What is a Budget Plan?
Budget Plan is designed to help you manage the costs for the energy you use during a 12 months plan, by having equal monthly payments and frequent reviews. This helps you budget across the year and means that you don’t face large differences between the bills in winter and summer.
The Budget Plan is calculated to start on the day your services go live and runs for 12 months - don’t worry we always remind you of these dates in our communications.
We collect the money each month through Direct Debit, and the monthly bill shows all the updates on consumption, charges and account balance.
In order to provide you with the most accurate estimates, we rely on meter readings. If you don’t have a smart meter, you should give us meter readings each month to make sure we always show the most accurate and up to date amounts on your invoice. Submit your meter readings online using the button below
or call us on 0333 777 0999 to give them over the phone.
Our monthly bill is also a place where you can see your account health - what credit or deficit you have on each service, how much we charged for each, what readings we have used and any details you need about energy suppliers and your rights.
If you ever find yourself in difficulty paying your bills, we are always here to help. Let us know about your circumstances and we can help switch you to a tariff or type of payment that better suits your needs - we can also point you to other organisations that can assist and help you.
When's my Budget Plan reviewed?
We review your Budget Plan multiple times throughout the 12 months plan, starting with an initial check that the estimate you signed up on matches what the industry estimate for your property is. Don’t worry, this doesn’t always result in changes, but if we have to adjust your payments, it’s so that you have a better chance to have a zero balance at the end of the 12 months. We always send you communications informing you of any changes and we’re here to help if any issues.
Later in the plan, we need your meter readings to ensure that the consumption we bill you for is accurate. This means that the more regularly you give us meter readings, the more often we check and bill you only for what you have consumed.
If you haven’t given us meter readings in a while, we might contact you or remind you to send us meter readings when we send our recommended Budget Plan change.
Our fixed review dates for Budget Plan customers are another way we ensure that we keep an eye on your account throughout the plan.
One way to ensure you are always paying for what you use, is to have a smart meter installed. We can then set and monitor your Budget Plan more accurately using the automatic meter readings it sends us. You can book your smart meter appointment today by clicking below.
Please
, if you have any more questions about your Budget Plan.How was my monthly payment calculated?
We estimate how much you'll use in a year based on your previous annual usage, multiply it by the tariff charges that you're on and then spread the cost over equal payments that reflect the number of months left on your plan. So for example, if you just joined us we will use previous annual usage and divide it by 12 months to get to the monthly cost for your energy services until the end of the plan.
When we review your monthly Budget Plan payments during your 12 months plan, we use the estimated annual consumption based on the meter reads we receive, calculate your new charges and subtract the payments you’ve already made then divide the difference by the number of months left until the end of your plan.
This means you'll consume less during warmer, brighter months and more during winter months when it's colder and darker. So rather than paying higher bills in winter and smaller bills in summer, you're paying manageable even monthly amounts which will then balance out at the end of the year.
Don’t worry we show you all this in our communications and we are here for you if you have any questions.
Each year can be different to the last and circumstances can change, here are some examples of changes that can influence your energy consumption during the plan:
Seasonal changes i.e. we experience a longer colder winter so you use more energy
Changes in circumstances, spending more time indoors
Change in appliances which use gas/electricity i.e. I bought a tumble dryer which I use regularly
More usage, kids electronics, laptops etc
If you’ve had renovations/ building work done i.e. power tools, dehumidifiers, electric heaters
If you have a change in circumstances, and you believe the Budget Plan amount is not reflecting it, please let us know and remember to bring with you on the call the latest meter readings.