Top up your smart meter online using the new Ecotricity Top-Up App
Top up your smart meter using the 24 hour Smart Top-up Line
To top up your PAYG meter call our automated 24-hour payment line.
For home: 0345 812 4444
For business: 0333 3444 149
Top up your smart meter at a PayPoint store
You can find your nearest PayPoint store here.
Top up your non-smart meter in store
If you've got a card or key meter, you'll need to go to a shop or Post Office to top up. To find your nearest simply click the links here;
❯ PayPoint
❯ PayZone
For more information on topping up a key or card meter please read our FAQ “How to Top up your gas & electricity”
October smart PAYG update
Your meter probably hasn’t been migrated yet; in which case, you can top up as you normally would.
If you are unable to top up, make sure to check your Junk email or any recent post from us. If you have received an email/letter saying 'Your meter is now set up in PAYG mode', this will contain your new PAN (Prepayment Account Number). You can use this to register for the new Ecotricity Top-Up App.
If you still need help, please give us a call on 0345 555 7100 and we can help.
If you have received an email/letter saying 'Your meter is now set up in PAYG mode', your meter has been migrated. This will include your new PAN (Prepayment Account Number) which is 19-digits long and is a unique number linked to your meter for top ups. You can use this PAN to register for the new Ecotricity Top-Up App.
If you already have the Ecotricity Top-Up App, you don’t need to re-register – just log in as you usually would, add your new PAN and remove the old one it’s replacing.
Remember: Your old PAN will no longer work. Make sure to use the Ecotricity Top-Up App – payment may still be taken on the old Ecotricity app but not applied to your meter.
Your new PAN can also be used on our automated phone line and in store. You can also scan the barcode from your email/letter to top up in store.
We’re currently migrating our smart PAYG customers into the DCC (Data Communications Company). If you’re experiencing top up issues, it’s possible your meter has been migrated but you’re trying to use your old top up method. If this is the case, you’ll have a new PAN (Prepayment Account Number).
Your PAN is a 19-digit number that starts with 982
You can scan the barcode in your email/letter to add the PAN to your app or top up in store
If you’ve experienced recent top up issues, this may have affected you. Have you:
Checked your junk mail for a ‘Your meter is now set up in PAYG mode’ email?
Checked your post for a ‘Your meter is now set up in PAYG mode’ letter?
Downloaded the new Ecotricity Top-Up App?
If you’re not sure, give us a call on 0345 555 7100 or keep reading.
My Smart Top-Up Card isn't working
You should have received a new PAN by email and/or letter with your new Top-Up card and PAN. You will no longer be able to use your old Smart Top-Up Card as this is linked to your old PAN. Please allow a few days for your new card to reach you in the post.
In the meantime, you can still top up using the app, automated top up line or by taking your new PAN (check your emails) to a shop.
Automated top up line: 0345 812 4444
If you've not received your new PAN, just give us a call on 0345 555 7100 and we can find it for you.
We’re migrating our smart PAYG meters into the DCC. If you have topped up on the old Ecotricity app by clicking ‘Make a payment’, the money will be taken but won’t be linked to your meter. Please download the new Ecotricity Top-Up App, register your new PAN and then call us on 0345 555 7100 – we can transfer your payment over to your meter remotely.
Make sure to check your junk email or any recent post from us as we would have given information on what’s happening and how it affects your top ups. If you have received an email/letter saying Your meter is now set up in PAYG mode, this will contain your new PAN (Prepayment Account Number) - this is 19-digits long. You can use this to register for the new Ecotricity Top-Up App.
Help Guides
On your Pay As You Go meter, emergency credit allows you to keep your power on even when your balance has run out. This is a £10 buffer that you can use to keep the gas or electricity on for a little while longer in an emergency.
We’d really recommend that you only use this in an emergency because you’ll need to pay back what you’ve used before you’re able to use it again. Don’t forget that your daily standing charge will still be taken from the meter, but during this time we won’t take any debt repayments that you should be making.
You’ll need to pay back all of the emergency credit that you’ve used (as well as any debt balance that has built up such as standing charge) to be able to access your energy supply again.
If your meter doesn’t automatically let you use the emergency credit, then you’ll need to manually tell it to do so. There are three ways you can do this.
On your In-Home Display
❯ If your credit has run out there will be an option on the In-Home Display to activate the emergency credit. Just press the ‘Yes’ button to turn this feature on. If you’ve pressed ‘No’, the screen won’t be displayed again and so you’ll have to follow another method.
