a credit meter if a prepayment meter was installed at your property prior to you moving in (we will ask for evidence of your moving in date). 

If you have a smart prepayment meter, we can remotely switch you to credit mode without needing to visit your property. If you have a traditional prepayment meter, we’ll need to visit your property to install a new meter. 

Please note that we are not obligated to switch you back to a credit meter if we had to install a Prepayment meter under warrant to collect money you owed us. We would only switch a prepayment meter back to a credit meter on request from the account holder. 

Changing supplier 

If you’re changing energy supplier, your new supplier will notify us of the date they intend to take over your supply. We will agree a final meter reading for the date that your supply with us ends and your supply with them begins. 

We will then send you a final bill and ask that you pay any outstanding balance in full. If your bill shows you’re in credit, please contact us to request a refund. 

Changing supplier if you’re in debt 

If you’re still repaying a debt to Good Energy you may not be able to change supplier. If you want to change, you can either:

• Pay your debt to Good Energy in full if this is an affordable option; 
• Continue on your repayment plan using your Prepayment meter until the debt is repaid; 
• Or, if you’re not yet on a Prepayment meter, we can move you onto this to help you repay your debt. 

Call us on 0345 034 2400 or 0800 254 0022 if you would like to discuss your options.

Switching to Good Energy with a prepayment meter 

If you have a prepayment meter and you’d like to switch to Good Energy, call us on 0345 034 2400. 

 We’ll contact your current supplier to let them know that you’re switching. We allow customers who have a debt of up to £500 to switch to us, however your current supplier may require you to clear your debt first. 

If you have a traditional prepayment meter, you’ll receive your Good Energy key or card before you switch to us. In the meantime, it’s best to top up little and often so that your credit dwindles ready for you to begin using your Good Energy key. You can find information on how to activate your Good Energy key in the using your traditional prepayment meter section.  

If you’re moving, please complete our home move form or call us on 0345 034 2400. It’s important you let us know your moving out date so that we can calculate your energy usage correctly. 

Sending your closing meter readings 

If you have a smart prepayment meter, we will take a remote meter reading from your smart meter on your move-out date. If we cannot get a reading (e.g. due to a temporary loss of connectivity) then we will estimate your reading. 

If you have a traditional prepayment meter, please send us a final meter reading on your move-out date so that we can provide an accurate final bill. If you don’t send us a meter reading then we will estimate a read. 

We will then send you a final bill and ask that you pay any outstanding balance in full. If your bill shows that you’re in credit, please contact us to request a refund. 

Moving into a property that has a Good Energy prepayment meter 

If you’ve moved into a property that has a prepayment meter supplied by Good Energy, contact us on 0345 034 2400 as soon as possible so that we can set up your account and answer any queries about your meter key or supply.  

If there is no key or card with your meter, we will arrange for you to collect a new key at your nearest top-up outlet (Paypoint, PayZone, or the Post Office).  

If you can’t get to a shop, we will post your key – but please note this may take up to three working days. If you have no credit left, we may be able to arrange for an emergency appointment to ensure you remain on supply. 

You may find the following organisations helpful for specialist advice and information: 

Citizens Advice Bureau
Telephone: 020 7833 2181
Website: www.adviceguide.org.uk

National Debtline
Telephone: 0808 808 4000
Website: www.nationaldebtline.co.uk 

Energy Saving Trust
Telephone: 020 7222 0101
Website: www.est.org.uk  

Ombudsman Services: Energy
Telephone: 0330 440 1624
Website: www.energy-ombudsman.org.uk
Email: enquiries@energyombudsman.org.uk 

Smart Energy GB
Telephone: 0203 019 1000
Website: www.smartenergygb.org
Email: enquiries@smartenergygb.org