Energy FAQs

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Dealing with energy issues can often be difficult and it’s easy to worry about knowing if you’re doing the right thing. To help you take control of your energy use and your bills we’ve put together some of our frequently asked questions with some advice on how you can tackle these issues yourself.

To use this page, simply click on the question and it’ll expand to show you any relevant advice.

 

Emergencies

If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak, call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999 or via textphone (minicom) on 0800 371 787.

If you have the SignLive app, you can also use this service to contact the National Gas Emergency Service. SignLive provides a free 24-hour online interpreting service for British Sign Language (BSL) users.

Be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning visit https://sgn.co.uk/help-and-advice/keeping-gas-safe/carbon-monoxide for more information.

 

If you have a powercut you can dial 105 to raise this. You can also visit https://www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/pages/postcode_lookup.aspx to find any details about outages in your area

 

Cost-of-Living

The cost of living crisis is affecting all of us. There’s lots of help available if you’re struggling with the cost of living. Take a look at these resources to see what’s available.

Cost of Living payments – advice guide

https://our.fife.scot/gethelp

Our energy advisors can help you to take control of your energy bills, request a free and impartial home energy advice appointment here

 

You should first of all ensure your supplier has up to date meter readings and has billed you correctly.

Check out our dedicated Dealing with Debt guide for further advice.

If you’re in arrears we may be able to offer helpful advice and support, get in touch.

 

The Government have announced a support package. Read more on the blogs below.

Cost of living support package

The Warm Home Discount 

 

Warm Home Discount

The Warm Home Discount is a £150 rebate you can claim from your energy supplier. If you receive Pension Credit you should receive this automatically, otherwise you may need to apply. To find out how you can apply and details of different suppliers applications please follow the link here to our dedicated advice guide.

 

If you think you should be eligible for a rebate under the Core Groups but you have not received a letter, you should check the Warm Home Discount gov.uk website for more information about eligibility and details about the helpline.

Each supplier can have small variations on the general Ofgem criteria for the Scottish Broader Group. Unfortunately, if you do not meet these you will not be eligible for the rebate. We’d encourage you to check the application again to ensure you’ve ticked all the relevant boxes.

If you have been told you are eligible for a rebate but have not received it by March 2024, or for any other payment issues, contact your energy supplier.

 

If your application was refused it is likely because you did not meet the qualifying criteria or you did not provide sufficient evidence if it was requested. You can contact your supplier directly to query this.

 

Prepayment Meters

Prepayment meters need to be topped up at either a paypoint or a payzone. If you have a smart meter you may be able to download your energy suppliers app onto your phone to top up remotely. Check with your supplier to see whether you need to use paypoint or payzone.

Find a Post Office or Payzone near you on the Payzone website.

Find a PayPoint near you on the PayPoint website.

 

If you have a smart meter it can on occasion take up to 30 minutes for a top up to transfer onto your meter. If you find the ‘vend code’ on your receipt you should be able to enter this manually. See your suppliers website for details on how you can do this, or contact them directly.

If you have a key or card meter ensure the key and card has been inserted and left in the meter for around 1 minute to ensure the top-up transfers over. If this does not work you should contact your supplier for assistance. Please have your receipt to hand for the call as they may need information from this.

 

If your meter is faulty or displaying an error message you should contact your supplier as soon as possible to get it fixed or replaced. If the meter fault means you are off supply this should be treated as an emergency and the supplier should aim to resolve this within around 3 hours.

 

If you can’t afford to top up your meter you should contact your supplier to see if they can offer any assistance.

You may also be able to access support through the Scottish Welfare Fund

Scottish Welfare Fund: 0300 555 0265

You should also request an appointment with one of our advisors so we can offer support to help you stay on top of your energy costs.

 

You will need to contact your supplier to replace. They will be able to send a new card or key out in the post, or identify a local retailer who has a supply of tokens. Please note you will need to have a code from your supplier to register the new key or card to your meter.

If you have a smart meter you may be able to access top up codes on your app or online account that can be used in place of the top up card.

 

Other Energy Meters

We’d recommend reading your meter and submitting these to your supplier once per month. If you’re not sure how to read your meter take a look at our guide here.

 

Dealing with Energy Suppliers

Unfortunatley most energy suppliers are dealing with a large number of calls each day and their phone lines are very busy. If possible check if your supplier has an alternative way to contact them them, for example live chat, WhatsApp or through facebook or twitter.

Our energy advisors may be able to assist in a telephone call to your supplier in regards to billing queries or complaints however for routine enquires it is likely we will need to sit in the same queue.

 

Take a look at our dealing with your energy supplier energy advice guide for some of our tips and tricks when speaking with your supplier

 

New Tenancy

You will have a deemed contract with an energy supplier that the previous occupier had been with. You can identify who the supplier is with the following methods.

Electricity – Call 0330 1010 300

Gas – https://www.findmysupplier.energy/

You will need to set up a new account with this energy supplier. We would not currently recommending switching, however if you chose to do so it can take around 3 weeks for a switch to go through. You will owe energy costs to the current supplier until your new supplier takes over.

 

Heating Systems

We’ve got a great guide on how to set and use all your heating controls as efficiently as possible.

Gas heating systems

Electric heating systems

 

If you are a tenant you should contact your landlord who will repair this as soon as possible. If you’re a home owner you will need to call out a gas engineer to assess and quote on the repair costs.

If you cannot afford a call-out charge or repairs, we may be able to offer help through our Community Boiler Repair Fund, complete this form to assess if you are likely to be eligible.

https://www.cosykingdom.org.uk/boiler-repair-fund/

 

If your gas has been capped because you do not have enough credit in the meter for a service you should contact your supplier for assistance.

If the gas has been capped due to a dangerous gas appliance see the section above on broken heating.

 

Further support

Do you have a question that isn’t answered here? Get in touch to speak to one of our expert advisors.

Our energy advisors can be contacted by:

  • Calling 01592 807930
  • Texting COSY then YOUR NAME to 88440
  • Emailing info@cosykingdom.org.uk
  • Request advice online
  • On our Facebook and Twitter social media pages