If the above message isn’t displayed and your In-Home Display has a good connection to the smart meter you can:
❯ Choose the fuel that you’d like to turn on your emergency credit for
❯ Press the ‘Status’ button
❯ Press ‘E-Cred’
❯ Press ‘Yes’ to activate the emergency credit
On your Secure 100 meter
Press 7 on the keypad. If there’s emergency credit available to use it will display ‘EC OFFER’.
❯ Press A to accept the emergency credit.
❯ Press B to confirm.
If the emergency credit has already been used when you press the number 7 key, the screen will display ‘USED UP’. To see how much you need to pay back to be able to access the emergency credit again, just press 7.
If you’re having a hard time keeping credit on the meter please get in touch with us because we might be able to help you out.
Most of the time there’s only one display that you’ll need to look at on your Pay As You Go meter – the one that tells you how much credit you have.
If you don’t have any gas, or your most recent top-up hasn’t gone on to the meter, please get in touch. We’ll need some information from your meter’s displays to work out what’s going on, so please take a photo or make a note of each one as follows:
❯ Press the red A button to see displays 01, 02, 03 and the Meter Index.
❯ Without the card in the meter, press and hold the A button until the meter beeps and the display changes. You’ll then be able to press the A button to scroll through the other displays.
❯ If no new displays have appeared and the meter didn’t beep, put the card in the meter and hold down the A button.
❯ The display will change, and you’ll be able to scroll through the other readings by tapping the A button.
Your meter’s digital screen can display a variety of information. You can access this by pressing and holding the red ‘A’ button until it beeps, then release the button and scroll through the different displays, as shown below, by pressing the ‘A’ button separately.
Your meter always displays your credit or debit balance.
Most of the time there’s only one display that you need to look at on your Pay As You Go meter – the one that tells you how much credit you have.
Your meter can show a lot more information. For example, you might want to see the amount of energy you’re using. If you’re repaying a balance through the meter, you might want to see how much is left.
If you don’t have any electricity or your most recent top up hasn’t gone on to the meter, we’ll need information from your meter displays to work out why. We recommend taking photos or making a note of the info on each screen.
Here’s how to bring up each display on your meter:
❯ Without the key in the meter, press the button to scroll through displays A through K.
❯ Insert your key in the meter and press the button to scroll through displays R, S and T – these displays relate to debt.
A full list of the displays and what they mean are shown below:
On your Pay As You Go meter, emergency credit allows you to keep your power on even when your balance has run out. On most Pay As You Go meters this will be £10, although there are some very rare exceptions to this.
We’d really recommend that you only use this in emergencies, because you’ll have to pay back all the emergency credit you’ve used before you can access it again. Also, because we assume that the only time you’re going to use this feature is in an emergency – and therefore need to use the energy – we don’t take your daily standing charge from the meter. This can mean that you can start to build up a debt on the meter that will need to be paid back when you next top up. Because of this we’d advise that you keep a £10 float on your meter at all times.
If your meter doesn’t automatically let you use the emergency credit, then you’ll need to manually tell it to do so. Put your electricity key or gas card in the meter, and a message will appear on the screen advising you to press the A button to activate the emergency credit feature.
If you’re having a hard time keeping credit on the meter, please get in touch with us because we might be able to help you out.
See How to top up your gas & electricity in the Help with billing and payments section.
One of the great things about being a smart Pay As You Go customer is that you can top up from the comfort of your own home. There are three ways you can top up your meter – via our app, over the phone or at a PayPoint shop.
You can top up via our app:
1. Please download the app here: App store | Play store
2. Once downloaded, you’ll need to open the app and register. To register, you’ll need your Prepay Account Number. This is a 19-digit number starting with 9826 0150 xxxx xxxx xxx.
3. You can find this number on the email or letter you have received from us about the new Ecotricity Top-Up App. Or you can check the email or letter we sent you when your meter was first set to prepay mode.
4. If you can’t find this number, please contact us on 0345 555 7100 and we can help.
5. Once you’re registered, you can now top up via the app.
6. To do this, click “Top-Up Now” under the meter you wish to top up.
7. Then click “Pay by Card”.
8. You just need to select the amount you want to top up. Then either enter your card details or select the saved card option.
9. Then just click “Top-Up Now”.
We have a guest top-up option on our app as well, which allows you to top up on behalf of someone. You don’t have to register on the app, but you’ll need to enter the prepay account number for the smart meter you want to top up.
