Moving into house with Utilita PAYG meters - help?

purplebutterfly

We are currently with Bulb and in credit with our account.  We want to take our account over to our new house when we move.

The house we are moving to has Utilita first generation smart meters set to Pay as you Go.

Bulb say we can't switch, we will have to wait 2 months and do a credit check before they can set up a credit account at the new property.  We've been with them 4 years and have ALWAYS been in credit, our DD covers more than our bills.

Utilita are being cagey about agreeing to change the meter to a credit meter in order for me to be able to switch suppliers.  They keep saying they'll get back to me and never do.   

I am tearing my hair out.  Does anyone have any advice please? 

MWT

You can't take your account with you to a new house.

Once you are responsible for the new house you must register with the existing supplier (Utilita).

Only then can you switch to Bulb, but if your aim is to get off of a pre-pay meter quickly you may find it easier to switch somewhere else as Bulb are not exactly one of the fastest when it comes to meter replacement...

purplebutterfly

Thanks @MWT  We just don't want to be stuck paying a fortune for a PAYG meter. 

  As far as I can tell, the smart meter won't need replacing, just switching from pre-pay to credit.  Then we can manually upload our meter readings to our Bulb account.  We do that at our current property after switching from Eon to Bulb and it isn't an issue. 

welshmoneylover

You cannot take your existing supplier with you, you need to register with utilita then arrange the meter exchange then go to Bulb.
probably take a couple of months 

macman

It's the summer: you are not going to be paying a fortune just because you might be on PAYG rates for a couple of months with no heating being used.
You cannot transfer an account over to another property, it must be closed at the old property once you give your final reading, and then you must open an account with the existing supplier and give opening reads on day one. You are then free to commence a switch immediately, and request a meter change to a credit meter, if the existing one cannot be switched over (which, being first gen, is unlikely).
The deemed account system has been in operation since privatisation in the 1980's, so it must be quite some time since you last moved house.

purplebutterfly

macman said:

The deemed account system has been in operation since privatisation in the 1980's, so it must be quite some time since you last moved house.

I'm moving from the first home I've ever rented into the first home I've ever bought (been in the same flat for 20 years since leaving university) so have never had to do this before.  We've switched providers multiple times but not changed address

I'm just irritated that I'll be forced to use a prepayment meter at an expensive rate and go through two months of "proving" that I am creditworthy when I have had a credit account for 20 years and never been in any debt.   

macman

Then use a different supplier who does not require a credit check. Once you've got the credit meter installed, you can switch again. The fact that Bulb is cheapest at your current address does not mean that it will be so at the new address. Your kWh usage will be different, and unit rates vary by region.