Updated on 23/09/2020
For periods of time, some meters might not need topping up if the household doesn’t need to use gas or electricity. This could be when a household is unoccupied, or over the summer when some households might not need their gas on.
Even if you are not using energy, there’s still a standing charge that's applied every day and taken from the meter balance. You can find out more about what daily standing charges cover here.
Without topping up, this can result in a negative balance on the meter. Here’s how to check if this has happened:
Traditional meters: You can see any accumulated debt if you scroll through the screens on your electricity meter until you get to screen ‘F’ or ‘4’ – or screen 17 on your gas meter.
Smart Standard: If you have smart meters, you can see the debt by pressing button 7 on the keypad of each meter.
Normally, you’d need to clear the full debt amount and bring the meter into a positive balance to get your meters back on. By topping up enough to clear the debt and get you back on supply, you shouldn't need to call but if you have any problems getting back on supply, then we’re on hand to help!