You can top up over the phone:
To top up your Pay As You Go meter call our automated 24-hour payment line on 0345 812 4444.
You will need to have your Prepay Account Number to hand as well as a payment card. You can find this number in the email or letter we sent to you when we notified you of the new Top-Up App and automated payment Line.
If you can’t find this number, please contact us on 0345 555 7100 and we can help.
You can top up at a PayPoint shop:
You can top up your smart meter at a PayPoint shop, visit consumer.paypoint.com to find your local store.
You will need to have your Prepay Account Number. The easiest way to do this will be to show the barcode in the email or letter we sent to you when we notified you of the new Top-Up App and automated payment line. Or you can check the email or letter we sent you when your meter was first set to prepay mode.
If you can’t find this number, please contact us on 0345 555 7100 and we can help.
Ecotricity does not normally provide physical prepayment cards to save on unnecessary plastic usage. However, you can still request one if you would still like a physical prepayment card to use, please contact us on 0345 555 7100 and we can help.
Gas top up card
To top up your Pay As You Go gas meter you’ll need to have a card to add the credit. If you’ve got a smart meter you won’t need one and can top up online or over the phone.
If this is for a traditional meter, we’ll need to send you a new card. You can opt to collect one at a local shop, or we can send one to you in the post - these are sent first class but may still take a couple of days to get to you.
If you don’t have any credit on your meter at all – including emergency credit that you could access without the card – and are off supply for gas, then we might need to arrange for an engineer to visit your property and add some credit to your meter as a loan until your card arrives.
If you have credit on your meter, try and make this last until you're able to pick up a new card, or one arrives in the post.
For us to send you a new card we’ll need to have some details from you:
❯ We’ll need the Meter Serial Number (or MSN)
❯ We may need to have some displays taken from the meter as well. Check out our help guides on how to read the display on your meter, so that you can have them ready when you contact us.
If we need to send an engineer to your property, we need to know what these meter displays are, so please take them before you call us. If you need a hand taking the displays make sure that you’re near the meter when you call us, and we can talk you through it.
Electricity top up key
If you have a traditional Pay As You Go electricity meter you’ll need a key to top it up. If you’ve got a smart meter you can top up without one!
To have a new key issued you’ll need to contact us, but there are a few things we’ll need to have from you when you call us.
We need you to confirm your Meter Serial Number (or MSN). It’s usually found on the front of the meter under a barcode. We need this so that we can make sure that the key we’ll be sending you is going to work in your meter.
If you have enough credit to last you a couple of days, we can send you a new key in the post.
If you think that you’ll run out of credit before this has a chance to arrive, we can arrange for you to pick a new key up at a local shop.
When you call us, we’ll give you specific instructions about how to collect a new key. One of the things we’ll give you will be an eight-digit code, so be sure to have a pen and paper to hand to make a note of it.
We don’t produce our own Ecotricity branded keys, so we have an agreement with other energy suppliers to use theirs.
❯ The best key to get is an Eon or npower key because they’ll work better with your meter and our services
❯ British Gas keys may not work at all, and if they do may only work once – please only use one of these in an emergency and let us know right away so that we can arrange for a key to be sent out to you
❯ Any other key will work, but may take longer to add the credit to the meter – so try to get an Eon or npower one.
As you can see, replacing a key can be quite a lengthy process, so it’s important that you look after your current key. Avoid it getting dirty or wet and try your best to not lose it. On top of that we may charge you for getting a new one.
Please also remember that the key is only to be used with your particular meter, and so if you move out please leave the key for the next person responsible for the bills.
Related FAQs - PAYG Smart Meters
As part of our efforts to improve the experience of our customers, we have begun work on replacing the current Ecotricity App that has been in place for several years. To maintain all the services that we offer and to speed up development of the new Ecotricity App, we have released a temporary Ecotricity Top-Up App specifically for smart meter top-ups.
We will launch the new Ecotricity App soon without top-up functionality, so that we can get it to the rest of our customers quicker. For a period of time, pay as you go customers with a smart meter will need to use both apps – one for topping up and the other new app for managing their account. In time we will move the top-up functionality into the new app, allowing you to do everything in one place.
The best place to see how much credit you have is on the in-home display or IHD for short. Your IHD shows buttons for electricity, gas or dual fuel. Click on the energy type that you would like to check and you’ll see an up-to-date balance on your meter. If your IHD doesn’t have a very good connection to your meter – maybe there’s a thick wall or the distance is too far – then you can get this information directly from the meter itself. All you need to do is press 7 on the keypad.
