Please help me get a credit meter!

HomeownerDreamer

I've just bought a house with a prepayment meter supplied by Utilita. I've called to register with them and asked to be changed to a credit meter. They said their policy is that you need to wait 3 months to change so they know how much to set the direct debit for. This seems ridiculous to me as surely they can base it on typical usage and update it based on meter readings. It's got a smart meter so surely it's not that difficult. How can I get a credit meter earlier than this? Happy to switch but there doesn't seem to be much choice of prepayment suppliers except for the big 6 so would need to switch again once they'd changed the meter, would this be allowed?

Neil_Jones

Your typical usage may not tally with the usage of the previous owner.  They may have had the heating on once in a blue moon, and you may want it on 24/7, so the usage history is immaterial.  Your direct debit is not an indication of use, in a typical configuration it's just a contribution towards the annual bill.

A lot depends on your credit history, if you have poor credit and you owe lots of money to lots of different people, you're not really in favourable territory for a credit meter.  There is nothing to stop you switching round but different suppliers have different criteria for allowing you to have a credit meter.  Note the smart meter may not have been installed under your current supplier and may be operating in "dumb" mode, so it can't be converted remotely to credit.

HomeownerDreamer

Sorry, I didn't mean usage history, I meant typical usage for that sized house with that number of occupants, which can then be adjusted up or down based on my readings over time. I have a good credit history and always paid by direct debit in the past and not in debt. It's definitely not a dumb meter and Utilita have confirmed it can be done remotely but they won't do it for 3 months. I've decided switching is my only option but not sure how this works with a smart meter