Help & FAQ

Answers to common questions about connecting your meter, your data, and your account — clear and jargon-free. Can’t find it? Email us.

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Guides

Longer, step-by-step answers — switching, council tax, reading your bill and more.

Definitions & terms

Plain explanations for the words that show up on a bill or in your account.

Unit rate

What you pay for one unit of energy — a “unit” is also called a kWh (kilowatt-hour). Printed as “p per kWh” on a bill.

Standing charge

A fixed daily fee just to be connected to the network, charged whether or not you use any energy that day. Printed as “p per day”.

kWh (kilowatt-hour)

The standard unit energy is billed in — roughly what a 1kW appliance (a kettle, say) uses running for an hour.

Price cap

The maximum a supplier can charge per unit and per day on a standard variable tariff, set by Ofgem and reviewed every three months. It caps the RATE, not the total bill — using more still costs more.

Direct debit

A fixed monthly payment a supplier estimates from your yearly usage, rather than billing the exact amount you used that month.

Estimated reading

A bill based on a guess at your usage because your actual meter reading was not available — common with older, non-smart meters.

Dual fuel

Buying both electricity and gas from the same supplier, usually on one bill.

Smart meter

A meter that sends automatic readings to your supplier, so bills are based on real usage rather than estimates.

In-home display (IHD)

The small screen a smart meter installation includes, showing usage and cost as you use energy.

SCOP (Seasonal Coefficient of Performance)

A heat pump efficiency rating — the ratio of heat it delivers over a year to the electricity it uses to do it. Higher is more efficient; a well-installed heat pump typically runs above 3, meaning it delivers more than three units of heat per unit of electricity.