If you need to top up your meter, you can do so easily through our Top-Up App.
If you’ve got a smart meter you’ll have access to something called friendly credit during times when we’re not open, or are closing soon.
We don’t want you to go off supply when we’re not about to help you, so we allow you to exceed your emergency credit during these times.
Because these times are subject to change, the best way to check them is on your meter.
You’ll need to go to the meter itself and press the number 8 button on the keypad.
The meter display will show you when the friendly credit times are specifically, but they usually follow this pattern:
❯ Friendly credit will turn on half an hour before our contact centre closes between Monday and Friday, and turn off at 8:30am the following working day.
❯ For instance, if we were closing at 7pm on a Tuesday the friendly credit would turn on at 6:30pm and turn off at 8:30am Wednesday morning.
❯ If it was a Friday and we were closing at 6pm then your friendly credit would turn on at 5:30pm Friday evening and turn off at 8:30am on the Monday morning.
Friendly credit is also turned on for bank holidays when our call centre is typically shut – although we do have an emergency contact line.
There are two types of debt that you could have on your meter:
Accrued debt
This is a debt that’s been built up on the meter. For example, a build-up of daily standing charge, or paying back emergency credit that you’ve used.
Loaded debt
This is a debt that we’ve added to the meter to help you to pay it back bit by bit.
It’s possible to have both kinds of debt on your meter at the same time, so it’s worth checking how much you own in total.
If you have an In-Home Display
❯ Check your accrued debt the same way that you’d check your current balance. Press either the ‘Electricity’, ‘Gas’ or ‘Dual’ buttons on the screen to show your up to date balance. If you’re in debt, you’ll see the figure as a minus. You need to pay all of this back before you’re able to have energy again.
❯ Check your loaded debt by selecting ‘Account’, and then pressing ‘Debt’ in the bottom left corner. You’ll be shown how much debt you have outstanding and how much your daily payments are.
If you don’t have an In-Home Display or it doesn’t have a strong connection to your smart meter, you can check it on the meter itself:
To see your accrued debt, press number 7 on the keypad.
❯ If this is displayed as a minus figure, that’s how much you currently owe. If you’re off supply, that’s the amount you’ll need to pay back before you’re able to have energy again.
To see the loaded debt, press number 5 on the keypad.
❯ The screen will cycle through the displays and show you how much debt is outstanding in total, and how much we take from your credit each day to make your repayments.
❯ To prevent yourself from being in a position of debt on your meter it’s important that you make regular top-ups to cover things like the standing charge, and any debt repayments that you’re making.
❯ We continue to take these payments from the meter whether there is credit on it or not, so this could lead to a large accrued debt being built up.
❯ If you’re finding things difficult and are struggling to make your payments, then please get in touch so that we can help.
If you don’t have a bank account, you can top up at a PayPoint shop.
The easiest way to do this is to show them the barcode in the Top-Up App, found in the menu under “Pay In Store”. They will scan this and you can make a cash payment to top up your meter. You can also give them the 19 digit Prepay Account Number (PAN) which we sent to you when you first registered with us for smart Pay As You Go. If you have lost this, don’t worry, get in touch with our customer support team and they can re-issue it to you. Ecotricity does not normally provide physical prepayment cards to save on unnecessary plastic usage. However, you can still request one if you would still like a physical prepayment card to use.
You can take this to a PayPoint store to top up – the credit will automatically be added to your smart meter.
You’ll be given a receipt with your 20-digit payment code on it – please keep this just in case you need to add the credit to the meter manually. The credit can take up to an hour to be added to your meter.
If there’s credit showing on your smart meter but you’ve still got no gas or electricity, then it’s most likely that the meter has gone into something called ‘armed mode’. Don’t worry, it’s a safety feature and nothing to be concerned about!
When your meter goes into armed mode it prevents you from using any energy in your home. This is to ensure that it’s safe for an engineer to work on if they’re called out.
Your meter may go into armed mode if there’s been a power cut or you’ve used all of your emergency credit. If your meter is in armed mode it will look something like this:
Here’s how to take your meter out of armed mode
Electricity
❯ On your In-Home Display, you should see a screen with the words ‘Restore supply’ on it. Simply press ‘Restore’, then on the next screen press ‘Confirm’. Your electricity should come back on.
