Smart prepayment meters or pay-as-you-go meters as they are often known, can be found in many UK households and are useful in helping you budget for your gas and electricity. You pay in advance for the energy you use so there are no unexpected bills. Smart prepayment meters are the next generation of gas and electricity meter as they offer you even more control of how much energy you use as you can monitor your usage in near real time and they can alert you when your credit is running low so you know to top-up.
In this guide we will take a look at the Emergency and Friendly Credit facilities of smart prepayment meters in more detail.
Emergency Credit is just as it sounds, it’s an emergency facility that is there to use for the times when you really need it. If you run out of credit unexpectedly, you can activate your emergency credit so you do not go off supply, giving you more time to be able to top-up.
At E, all of our smart meter customers have access to £15 Emergency Credit and for that extra peace of mind, you can activate your emergency credit when your credit balance has fallen to £2.
To activate your Emergency Credit on your E smart prepayment meter, visit www.e.org/smart-meter/existing-customer and follow the instructions in our smart meter user guides.
Friendly Credit is a feature provided by energy suppliers that ensures you do not lose electricity during evenings, weekends and bank holidays when your usual top-up outlet may not be open.
If you run out of credit, (standard or emergency) during the following hours, your electricity will not go off supply:
From 3pm – 10am Monday to Friday, all day Saturday and Sunday and all day bank holidays until 10am on our next working day.
There is no charge for using your Emergency or Friendly Credit facility, however it is worth noting that the next time you top-up, any Emergency or Friendly Credit you have used will be deducted from the top-up you have made.
With emergency and friendly credit being one of the most useful features in the smart pay-as-you-go meters, they serve as an essential safety net for millions of people across the UK. By knowing how these features work, you can manage your electricity supply efficiently and prevent unexpected blackouts in your home.
E (Gas and Electricity) is here to help and assist you. Do not hesitate to call or contact us if you need further clarification on these features. visit www.e.org/switching-to-us.
Or, if you're already with us and you'd like to upgrade to a smart meter, please use the contact us form.