Paying for your
gas and electricity
Help and advice to stay
on top of your energy bills
What to do if you’re having
trouble paying
If you’re struggling to pay your energy
bills, it’s very important you contact us
straightaway. We can only help if we
know there is a problem.
Just call us free on 0800 107 4984*
– then together, we will consider your
ability to pay and work through the
different options available for you.
Please let us know if:
•You are over 60 or have a disability
or long-term illness
•You are over 60 and live alone,
or with other people who are over
60 or under 16 years old
•The bill is not in your name or you pay
for your energy through your rent
Special payment arrangements
Instalments – you might be able to pay
your overdue bill, and future bills, by
instalments at an agreed rate.
Paying direct from your benefits
– the Department for Work and
Pensions can pay for your energy bills
directly out of your benefit under the
Fuel Direct scheme if you receive any
of the following benefits:
• Income Support
•Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Pension Credit
•Income-related Employment and
Support Allowance
Pay as you go meter – we can fit a pay
as you go meter free of charge which
allows you to pay for your energy as
you use it. We can also agree a weekly
recovery rate with you to repay any
outstanding debts.
Call us now on 0800 107 4984*
to discuss how you can pay what you owe
britishgas.co.uk
What happens if you don’t pay us
Choosing the best way
to pay your bill
There are lots of easy ways to settle
your bill. you simply have to choose
the best way for you.
• P
ay as you go meter – paying this
way means you only pay for your
energy as you use it
• P
ayment card – spread the costs
with regular fixed payments at any
PayPoint outlet or Post Office
If you don’t pay your bill and we do not
hear from you we may:
•Insist that a pay as you go meter
is installed
• Ask you to pay a security deposit
•Take steps to disconnect your supply
• Take you to court
Your contract with us allows us to
access your property to disconnect your
supply. We try everything possible to
avoid disconnecting a supply. But when
there is no other option we’ll give you
at least seven days notice in writing.
We will explain how to get reconnected.
We may charge you for our reasonable
costs in collecting your debt. We’ll
advise you about these costs before
we apply them to your account.
You can find more information about
the charges we may apply to your
account in our Codes of Practice
leaflet Lots of Ways to Pay just to go to
britishgas.co.uk/codesofpractice or
call 0800 048 0202 to request a copy.
Its important to protect
your credit rating
We share information with credit
reference agencies. This includes
information on whether you pay bills on
time or late. If you do not pay you bill
in full and/or on time, you may find this
affects your credit rating. A poor credit
rating could affect the following:
• The terms of a mortgage
• The terms of a credit card
•Your ability to get other products or
services on credit e.g. a mobile phone
• Direct Debit
– you can choose
one of the following:
Monthly fixed payment, or variable
payments monthly or quarterly.
For more information go to
britishgas.co.uk/directdebit
– Direct debit customers receive
a discount and are protected by
the Direct Debit Guarantee**
• Quarterly Payments – we’ll send you
a bill each quarter which you need to
pay in full. You can do this by direct
transfer from your bank, with a
debit/credit card, cash or cheque.
You could also receive a Prompt
Pay discount – for more details
about Prompt Pay go to
britishgas.co.uk/promptpay
Where to pay
• Online – at britishgas.co.uk/pay
• A
utomated payment line
– call 0800 107 0224*
• B
y text – call us on 0800 048 0202*
to register your debit/credit card and
we’ll text you to authorise payment
each quarter
• T
elephone or internet banking
– quote our Sort Code 40-05-30,
Account Number 71584685 and your
customer reference number when
you pay
• A
t your bank or by Bank Giro
Transfer – your bank may charge
for this service
• B
y Post – we include a pre-paid
envelope with your bill
• P
ost Office or PayPoint outlet
– free of charge, if you take your bill
with you
Getting further advice and help
with your bills
If you are worried about paying your
bills, don’t struggle alone. There are lots
of organisations like the Citizens Advice
Bureau and National Debtline that can
help. It’s important you do something
straightaway to make sure you stay in
control of your bills.
Help with managing your money
• Budget – our Budget Planner on
page 7 can help you work out what
money you have coming in, how
much goes out, and what you have
left each week or month
• Benefits – check what benefits you
are entitled to. You could be entitled
to benefits you don’t know about or
don’t think apply to you
You can get independent advice from:
• N
ational Debtline – provides free,
confidential advice. Simply visit
nationaldebtline.co.uk or call
0808 808 4000
• C
itizens Advice Bureau – you can
find your local office by visiting
citizensadvice.org.uk or looking in
your telephone directory
• C
itizens Advice consumer service
– the Citizens Advice consumer
service provides free, confidential and
impartial advice on consumer issues.
