What happens when my emergency electric runs out?

[NewNameForPrivacy]

I have a pay as you go electricity meter with British Gas. Ran out of credit 2 days ago and popped the key in to give me £5 emergency credit. I thought this would be more than enough to last til payday on Monday.

Well, halfway through cooking dinner there the daft meter starts bleeping. 98p remaining. No idea if electricity costs more per Kwh if in emergency? I have had the washing machine and cooker on loads the past few days doing batch cooking etc.

I'm usually right on top of things like this. I have a budget spreadsheet accounting for every penny coming in and out each month. But this week I've had to use the electric money to get my daughter a new pair of school shoes from Asda. We bought a pair 2 weeks ago using a gift voucher from Clarks. But she came home on Tuesday with massive blisters. Then spent another £5 from my electric fund on the train to return the shoes to Clarks who said they couldn't exchange due to me not having proof of purchase! Argh. Anyway that's another story i suppose.

I've got plenty of food in and things. I have dinners tomorrow and Sunday that I'm going to need the (electric) cooker for. But asides from that, we won't be using much electric. My daughter has uniform washed and ready for Mon, i have a work outfit ready too so won't need the washing machine back on this weekend. I'll make sure we're out during the day so we won't use the lights, telly etc (please don't rain!) So it's really only the cooker and keeping the fridgefreezer running that ill need electricity for. Oh, and to charge my phone in the evening. And to switch the boiler on for hot water for a wash and to clean dishes. Ahhhh 98p wont last will it? i heard it costs more when you're in debt on the meter?

Not enough call allowance left to phone British Gas to see if they can do anything. Not sure they'd be able to do anything anyway. I've sent them an email just now though but doubt I'll hear anything til Monday. By which time ill have topped up anyway!

Not in a position to ask/borrow. Please don't mistake this thread as a begging thread. I would never accept anything offered by strangers over the web.

Have sold everything i had that was sellable over the summer to do days out and things over the summer with my daughter. Have her old (NEW fgs)clarks shoes on my local selling page just now but doubt they'll shift as my daughter has really really narrow feet and they're a funny width. Although the Asda non-specified width shoes i bought her a few days ago seem to be much more comfortable! Fuming at Clarks right now.

This has turned into a really muddled and panicked post! Does anybody know what happens when the meter hits 0? Really worried all my fridgefreezer stuff will get ruined if the electric cuts out before Mon. My daughter keeps asking to switch the big light on as the sun is going down. Keep having to say no because it's broken. What a shambles.

X-post. Yep, kettle-warmed water in a basin + flannel.

You'll want to use less given circs, but for reference, one full kettle of water poured slowly into one nearly full ordinary bucket of cold water makes a nice toasty wash and hair wash for one person.

If you don't have flannels handy, make do from old clothes or whatever you have to hand. Even a tee-shirt would do, as it's unlikely to be ruined by a few days being a flannel.

Your DD is back at school already? Where abouts are you? I've an empty chest freezer I could put stuff in if you're near enough.

Is it possible that you have a nice neighbour that will let you run an extension lead through a window with a multi plug so you can run a few things?

Yy, if you have a nice neighbour, any chance they would keep your stuff in their freezer? The extra cost to them as it's already frozen is very low.

Thanks so much everyone but i truly can't accept offers. Youre very kind. Thanks for the advice especially regarding filling a flask with hot water. Means only having to switch boiler on for a half minute rather than on and off through the day.

I've been pestering Clarks all week about these shoes - that's who ive used up all my call allowance for. (Thanks for the Free British gas number, ill try them in a min) but they keep repeating that i can only get anything exchanged if i have proof of purchase. I keep telling them i paid using a gift voucher and didnt keep receipt (as ive never had issues with their shoes before mow). But when i say this, they just repeat i can return the shoes with a receipt or bank statement. It's like talking to a wall.

Thanks again. I think i just needed somewhere to panic and rant. Im sure that this 98p (hasn't gone down any yet - yey!) Will at least last til Sun. Then if i run out to top up electric Monday before school/work, the fridge and freezers shouldn't have been off too long to be all wasted. I hope. Probably being naive again tho.

What sort of boiler do you have?

Unless it's some tiny handbasin affair, it will partially heat much more water than you need, to a lower temperature than you'd like.

You're much better off heating a kettle with exactly the amount you need - and switching off before it boils, if necess. (Unless I've misunderstoood and you mean kettle?)

Have messaged you OP

If you change your mind, please pm me. Happy to gift you the money x

If shoes are faulty I thought you didn't need a receipt?

Its a combi boiler i think. It has a hot water mode and a heating mode. Will partially boiling the kettle to heat water use less electricity than using hot water directly from the tap (heated by boiler)?

Really great tips, thank you. Unfortunately my neighbours are either not very approachable and the ones who are approachable are usually the ones asking me to loan them some bread, run uniform through the wash with my daughter's etc. So i couldn't ask anything of them that could put extra pressure on them. They appear to struggle like this every week so im very fortunate im only in the same position for a weekend.

