Frequently Asked Questions

• General (4 articles)

  • Who are Utilita and why haven’t I heard of them before?

    Utilita is a dynamic and innovative UK company, licensed to supply gas and electricity to domestic households. We do much the same job as the likes of British Gas, EDF and Southern Electric but we do it better, more efficiently and at a lower cost.
    
    Utilita don’t believe in wasting funds on extravagant marketing campaigns when the same monies can be passed directly on to the customer as cheaper prices.
    
    Utilita has launched get smart Energy as the only fair priced, any pay-as-you-go supply of gas and electricity available to prepayment customers that actively encourages energy efficiency through the installation of new smart metering that gives the convenience of remote top-ups to the meter, and Friendly Credit – no disconnections at night and the weekend

  • What’s all this about energy-saving advice?

    Utilita is committed to helping households become energy efficient, helping them reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions, now and for years to come.
    
    We do this through energy saving tips and advice and through giving customers FREE energy saving light bulbs. We’ll be sending you your FREE energy saving light bulbs after your new metering has been installed.

  • You’re giving me new metering, energy saving light bulbs AND cheaper energy prices. What’s the catch?

    There’s no catch.
    
    Utilita is an efficient company able to save money that is passed on to the customer in the form of lower prices and energy saving advice and products. Furthermore, prepayment meters generate savings for the supplier through not needing meter readings, and no need to issue estimated bills and quarterly statements. This means Utilita saves costs and in turn the customers pay less.

  • I am moving what do I do next?

    We know this is a stressful time so we will try and keep it as simple as possible for you.
    
    If you are a Direct Debit customer:
    On the day of your move take a meter reading, give us a call (not necessarily on that day but within 2 weeks after) with these and your forwarding address and we will send you a final bill to your new property.
    
    If you are a prepayment customer:
    Please call us on the day of the move with meter readings and your forwarding address. We will read into the meter and if you have any credit on the meters we can refund this via cheque. Please leave your freedom unit and your top up cards in the property for the new tenant.

• Technical (7 articles)

  • Fuel Mix Disclosure

    The mix of energy sources for the generation of electricity as utilised by Utilita comprises the national average values as below
    Energy Source%
    Coal31.1
    Natural Gas34.9
    Nuclear%29.2
    Renewables0.8
    Other fuels4
    
    High level radioactive waste produced by the nuclear element of this generation
    Energy Sourceg/kWh
    Coal880
    Natural Gas370
    Nuclear0
    Renewables0
    Other530
    Overall Average460
    
    High level radioactive wate produced by the nuclear element of this generation
    0.010g/kWh

  • My Balance on my Freedom Unit has not Changed! Is this a problem?

    Yes, this means the Freedom unit has lost communications with the meters which means the freedom unit could be showing an incorrect balance. To fix this unplug and take the batteries out of the Unit and leave it with no power for 10 minutes, then plug the unit in near to the meter, this will then take a couple of minutes to update. If this does not work please call one of our advisors who will be more than happy to help.

  • What happens in an emergency?

    If you have Smart meters or are on a prepayment meter and have no power please check you are in credit, then press 0 on the meter (not the freedom unit). If this does not restore power then please call 0845 450 4599 (Emergency line) between 8am and 10pm Mondays to Fridays, and 8am to Midnight on Weekends and Bank Holidays. If you are a credit customer please call your local distributor on:
    Eastern:0800 783 8838
    East Midlands:0800 056 8090
    London:0800 028 0247
    Merseyside & North Wales:0845 272 2424
    Midlands:0800 328 1111
    North East:0800 668 877
    North Western:0800 195 4141
    North Scotland:0800 300 999
    South Scotland:0845 272 2424
    South Eastern:0800 783 8866
    South (Central):0845 770 8090
    South Wales:0800 052 0400
    South Western:0800 365 900
    Yorkshire:0800 375 675
    

  • Why is there money being taken off my top ups at Paypoint?

    This means there is a previous charge on the account.

  • Why does my electric go off when my gas top up runs out

    This happens due to an inbuilt safety feature within the meter. As there is no shut off valve in the Gas meter, when the gas credit completely runs out it assumes that you may not be aware that a gas appliance is on and therefore cuts off the Electric to alert you to this fact.

  • Why does the alarm keep sounding?

    See meters page

  • How do I put the codes in if they do not automatically go on?

    See meters page

• Installation of the new metering (6 articles)

  • Do I have to tell my current supplier that I am switching to Utilita?

    No. Utilita contact your old supplier as part of the switching process, which in this day and age is very smooth. There will be no interruption to your supply as the same pipes and wires are used by all the Utility companies.