❯ If your IHD doesn’t have a good enough connection, you can come out of armed mode by using the meter itself. Simply press the red A button to connect and then press the blue B button to confirm – the icon will change to show ‘ON’.
Gas
For your gas, you’ll need to use the keypad on the meter itself to restore your supply.
❯ Press the red A button to connect
❯ Press the blue B button to confirm – the icon will change to show ‘ON’.
It’s important that you keep your meter in credit if possible to stop this from happening. See the guide on How to top up your smart meter above.
Twice a year, the energy regulator Ofgem reviews the pre-payment tariffs set by energy companies across the UK, to ensure that nobody is being charged an unfair amount. This means that twice a year, in April and October, our pay-as-you-go prices may change to comply with their regulation.
Despite this, and us doing our best to keep our prices as fair as possible there may still be times that you’re finding it hard to keep credit on your meter. We’ll do our best to help you out in these situations.
Keys & Cards
If you’re struggling because you don’t have an electricity key or a gas card then we’re going to need to know so please get in touch after reading our guides on what to do in those situations.
❯ See FAQ; 'I don’t have top up card or key'
Smart Meters
If you’re having a problem topping up your smart meter then we’d also need to know, but you might find the answer to your question in our smart meter Pay As You Go guide to save you calling us.
❯ See FAQ; 'How to top up your smart meter'
❯ If you’re not able to top up due to financial difficulties, we’d like to help you – this is assessed on a case by case basis.
❯ See FAQ; 'I'm struggling to pay'
❯ If we are able to lend you some credit for a short-term loan, you may need to speak to one of our specialists first. As we may not always be able to do this, it’s very important that you ask friends or family to see if they’re able to help you out before getting in touch.
❯ Speak to Citizens Advice if you’re finding that this is happening frequently.
If you are an existing Ecotricity prepayment customer, you will have received an email listing your Prepay Account Number (PAN) when we notified you of the new Ecotricity Top-Up App.
Or you will have received an email with the Prepay Account Number (PAN) when your meter was first set to prepay mode.
If you’re struggling to find this, please contact Ecotricity on 0345 555 7100 and we will be able to look up your Prepay Account Number (PAN) for you.
On rare occasions a payment is taken and the credit is not applied to meter. In this case, the Payment Code can be manually entered into the meter to apply the credit. The Payment Code will only work if it hasn’t already topped up the meter, read our guide on “How to manually add credit to your smart meter”.
You can see our smart meter guides Help with Smart Meters | Ecotricity to find out how to operate the meter you have.
A 20-digit payment code is generated every time you top up, this is known as a Unique Transaction Reference Number (UTRN). On rare occasions a payment is taken and the credit is not applied to meter. In this case, the UTRN can be manually entered into the meter to apply the credit, read our guide on “How to manually add credit to your smart meter”.
You can see our smart meter guides Help with Smart Meters | Ecotricity to find out how to operate the meter you have.
If your pay as you go meter has a slot for a key or a card, then you don't have a smart meter. Please see the Related FAQs - PAYG Traditional Meters below.
Related FAQs - PAYG Traditional Meters
Please refer to the Help with Meter Readings section and see The screen on my meter is blank.
It’s normal for your credit to go down even when you’re not at home. One of the things that your top up payments covers is the daily standing charge.
It might also be that you’re paying back a debt. Here how to find out how much you’re paying back each day:
❯ Smart meter - see the FAQ How much debt do I have on my Secure 100 smart meter
❯ Traditional meter - see How much debt do I have
Household appliances
Household appliance left on standby will be using energy all day. These may include:
❯ Fridges and freezers
❯ Boilers
❯ Ovens
❯ Televisions and set top boxes
If you think that there’s too much background use then it might be worth having a chat with us about it. Please take photos of all the information on your meter’s displays – or take notes – to help us with any investigation. The information we need is shown below.
Electricity:
Gas:
If you’re struggling to find this information on your meter, give us a call, and we’ll talk you through it.
Please see our energy saving guide for helpful advice on how to use less energy and save money.
If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak please call 0800 111 999 immediately from a safe location.
Please don’t call from a mobile as this may ignite a spark. Use a neighbour’s phone or take a mobile phone outdoors.
You should also:
❯ Check the pilot light – turn all gas appliances off. If the pilot light remains on there may be a gas leak.
