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England and Wales > Debt Advice > Priority Debts > Gas and Electricity Arrears

On this page : How Do I Make an Arrangement | How Do I Avoid Having My Electricity/Gas Cut Off? | Switching Suppliers |

Gas and Electricity Arrears

Subsections : Priority Debts |Secondary Debts |Fact Sheets |Sample Letters |

The gas and electricity companies can cut off your supply in a few weeks if you don’t pay them. No court is involved in this decision.

It’s important to contact your company to make payment arrangements as soon as you know you are going to have problems. Phone or write to the company.

How Do I Make an Arrangement?

Contact the company and explain your problem. If the first person you speak to is unhelpful, ask to speak to someone more senior.

Use your business and household budget (recorded in your budget sheet) to support your offer of payment. This must cover the cost of the fuel you are using and an amount off the arrears. Start paying what you have offered even if the company does not agree to your offer.

If you have bought things such as a cooker, fire or video from the company and you are paying for them through a credit agreement, ask the company to separate your fuel account from your credit account. Your fuel supply cannot be cut off because of arrears on the credit account. See Dealing with Secondary Creditors.

Ask the company for a copy of its code of practice. This explains your rights and the extra protection for pensioners and people on low incomes. If you have problems making an arrangement with the company, phone us for advice.

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How Do I Avoid Having My Electricity/Gas Cut Off?

You must keep paying for the fuel you are using and an amount off your debt even while you are trying to make an arrangement.

Add up your last four bills to find out how much you use in a year and divide by 12 to work out how much fuel you use each month. The company should accept the following:

instalments. Payment of the gas or electricity bill by weekly or monthly instalments sufficient to pay off the whole amount before the next quarterly bill arrives;
budget plan. Payment for the gas or electricity you are continuing to use, plus an amount towards the arrears. The company should let you pay your debt weekly or monthly at a rate you can afford, even if this means spreading the arrears over a long period of time;
meter. Payment for continuing use and an amount you can afford off the arrears by way of a token, card or coin meter. Debt repayment or recalibration of the meter should be based on what you can afford. If the company has set the meter to take a higher amount than you can afford, send them a copy of your budget and ask them to reduce the meter setting to what you can afford.

If you have problems making an arrangement with the company, phone us for advice.

Switching Suppliers

If you feel that your bills are too high you may want to consider changing your supplier for an alternative. Before you do so, get price comparisons to see who will be cheaper for you. Contact Energywatch.

If you have a complaint about how your fuel company is dealing with your arrears you can contact Energywatch on 08459 060708. Energywatch deals with complaints for OFGEM, the regulatory body for gas and electricity. Energywatch uses OFGEM guidelines that say the fuel company should take your circumstances into account when making an arrangement to pay.

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