Do you have questions about household energy? Ask Utilita expert now - £200 voucher to be won

[LibbyMumsnet]

This activity is now closed.

As the cost of living crisis continues to affect households across the UK, many of us have concerns and queries about our energy bills and how to manage them. Russell, Head of Customer Experience at Utilita, is here to help answer your questions.

Do you have questions about what might happen in the event you can’t pay your bills, or what support would be available to you? Curious about whether there’s ways you could budget for or manage your energy payments more effectively? Wondering whether prepayment is really more expensive, or if a smart meter would actually save you money?

• Everyone who shares a questions on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice
• Russell will be back in a few weeks to answer a number of your questions

About Russell: “Russ joined Utilita in 2017 and has worked in the energy industry for nearly 30 years. He is passionate regarding overall customer experience, and is focused on ensuring customers benefit from the latest innovations that reduce effort. He enjoys interacting with customers directly to fully understand their experience(s) allowing him to be educated on potential issues that need resolving, or solutions that can be implemented.”

Here’s what Utilita has to say:
“Founded as a kitchen table start up in 2003, Utilita was the UK’s first energy challenger brand to take on the ‘big six’. It is the only energy supplier created to help households make their energy spend go further, by revolutionising the Pay As You Go experience.

By improving visibility and control through industry-leading smart meter technology, Utilita households have energy back in their hands.”

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ
Mumsnet terms and conditions apply

Can I be forced onto a prepayment meter by a landlord - the bills go straight to me ? what are the rights as a tenant in respect of meters smart, prepayment or standard ones ?

I moved into a repossessed house and wonder if the bad credit history for this property would affect my ability to change to a supplier who offers a better tariff ? what are your thoughts ?

I really don't get why energy giants get to make £millions in profit - yet the cost of paying other customers arrears and bail out the losses from the failed providers - why did OFGEM they not get some of the costs from the larger providers who are more financially resilient ?

I keep getting texts and phonecalls from my energy provider (EON) to get a smart meter - I don't want one. Apparently it was in the t's and c's of my tariff - what are my rights - I think I need to swap - but all of the lower priced tarrifs require a smart meter to be fitted. What advice would you give me ?

What are the guide lines for financial help when getting into a position when I cannot afford the bills - even though I am keeping my energy use to a minimum ? Do I need to be on benefits (I am not - just above the cut off point for any help) - the arrears position will get to a position where I don't think I can catch up - who do I reach out to if my energy company won't help ?

whats your advice on swapping to a cheaper provider now the markets are a little more stable ?

Is it worth fixing now? Been thinking about it for a couple of months

What rights do I have as a renter with regards to my meter and getting a smart ones - mine is in a shared cupboard in the hallway of my rental unit - I'd like control over my bills and monitor my usage - but as a tenant I think my hands may be tied ?

Hello everyone. Thank you very much for posting your questions. It's been interesting to view the questions and see that there are still some concerns or misunderstandings relating to the energy industry and smart meters.

The energy price cap reduced on 1st April 2024 by approximately 12%, from £1,928 to £1,690 for an average household. The reduction is the unit rates, rather than this being the maximum you can be charged.

I assume you mean from prepayment to a billed monthly account. If you already have a communicating smart meter installed, this will be defendant on individual suppliers. Although most will carry out a credit check in the first instance, I would advise you to contact your supplier to discuss if it is safe for you to be in prepay mode, and if not, switch you to credit mode. I would also advise you to check your rental agreement, if you currently have a legacy prepay meter which needs to be replaced with a smart meter, as your landlord may have built in stipulations.

While it is frustrating if a smart meter cannot gain communications when it is first installed, 90% of meters do, so there is a benefit of having one fitted to track your energy usage and identify wastage that could reduce your spend. Customers can still submit their readings to their supplier monthly to ensure accurate billing, avoiding building up debt. Energy suppliers are still obliged to meet smart meter roll out targets as set by the regulator - OFGEM.

If there are no arrears on the account, you are free to switch suppliers.

Underfloor heating is a low temperature system that is designed to heat the substrate flooring to give a comfortable environment. It is designed to run for longer periods and so should be controlled by a thermostat for better efficiency. Unlike a radiator system where benefits can be felt quickly due to a higher heat being radiated by the panels, underfloor system takes a while for the effect to be felt.

Solar panels are very important from an environmental point of view as well as a financial one. There is an up front cost of course, but given you will seen a return on your investment for up to 25 years, and in most cases, the capital outlay has been recouped in the first 9 years (on average) creating free generated energy after that point.

This is a conversation that needs to be had with the new supplier. My immediate advice would be to check the final reading on the old Bulb account, against the opening reading with your mum's new supplier to make sure there isn't a mismatch.

Being on a prepayment meter is currently the cheapest way to pay for your energy. By having your debt transferred to a prepayment meter, you can agree an arranged percentage of recovery from your future top ups. This may be more beneficial as we go through the Summer months when your usage will hopefully drop, and will allow you to reduce your debt. But in the first instance, talk to your supplier about the amount you would be able to pay monthly via your direct debit.

Most costs associated with the collapse of dozens of energy suppliers has in the main been recovered from customers' bills already. The main reason for so many supplier failures was the regulator's 'low bar approach' to market entry, meaning many companies were under capitalised and exposed to unexpected spikes in the cost of wholesale energy. The energy companies remaining in the market today, now operate under more stringent regulation, meaning a repeat of a similar number of supplier failures over such a short space of time is unlikely.

The costs would be down to the householder.

The new meter would be installed in the same position. Should you wish to have the new meter installed in a different location, this would be a chargeable job, but always wise to talk to your supplier in the first instance.

Utilita does not offer fixed tariffs as the price cap is reviewed by OFGEM every three months. The key here would be to check if there are any exit fees associated with the the tariff should prices continue to fall.

I assume from your first question, is that you pay for your energy via monthly direct and have built up a credit balance. You can expect to build a credit balance over the warmer months in readiness for colder months when typical usage, and consequently spend increases. If you are still in substantial credit after the colder months, you can request a refund of some (or all) of your credit, as your direct debit monthly payment is set too high, as long as your latest bill is to accurate meter readings, and not an estimate.

Battery storage is always a great idea to couple with your solar panels, so you do not lose any generated energy on long light days throughout the year. You can draw on this stored energy during the evenings. Without battery storage, you would be pulling energy from the grid, which you would need to pay for.

In my opinion, yes. If the meter is communicating, it can alert you to a number of ways to reduce energy wastage, as well as keeping you on track by being able to see your usage (or spend) by day, week and month.

Energy prices did reduce on the 1st April this year by approximately 13%. However, a drop back to pre-crisis levels currently seems unlikely in the short term. In regards to all households bearing some of the costs of failed suppliers, Utilita has gone on record to publicly criticise this process. Of course, the main reason this happened, was due to the regulator's low-bar approach to market entry.