Help and support

How do I find information on Emergency Credit and Friendly Credit for my prepayment meter

On this page you’ll find lots of information about Emergency Credit and Friendly Credit:

  • What is Emergency Credit?

  • How to activate Emergency Credit

  • How to check how much Emergency Credit you have left

  • Friendly Credit: for when Emergency Credit runs out

  • Important information

  • Useful links

What is Emergency Credit?

If you’re unable to add credit to your energy meter, Emergency Credit is there as a safety net. When your energy credit gets low and is about to run out, you can activate the Emergency Credit to make sure you can still heat and power your home.

You’ll see a low credit alert on your meter or, for smart meters, on your in-home smart meter display.

Smart meters and many traditional (non-smart) meters also have additional Friendly Credit, in case your credit runs out during a time when you can’t get to a shop.

Important: Remember, if you use up your Emergency Credit or Friendly Credit, you’ll need to repay them both the next time you top up.

How to activate Emergency Credit

Using an in-home smart meter display

You can activate your Emergency Credit using your smart meter display. Just follow the relevant link for your in-home display here:

Directly at the meter: Smart meters

We’ve put together this list to help you understand your smart meter. You’ll find helpful videos and step-by-step instructions for specific actions. You should see a manufacturer's name on the front of your meter. Choose the meter that applies below:

Directly at the meter: Traditional (non-smart) meters

Choose the link depending on the meter type you want to add Emergency Credit to.

How to check how much Emergency Credit you have left

If your credit was running low and you’ve activated your Emergency Credit, you can check your remaining balance through your meter or in-home smart meter display.

In-home smart meter displays

To find out how you can check the remaining Emergency Credit balance through your smart meter display, click

.

Directly on the meter: smart meters

We’ve put together a list of links to help you get what you need from your smart meter. You’ll find helpful videos and step-by-step instructions. You should see a manufacturer's name on the front of your meter. Choose the meter that applies below:

Directly at the meter: traditional (non-smart) meters

Click

to read our user guide and find how to check your remaining Emergency credit balance on the meter.

Friendly Credit: for when you can’t get to the shops

We understand it can be difficult to get a top-up sometimes, especially at night. So smart meters and many traditional (non-smart) meters have Friendly Credit. Friendly Credit is automatically applied if your credit or Emergency Credit has been used up during the below times, so you don’t get disconnected before the shops are open:

  • Weekdays from 4pm to 10am

  • Weekends start at 4pm on a Friday and last until 10am on Monday

Important information

Remember to top up

If you don’t top up your meters or apply Emergency Credit or Friendly Credit, your supply will go off when your normal credit runs out. When you top up, you’ll need to repay the Emergency Credit or Friendly Credit, as well as any standing charges before you can use energy again.

You need to repay Emergency Credit and Friendly Credit

Don’t forget, you need to repay both Emergency and Friendly Credit the next time you top up. If you think you are going to struggle to pay this back in one go, please call our UK-based customer services team on 0333 777 3215.

If you’re away from home...

Make sure you leave enough credit on your meter to cover the energy your fridge, freezer and other appliances will use while you’re away, as well as any standing charges.

Useful links 

For help on how to top up your smart meter, click

Or for Emergency Credit information on a non-smart meter, click

Was this article helpful?

Still need help?