What happens if I don't pay?
What if I can’t pay my next bill?
We understand that it’s not always easy to pay your bill. So let us know why you’re finding it difficult and we’ll work together on a plan that suits your needs. And if you already owe us money, we’ll discuss options for you to pay it back in manageable instalments.
If you don’t pay your bill
We want to do everything we can to help you pay. But if there’s an outstanding balance on your account and we can’t get hold of you, we may have to take extra steps. We always take into consideration your individual circumstances before doing any of the following.
We may
- Pass your details to a debt collection agency
- Apply for a warrant to install a Pay As You Go meter to make it easier to pay back the money you owe
- If possible, switch your smart meter to a smart Pay As You Go meter remotely
If we do any of the above, we may need to charge you to cover the cost. But we’ll always let you know by letter or email before we add it to your account. And we’ll highlight your new balance in the next notice we send – which is always by letter.
Possible charges
- £13 to cover the extra cost for debt collection
- £31 to pass your details to a debt collection agency
- £56 to apply for a warrant to enter your home
- £94 to carry out the warrant (and fit a Pay As You Go meter)
- £28 for admin fees and for passing your account to a debt collection agency to recover your final bill
Will my credit rating be affected if I can’t pay? How can I avoid this?
If you don’t pay, you could damage your credit rating. And that can make it harder to borrow money in future – including higher interest rates and stricter rules.
You can avoid this by paying your bill on time or by letting us know as soon as possible if you can’t pay your next bill in full. We’ll then arrange an alternative way to pay that works for you – just get in touch with one of our advisers.
Will my supply be disconnected?
We know everyone’s circumstances are different. And we’ll do everything we can to protect you against disconnection, especially where we believe it could damage yours or your family’s welfare – particularly in winter. So we’ll only consider disconnection after we’ve explored all other options.
What happens when a Direct Debit gets returned?
If your Direct Debit is returned by the bank, we’ll try to collect it again – usually around 14 days later. But we can also request to collect it for up to one month after the original return date. Don’t worry, we’ll always write to you to tell you when we plan to collect your Direct Debit again.
If your payment fails for a second time, we’ll have to cancel your Direct Debit and send you a bill instead. And you’ll need to pay this in full within 14 days. From then on, we’ll go back to sending you bills for the energy you use on a monthly or quarterly basis. How often you get a bill will be based on the terms you agreed when we created your account.
We know everyone’s circumstances are different, so you can choose a payment method that works for you. Find one that suits your needs on our Paying for my energy page.
What will you do with my information?
We’ll treat anything you tell us about your circumstances as confidential – and we’ll only use it to help find the right solution for you.
For full details about what personal data we collect and how we process it, please read our Privacy Policy.
Help if you're struggling to pay
0330 808 3880
Our team members are available between 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday. Saturday 9am - 2pm.
Services and HomeCover enquiries
0333 200 8899
Our team members are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Payments and invoice team
0333 202 9729
Our team members are available between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday. Saturday 9am - 1pm.