❯ Turn the main gas tap off – do this by turning the emergency control valve on the pipe leading into the meter to the ‘OFF’ position. The gas supply is off when the ridged line on the spindle is across the pipe.
❯ Open doors and windows to clear the gas.
❯ Don’t turn light switches on or off, use doorbells, mobile phones or any other electrical switches.
❯ Don’t smoke, light a match or use any other kind of naked flame.
❯ Don’t leave it to someone else – you could be putting yourself and others at risk.
If your meter has credit on it but you’re not getting gas coming through, there are several things that could have happened.
If there’s an error message on the meter, we’ll need to know about it in case there’s a fault.
However, there are some common error messages below and the things that you can do to fix them.
If the screen is blank or says ‘Call help’ then please get in touch as soon as you can.
If your meter is a smart meter it may be in ‘Armed Mode’ – we’ve got a guide on how to put it back in normal operation here.
Card Fail 35, Card Fail 38, Dead Card or CNA
The meter is having an issue reading the card. Try cleaning it with a soft cloth and re-inserting it.
Card Fail 4
The card was too cold for the meter to read it. Try to keep it somewhere warmer.
Has the meter been capped?
A cap is a small metal disc inserted into one of the gas pipes right next to the meter.
❯ If you own the property, you’ll need to call a gas safe engineer to remove it if it’s safe to do so.
❯ If you don’t own your property, speak to your Landlord or Letting Agent to get further advice.
Is the main gas tap on?
There will be a valve, normally right next to the gas meter, that you can use to stop the flow of gas down the pipe to your boiler.
The handle should be pointing the same way as the gas pipe. If it’s not, then the flow of gas has been interrupted.
If you have a Pay As You Go meter, there may be times when you’re paying off an outstanding balance such as:
❯ In an emergency we may have lent you some credit which you now need to pay back
❯ Your daily standing charge may have built up if you’ve not topped up in a while
❯ You may have a large balance that you’re paying back from a previous credit account
This can be stored on your meter two different ways:
❯ Accrued debt – shown as part of your balance
❯ Loaded debt – shown as part of a debt repayment plan that we’ve set up with you.
It’s possible to have both kinds of debt on your meter, so check both types so that you know how much you owe in total.
It’s very possible that you’ve had a power cut. Here’s how to check if that’s what’s happened:
Is there a red light on your meter?
Yes
This means that there is power going to the meter and so you should have electricity. If it’s safe to do so, you should check your fuse box and trip switches. All the trip switches should be in the on position.
❯ If one isn’t then it may indicate that a circuit in your property has been overloaded.
❯ If the switch won’t come on, or if this happens a lot, then you might need to speak to an electrician to have it looked into.
❯ If all of your switches are in the on position and you still don’t have power, then please let us know as we may need to offer you further assistance.
No
This means that you’re being affected by a power cut so the meter isn’t getting power. You need to speak to your distributor - the people that maintain the power lines into your property.
The best thing to do is to ring 105 for the National Power Cut Helpline. They’ll be able to offer further assistance or advise you of how long they think the power cut may last for.
Even if the lights are on in your neighbour’s house, or streetlights are on you may still have had a power cut to your property so it’s worth checking your meter.
Twice a year, the energy regulator Ofgem reviews the pre-payment tariffs set by energy companies across the UK, to ensure that nobody is being charged an unfair amount. This means that twice a year, in April and October, our pay-as-you-go prices may change to comply with their regulation.
Despite this, and us doing our best to keep our prices as fair as possible there may still be times that you’re finding it hard to keep credit on your meter. We’ll do our best to help you out in these situations.
Keys & Cards
If you’re struggling because you don’t have an electricity key or a gas card then we’re going to need to know so please get in touch after reading our guides on what to do in those situations.
❯ See FAQ; 'I don’t have top up card or key'
Smart Meters
If you’re having a problem topping up your smart meter then we’d also need to know, but you might find the answer to your question in our smart meter Pay As You Go guide to save you calling us.
❯ See FAQ; 'How to top up your smart meter'
❯ If you’re not able to top up due to financial difficulties, we’d like to help you – this is assessed on a case by case basis.
❯ See FAQ; 'I'm struggling to pay'
❯ If we are able to lend you some credit for a short-term loan, you may need to speak to one of our specialists first. As we may not always be able to do this, it’s very important that you ask friends or family to see if they’re able to help you out before getting in touch.
❯ Speak to Citizens Advice if you’re finding that this is happening frequently.