Visit www.adviceguide.org.uk or
call the Citizens Advice consumer
helpline on 08454 04 05 06
Budgeting made easy
Knowing how much money you have
going in and out of your household is
always a good step to managing your
finances. To use our simple household
Budget Planner just enter your weekly
or monthly income and add them up to
give you your total income.
Then enter how much you spend on
each item a week or or month to give
your total expenditure. Enter the totals
in the box and subtract your outgoings
from your income to see what is left
each week or month.
Income
Payment £
Household income from employment (after tax)
Household income from savings and investments
Pension
Benefits, including child benefit, child tax credits and income support
Other income
Income total
£
Outgoings
Payment £
Outgoings
Payment £
Mortgage/rent
Insurance (building/contents)
Mortgage endowment
Council Tax
Second mortgage
Maintenance/child support
Housekeeping/food
Childminding costs
Ground rent/service charge
Magistrates court fines
Life insurance/pension
School meals & meals at work
Gas
Travel costs
Electricity
Loan repayments
Other fuel
Home phone/mobile phone
Clothes
Water rates
Prescriptions/health costs
TV - Rental, Sky & Licence Fee
Other (e.g. eating out, laundry)
Outgoings subtotal A
Outgoings subtotal B
£
Outgoings A + B total
£
£
Money left over
Payment £
Income total
Outgoings total
Money left over (subtract your outgoings from your income)
£
If you find that your finances are in
good shape that’s great, but we could
suggest ways that could help you save
even more on your energy bills. If you
Special requirements
find that you’re spending more than you
have coming in, look at your outgoings
as there may be ways that you could
make savings.
If you speak a language other than English, tell us when you call and we’ll arrange for an interpreter
to help you.
Easy ways to save energy and money
Here are just a few of our favourite
energy saving tips^.
• T
urn your thermostat down by 1ºC
– and save around £50 a year
• A
djust your timings – set your
heating to go off 30 minutes before
you leave home and come on just
30 minutes before you’re due back
• B
oil only the water you need
– instead of a full kettle
•Close your curtains at dusk to stop
heat escaping through the windows
and check for draughts around
windows and doors
•Take a shower – and use about
40% less water than a bath
To find a number of ways that we can
help you take control and manage
your energy bills – just visit
britishgas.co.uk/ee or call us free
on 0800 072 8629*.
Free home insulation*
Insulation really is the best way to save
money on your energy bills. You could
save up to £175 a year with our free loft
insulation and up to £135 a year with
our free cavity wall insulation*. That’s
quite a saving. Insulating your home
isn’t just a one off saving either, it will
keep your home warmer in the winter
and cooler in the summer, helping to
save money on your energy bills year
after year. For more information just
visit britishgas.co.uk/freeinsulation
or call us on 0800 068 0032 quoting
IBGWTP1.
Are you hard of hearing or speech impaired?
Please
call 18001 0800 072 8626.
Want to receive this information in large print,
Braille or audio? Please call us free on 0800 072 8625.
Need more information or extra help?
Practice leaflets go to britishgas.co.uk/
codesofpractice or call us free on
0800 048 0202*.
*British Gas install in mainland Great Britain only. Not all homes are suitable for insulation. Customers will only be eligible for
the free loft and cavity wall measures recommended by appointed surveyor. Customers will only be eligible for free measures
where we can insulate a minimum of two thirds of the total loft space or wall space (when applied to the whole property).
Free insulation is subject to square meterage limitations. Home must be no larger than an average sized four bed detached.
Insulation beyond these limits is chargeable. For loft insulation, offer only applies where the thickness of existing insulation
is less than 60mm. Offer excludes scaffolding, vents and any specialist equipment. Tenants must seek landlords permission.
Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Limited availability. Offer is subject to change or withdrawal at any
time. Savings figure source energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy-saving-assumptions, November 2011. Actual savings depend on
individual circumstances.
MI310 (07/12) 29015538 ONLINE
You can find out more about paying
for your gas and electricity in our
leaflet Lots of Ways to Pay. To get
a copy of this or any of our Code of
* Calls are free from a BT Calling Plan. Mobile and other provider’s charges may vary. Calls may be monitored and/or recorded for
quality assurance and compliance purposes. ** The Direct Debit Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept
instructions to pay by Direct Debit. If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit, British Gas Trading
Limited will notify you ten working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request British Gas
Trading Limited to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. If an error
is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by British Gas Trading Limited or your bank or building society you are entitled to a full
and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society. If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must
pay it back when British Gas Trading Limited asks you to. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank
or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us. ^ All savings sourced from the Energy Savings Trust
energysavingtrust.org.uk/easyways-to-stop-wasting-energy
British Gas Trading Limited
Registered in England & Wales: No 3078711
Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5GD
britishgas.co.uk
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