Pay as you go - EDF Energy

Pay as you go

Take control of your energy costs
Our prepayment service lets you pay-as-you-go for
gas and electricity so you can keep control of your
energy use and costs. This booklet explains the
benefits of having a prepayment meter, and tells
you how to get the most from this service, which
is used by thousands of customers in the UK.

Contents
Would a prepayment meter suit you?
If something goes wrong
For your well-being
Resetting or removing meters
Getting in touch
Other ways we can help
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All you need to know about
prepayment meters
There are lots of advantages in having a
prepayment meter installed – but there are
also a couple of disadvantages, mainly to do
with having to remember to keep it charged.
We want to provide you with the best service
to match your needs, so we encourage
you to weigh up the plus and minus points
and decide for yourself. Like many of our
customers, you may feel that the good
points easily outweigh the bad points.
Would a prepayment meter suit you?

The advantages
• You will have direct control over how
much gas or electricity you use and how
much money you spend
• You will no longer receive bills requesting
a lump-sum payment
• Regular statements will show you how
much gas or electricity you have used
• There is an emergency credit facility in case
you run out of credit on your meter and
can’t charge your key/card for any reason
• If you have an outstanding bill, you can
use your prepayment meter to repay the
money you owe us. Your payments are
spread over a time period that suits you,
in agreed amounts that you can afford,
interest-free
The disadvantages
• If you leave home for several days, you must
remember to charge your key or card, and
to credit your meter. This is because your
credit is used to pay for your daily energy
use and any debt repayments – so if you
don’t charge your meter enough before
going away, appliances that should be on
all the time (e.g. freezers) may switch off
• You need to recharge your key or card
at a charging outlet, but sometimes your
nearest outlet may be closed
• You are unable to take advantage of a
Direct Debit discount that is available to
standard credit customers
Would a prepayment meter suit you?
5

What if your meter doesn’t work?
• If your prepayment meter stops working,
we have a 24-hour emergency service and
can visit your home. Please call us free on
0800 015 1733* as soon as you find out
there’s a fault.
• The operator will ask you a few questions
to try and find out what the problem is
• If you can’t get a gas or electricity supply
because of a fault with the key or card,
we may need to visit your home or we
may simply be able to post you a new
key or card
• Please note that if you phone during the
evening to report a problem, our staff may
want to visit you during the night. If that’s
not convenient, please call our Prepayment
Customer Helpline number free on
0800 015 1733* and we’ll arrange
another appointment for you
• Please note, if the problem is not the result
of a fault, you may be charged for the visit
Call our Prepayment
Customer Helpline
0800 015 1733 *
Would a prepayment meter suit you?
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What if you can’t charge your key or card?
If you can’t get to a charging outlet and you run out of gas or electricity, you can use
the emergency credit on your prepayment meter. When your credit is running low, you
may hear a warning bleep. Just insert your key or card to release the emergency credit.
A prepayment meter normally has £6 of emergency credit. (This amount may vary, so
please contact us to check.)
Lost or damaged key or card
Please look after your key or card and keep it in a safe place. If you lose or damage your
prepayment key or card we’ll usually give you another one free of charge, the first time it
happens. If it gets lost or damaged again, you may be charged £7 for a replacement.
If something goes wrong

Useful facts about emergency credit
• Many customers find that the emergency
credit will be enough to cover three days’
normal energy use. This should give you
time to recharge your key or card
• You’ll need to repay this emergency credit,
as well as charging up the meter enough
to cover your energy use until the next time
you plan to charge your key or card
• You should use emergency credit only if it’s
absolutely necessary
• For your safety, we advise you not to use
up all of your emergency credit. If you
do and your electricity or gas goes off,
please make sure all your electrical and gas
appliances are switched off before you put
your recharged key or card into your meter
If you can’t charge your key or card at your usual PayPoint outlet because it’s out of order,
please let us know by calling our Prepayment Customer Freephone Helpline, shown on page
14 of this leaflet. We’ll tell you where to find your nearest alternative outlet. PayPoint Services
normally repair out-of-order PayPoint outlets within four working hours of becoming aware of
a problem.
If something goes wrong
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Keeping an eye on self disconnection
‘Self disconnection’ is a term we use when you stop charging your key or card, so your energy
supply stops. This usually happens when customers can’t afford to credit their meter.
We need to keep an eye on self disconnection for your safety. So if you haven’t charged your
key or card for some time, we’ll check your account to try and find out why.
• We can advise you on how to budget for
household bills and how to save money
by using energy more efficiently
For your well-being
• We can also put you in touch with welfare,
charitable and voluntary bodies that may
be able to offer help

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Resetting a prepayment meter
Obviously you don’t want to pay anyone
else’s debts. So if you move house and
find that your new home already has a
prepayment meter fitted, please let us know.
We may have to come and reset the meter,
so please call us to arrange a time, giving us
at least two working days’ notice.
Resetting or removing meters
If the price of electricity or gas changes, your
key or card will be updated the next time you
charge it. If we’re collecting a debt through
your prepayment meter, most meters will
automatically reset once your debt has been
cleared. If your particular type of meter is not
one that resets itself, we’ll arrange to visit
and reset it for you.

What if you want your prepayment
meter taken away?
When we fit a prepayment meter, we
normally expect you to keep it for at least
12 months and to finish paying any debts
that were added to the meter. If you’ve paid
your debt and a prepayment meter is no
longer right for you, please tell us and we’ll
discuss other payment options. If you want
us to take away the prepayment meter,
we won’t usually charge you for doing
this. If we agree to remove your meter, we
will complete this within 10 working days,
but we’ll need to discuss any outstanding
amount left on your meter.
Resetting or removing meters
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How to contact us
Website
Visit edfenergy.com and click on ‘Contact
us’ to fill in our online contact form
Phone
Lines are open between 8am-8pm Monday
to Friday, 8.30am – 2pm Saturdays
For prepayment general enquiries, please call
us free on 0800 015 1733*
For residential enquires, please call us free on
0800 096 9000*
Write
If you want to write to us, please send your
letters to:
Correspondence Manager
EDF Energy
Osprey House, Osprey Road
Sowton Industrial Estate
Exeter, EX2 7WN

Meeting your needs
We want to ensure that all our customers are treated fairly and receive the best possible
service. If you need this booklet in large print, Braille, or as an audio version on CD, please
call our Priority Services team free on 0800 269 450*.
Non-English speaking customers
If English is not your first language and you’d like information in an alternative one, please
call us free on 0800 096 9000* and we’ll transfer you to our special language line. We have
operators who, between them, can speak over 100 different languages.
This guide is also available as a text only version in French, Urdu, Bengali, Somali, Gujarati,
Turkish, Hindi, Punjabi and Welsh.
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edfenergy.com
EDF Energy is a trading name used by EDF Energy Customers plc. Reg. No. 02228297 whose Registered Office
is at 40 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7EN, incorporated in England and Wales. The responsibility for
performance of the supply obligations for all EDF Energy supply contracts rests with EDF Energy Customers plc.
The official emblem of the London 2012 Games is ©2007 The London Organising Committee of the Olympic
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* Calls to EDF Energy’s 0800 numbers may be monitored and recorded as part of our customer care programme
and are free from BT landlines but other network operators’ may charge for these calls.
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