Energy Debt Issues
I need to set up or change a debt repayment plan
If you’re in energy debt, try not to worry. By law, your supplier must help you arrange a repayment plan that you can afford.
You can use the messaging template below to ask for an affordable plan.
Click the ⓘ icons for more information on gathering what you need and filling out the template.
You will need…
- A note of how much debt you have
- To work out how much of the debt you can afford to repay
- To work out how much you can afford to pay for your ongoing energy costs
Before writing to your energy supplier, it’s a good idea to check a couple of things:
Check you’re not being charged for someone else’s debt.
You can check this by making sure:
Each meter has a unique serial number. It’s a combination of letters and numbers on your meter box. Look for a number that’s between nine and 12 digits long.
The meter serial number/s on your bill should match the number/s on your meter/s at home. If they don’t, then you may have been charged for someone else’s energy usage.
If the serial number on your meter doesn’t match the one on your bill, you should let your supplier know. If you need help with this, you can use our Billing issues template.
When you move into a new home, the person who lived there before might have not paid their final bill. If your supplier doesn’t know when you moved in, they may charge you incorrectly. The same goes for when you move out.
Make sure the billing period doesn’t include any time you didn’t live in the property. If you’re being asked to pay for a period before you moved in or after you moved out, it’s best to contact your supplier. Once you provide evidence of your moved in or moved out date, they should be able to send you an accurate bill.
Can you get help paying your energy costs?
Check whether you’re getting all the support you’re entitled to:
If you’re struggling to afford payments and repayments, it’s a good idea to check whether you’re eligible for financial help.
Your supplier might have a hardship fund you can apply for. There’s an option on the template to ask for this.
We also have a grants and funding page that might help.
Once you’ve got this information, you’re ready to use the template below.
Don’t worry if some of the template doesn’t apply to your issue. You can remove any unnecessary lines from your message once you’ve downloaded it.
Letter copied to clipboard
Don’t forget to paste this into an email to your energy supplier.
Sending your message
There are different ways you can send your message to your supplier. You can:
- copy and paste it into an email or web form
- download it and attach it to an email
- download it and print it out to send in the post
- if communicating via an online chat or form, you can use the information here to guide what you send
You should save a copy of the message for your records.
Next steps
Your supplier will make a decision about your repayment plan. They’ll confirm this decision in writing to you.
Your supplier has a legal obligation to make sure you can afford your repayment plan is affordable.
It can be helpful to explain to them how a higher repayment plan will negatively impact you. You can use our Complaints template to ask them to let them know. You can also ask them to review your repayment plan.
If your circumstances change, you might be able to afford to repay more or less than the agreed amount. If this happens, you can use the template to request another change to your plan.
If you haven’t heard back from your supplier within two weeks, you might want to raise a complaint. Or complaints template can help you do this.