Really wish i had a standard/credit meter instead. I have one for my gas (different supplier) and pay a quarterly bill. Would be so much easier. I also heard that electricity is cheaper on credit meters than pay as you go meters. Ill have to look into it more.

If you change your mind please PM me & I will happily give you £20. Regarding fridge/freezer, your freezer will stay frozen for 24 hours at least I think. Could you freeze some ice packs or sandwich bags & empty plastic bags filled with water now, then put them in your fridge if the power goes off to defrost & lower the temp in there? Maybe keep the lights off & use any candles you have instead?

This weekend will be crap. You will get through it, not being flippant but it's not the end of the world. Op I am quite happy if you pm me to look into if there is a better deal to be had. Standing charges on meters are a killer. Am sure we can all help finding something that may be better for you if you think that could help.

I know your oven is electric but is your hob gas? That way you could boil water, but everyone suggesting kettles seems to be forgetting they're powered by electricity.
Do you have a BBQ that you could cook on over the weekend, assuming that the rain keeps away? Even if you use it as a fire to heat a pan rather than to char grill fancy meat products .
I know you say you won't accept money but are you near any MNers who could lend you a camping stove? I'm in the far northern reaches of darkest Shropshire but you are very welcome to borrow my double burner or the little stove, and gas, obvs. Even the little one boils a kettle in minutes.
Use candles at night for a romantically bohemian existence if you need to make an adventure of this for your daughter.

Sorry it should say sandwich bags & empty plastic bottles.

You've probably already done this already, but have you mined everywhere in the house for loose change? I went through all our coat/jacket pockets, bags, down sofa, in various pots, and I had £39! Was very exciting. There were no £ coins or 50ps, just shrapnel.

Right, my memory is a bit dusty but I used to work for npower. This applies to npower meters so this may be different but it might be the same.

There is a point where even when you run out of emergency credit it doesn't actually cut off the electricity supply. But I cannot remember what time this is, I want to say 11pm.

The reason was in ye olden days of the token meter (the one you fed with paper tokens) would just cut off. But then there were fires associated with people having candles lit overnight especially for children.

So when the new smart meters were brought in where you top up with a key/card they were programmed not to cut the electric at night but to cut it in the morning instead ie 6am and the meter just continues to calculate the debt owed to it.

Yes a credit meter is cheaper because you are not supporting the infrastructure surrounding the prepayment meter such as the key/card, the tech in the shops used to top up the key/card etc.

Ring BG and ask them. Turn off everything you do not need. And if you need to accept help.

Have you tried ringing BG? I used to work in the Prepayment department of an energy company and in this situation we would send a message to your key that you can pick up at the shop and set it as a debt on your meter to pay it back when you top up.

Make sure you tell them you have children (especially if any are under 5). Energy companies have an obligation to help vulnerable customers.

If you have things that are sealed, that you need to keep chilled, you could try putting them in cold water. We do it when we are camping. Not much, but might be a little help. Hope it goes ok.

Another one saying please take the money - please have electricity for your daughter.

Whereabouts are you? If you're local to me (Liverpool), I'll get you £5 or £10 on your card.

Not sure I understand how you get money to top up at 7am Monday morning, but don't have any money now?

Carol, assuming the OP is due to be paid on Monday, wages normally go in overnight so will be available by 7am Monday morning.

If you've no credit on your phone, tweet them. They'll be able to do a "wind on", it's usually £10.

Thanks all.

Just checked it again there before bed and it's jumped down to 85p since my OP. No idea what kind of tariff this is. what a joke. never realised just how expensive electric is until now. I think it's maybe because my daughter's night light was on? Switched it off now and just moved her into my room. My room looks out onto the street so there's a few lamp posts. Ill just keep the curtains parted slightly for some light. And have her sleep in with me over the weekend so she doesn't need a lamp on.

Absolutely nothing on now bar the fridge freezer and chest freezer. So I'll see what it's dropped to by the morning. Plenty of candles so that's always an option. But luckily it's not getting really dark til about 8pm, which is my daughter's bed time. So ill just go to sleep same time as her so there is no need for lights in the evening at all.

First thing I'm doing Monday is enquiring about what tariff per Kwh i am on and then seeing about switching to a credit meter (not sure if I'll be allowed though as this is council property and I'm not sure they'd allow it).

Thanks once again for the generous offers but I cannot accept. It's only 2 days of rubbish. I'll get through it. Come Monday Ill be fine (money goes into my account at midnight, to the poster who asked, but the local shop with Paypoint don't open til 7am) whereas there are other people out there who are probably in this position on a weekly basis. It's just been extra tight these past few weeks due to having to buy new uniform. I had budgeted enough but then these stupid shoes unexpectedly messed everything up.

Phone battery isn't looking too great. Hoping to charge it tomorrow at the library with my usb while my daughter reads some books. Hope that's not too cheeky. I can just say I'm uploading photos or something from it if the librarian asks. Ive seen other people plug their phones in to the PCs before.

I'll phone British gas in the morning. Their free line closed at 8pm so just missed them.

Good night, and thanks again.