  • How long do I sign-up and can I easily switch to a new supplier?

    The energy contract for get smart energy with Utilita is 12 months – just like an insurance agreement or mobile phone contracts. We don't expect you will want to switch back to a more expensive supplier but there is no reason why you can't outside these contract terms. However another supplier may wish to install a less efficient meter.

  • Can I change my mind?

    We hope this won’t be the case, but if you decide to cancel your agreement, all you have to do is confirm this in writing within 14 days of entering into the agreement.

  • Are the Utilita meters easy to use?

    Yes. The metering uses a keypad system and model that's already used by 200,000 households in Northern Ireland. We will leave a full instruction pack when the new metering is installed, and you can download a PDF of the instruction manual from the "Our Meters" page.

  • When will the new metering be installed, do I have to be at home, and how long does it take?

    If we have not arranged an installation date already, you will get a call in the next day or so to agree on a convenient date. It takes about 2 to 3 weeks for your supplies to transfer to Utilita. We aim for this to be in the same week that your new metering is installed in your property. The installation should take between 40-60 minutes and someone will need to be at home.

  • Will I need to use my new top-up cards straight away?

    Yes, the metering will start working straight away and to make your life easier, each meter will be installed with £2 FREE credit already in place. That should be enough credit to keep you going for a short while, depending on your consumption, but we urge you to top-up quickly.

• Paying for your electricity and gas (6 articles)

  • Can I top up over the phone?

    Yes, by debit or Credit card. There is a minimum of £45 over the phone which can be split over gas and electric.

  • How do the cards work? Do I need to get them authorised?

    It’s quite easy. You take the card and payment to your local PayPoint outlet and once the payment is processed the top-up is sent automatically to the meter. You can also now pay online through the "Make a Payment Online" section of this website, which uses your card number to make safe and secure payments online using your credit or debit card. You will be given a receipt with a special 20,40 or 6 digit code on it, which you can use to key into your meter should the remote top-up fail to arrive at the meter automatically.
    
    The remote top-ups use the same technology as mobile phones, so there may be times when the code does not get to the meter.
    
    Remember you need to use your gas card to top-up your gas meter and your electricity card to top-up your electricity meter.
    
    You can also top-up by setting up a monthly Direct Debit payment scheme and, in emergencies by credit and debit card for a minimum top-up of £45.00 over the phone. Full details are given when the metering is installed.
    
    There is no need to get the cards authorised.

  • I lost my cards! How do I top up?

    Your Utilita top up cards have a unique 19 digit number. This can be found on the front of the card and can be typed into any Paypoint machine, or alternatively you could pay online or over the telephone (minimum over the phone £45 please) then get in touch with us to order a new card (there will be a small charge for lost cards).

  • How do I pay off a previous Charge?

    Previous charges will usually be taken from your top up at the average rate of 40% e.g. £20 previous charge, you top up £10 then £4 will be taken towards the charge leaving £6 to go on to the meter as credit and the remaining previous charge would be £16.00 this will continue until the previous charge is paid in full.
    
    If you would prefer to pay the outstanding charge in full you can do this over the phone with a credit or debit card or at any pay point outlet. Ask the cashier to swipe your Utilita Top up card then press previous charge amount and this will bring up your charge amount and you can pay this in full.

  • How does the meter remind me that I am low on credit?

    We will give you full details about how the new meter works when it is installed but the meter does emit an alarm noise when it needs to be topped-up. The alarm should not sound after 10pm. Once you’ve stopped the alarm by pressing a couple of buttons (see the "Our Meters" section of this website), the meter automatically gives you EMERGENCY CREDIT of a minimum of £6. This should give you time to fully top-up the meter.
    
    If the Emergency Credit itself runs out after 5pm, the supply will not go off until 10am the next day, giving you enough time to buy more credit. This extra Emergency Credit is called FRIENDLY CREDIT and also works at weekends – if you Emergency Credit runs out after 5pm on Friday the supply should not go off until 10am Monday.

  • What happens if I run out of Emergency Credit and Friendly Credit and get disconnected?

    Although it is useful to have the convenience of Emergency and Friendly Credit, the get smart metering works best when you keep the meters topped-up.
    
    However, if you do run your credit down to zero and get disconnected you will need to buy credit at your local Pay Point outlet or online, reset the metering and top-up manually.
    
    And just like other meters any Emergency or Friendly Credit needs to be paid off first before the meter will be able to work again.
    
    Please note if you run out of credit on your gas supply, for safety reasons your electricity supply will disconnect.

If you haven't found the answer to your question then please contact us here