If you’ve got a traditional PAYG meter, you can check your balance by pressing the A button on your meter. The information is displayed slightly differently for electricity and gas meters, so take a look below for display information. If the screen on your meter is blank, please refer to the Help with Meter Readings section and see The screen on my meter is blank.
Gas meter displays:
Default Displays - Just press the 'A' button
| Display | What it means | |
|---|---|---|
| Display 01 | £ ON | Available credit |
| Display 02 | £ EmCr Available | Emergency credit ON and how much is left |
| Display 03 | £ EmCr Used | All Emergency credit used - need to top up to get back on supply |
| Meter Index | M3 | Current meter read in meters cubed |
Hold down the 'A' button until the meter beeps to see these displays
| Display | What it means | |
|---|---|---|
| Display 00 | Last Credit £ | Last top up on meter |
| Display 01 | Last for Debt £ | Last amount paid towards debt |
| Display 02 | Last for EmCr £ | Last value of Emergency credit repaid |
| Display 03 | Last for Gas £ | Last amount towards gas |
| Display 04 | Time | |
| Display 05-10 | Tariff Cost | Cost per kWh |
| Display 11-15 | Tariff Wid | No. of kWh (per day) |
| Display 16 | Calorific Value | |
| Display 17 | Standing Charge £ | Standing charge per day |
| Display 20 | Billing Cycle 90 | No of days in billing cycle |
| Display 21 | EmCr Thresh £ | Credit needed to activate EmCr |
| Display 22 | EmCr Limit £ | Emergency credit limit |
| Display 23 | GAR % | Gas allocation rate |
Insert Card to see these displays
| Display | What it means | |
|---|---|---|
| Display 24 | GD Rec Rate % | Gas debt recovery rate |
| Display 25 | GD Week Min £ | Weekly minimum collected for gas debt |
| Display 26 | GD Week Max £ | Weekly maximum collected for gas debt |
| Display 27 | GD Remaining £ | Gas debt remaining |
| Display 28 | NGD Rec Rate % | Non gas debt recovery rate |
| Display 29 | NGD Week Min £ | Weekly minimum collected for non gas debt |
| Display 30 | NGD Week Max £ | Weekly maximum collected for non gas debt |
| Display 31 | NGD Remaining £ | Non gas debt remaining |
Electricity meter displays:
Default Displays - Just press the button
| Display | What it means | |
|---|---|---|
| A | £ | Available credit |
| £ E | Emergency credit ON and how much is left | |
| Debt £ | Emergency credit used, amount owed | |
| B | Test display | |
| C | Time | |
| D | Date | |
| E | £ | Total credit accepted |
| F | £ | Weekly standing charge |
| G | kWh | Total units used |
| H | kWh | Register 1 units used |
| I | p | Unit rate |
| J | kWh | Register 2 units used |
| K | p | Unit rate |
Insert Key to see these displays
| Display | What it means | |
|---|---|---|
| R | £ | Emergency credit limit |
| S | £ | Debt balance |
| T | £ | Weekly debt repayment |
Further support
For meter faults that leave you without gas or electricity, call us on 01453 373033.
Monday to Friday 9am - 7pm
Saturday and Sunday 9am - 5pm
We will be closed from 12:00 noon on the 24th of December and will reopen at 9am on the 26th of December 2024, we will also be closed on the 1st of January 2025. Our normal opening hours will resume from the 2nd of January 2025
If you call outside of these times, please still call and you’ll be directed to one of our metering partners who’ll be able to help you in an emergency 24/7.
If you need assistance with a power cut, please contact your local distribution network or call 105.
If you have Pay As You Go meters, there may be reasons for this other than a power cut, leak or fault. Please visit our ‘Pay As You Go’ support page.
To top up your Smart PAYG meter call our automated payment line on 0345 812 4444
Can't find an answer to your question?
Send an email to home@ecotricity.co.uk, our average response time for email and app queries is 2 working days.
If you would like to speak with someone, give us a call on 0345 555 7 100
Monday to Friday 9am - 7pm
Saturday and Sunday 9am - 5pm
Prefer to phone a landline, or calling from abroad? Call 01453 761482
We will be closed from 12:00 noon on the 24th of December and will reopen at 9am on the 26th of December 2024, we will also be closed on the 1st of January 2025. Our normal opening hours will resume from the 2nd of January 2025
Alternatively, if you are a business customer, please contact business@ecotricity.co.uk
Smell gas? Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999